Media Release

Bengaluru, Mar 23: Asian Trading Corporation (ATC) released Catholic edition of the highly acclaimed and much awaited Bible 'The New Living Translation Catholic Edition' (NLT-CE), at the Pope Paul VI Auditorium, St John's National Academy of Health Sciences recently.

The Bible was released during the Plenary Assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) by Salvatore Pennacchio, Apostolic Nuncio to India in the presence of the Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI).

The first copy of the Bible was presented to Cardinal Telesphore P Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi.

The other dignitaries at the launch included Fr Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bangalore, Fr Filipe Neri Ferrao, vice-president CCBI and Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Fr Varghese Chakkalakal, secretary general of CCBI and bishop of Calicut, Fr Gali Bali, bishop of Guntur and former chairman of CCBI Bible Commission, Dr Mark D Taylor, president and CEO, Tyndale House Publishers, USA and Rev Dr Lucien Legrand who headed the scholars committee that reviewed the NLT-CE.

The programme started with opening remarks by Dr Assisi Saldanha and welcome address by Nigel Fernandes, CEO of ATC publications India, and the publishers of the NLT-CE.

Dr Mark D Taylor gave the introduction to the NLT-CE while Dr Lucien Legrand explained the review process.

This was followed by congratulatory messages delivered by Bishop Gali Bali, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio and Cardinal Telesphore P Toppo.  

All the dignitaries were highly appreciative of the translation and wished that this popular and simple translation which is now being made available to the worldwide church by ATC and Tyndale would start a revolution in Bible reading among the faithful.

The scholars who reviewed the NLT-CE Bible were honoured by Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao. Originally published by Tyndale House Publishers, the NLT is one of the most popular Bible translations.

In appreciation of the efforts in accomplishing this unique project in India, Dr Mark D Taylor acknowledged and awarded Nigel Fernandes with a plaque in recognition of his dynamic role in coordinating the entire project.

Highlights of ‘New Living Translation - Catholic Edition’ (NLT-CE):

1. The New Living Translation (NLT) is a translation of the Bible into modern English
2. The NLT Bible was first published in 1996, and was the work of 90 reputed scripture scholars led by Dr Mark Taylor
3. As of March 2014, the Christian Booksellers Association ranks the NLT as the second most popular English version of the Bible based on unit sales
4. Translated from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek text
5. It includes the original seven Deuterocanonical books and utilizes anglicized spellings
6. Reviewed by a group of eminent Indian Bible Scholars
7. Imprimatur granted by Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of  Bombay and President of Conference of  Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) on behalf of CCBI
8. The First English Bible text to be granted Imprimatur by the Bishop's Conference in India
9. Endowed with lively illustrations

The Bible NLT-CE combines the latest biblical scholarship with a clear, dynamic writing style communicating God's word powerfully to all who read it. Following the principle of dynamic equivalence, it provides a refreshingly fluid reading of the Sacred Scriptures, which may be missing in more literal translations. It presents the biblical message in a language accessible even to non-Christians readers clearly.

This Catholic Edition of the Bible NLT-CE will be a great help for personal reading, study, and prayer. With its flowing text and useful marginal references, it will also provide a useful tool for Lectio Divina sharing and other prayer group dynamics.

The core team was formed under the guidance and leadership of Dr Rayanna Govindu, Secretary, CCBI Bible Commission, Dr Lucien Legrand MEP, Dr Assisi Saldanha, CSSR, along with several other Bible experts who worked over two years to prepare the NLT-CE.

The Bibles have been printed by Brilliant Printers Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru. The NLT CE is the first Catholic Bible in India to be printed in world class standards, variety of sizes and cover materials and is available in pocket, regular and large size. The Bibles come in a variety of attractive bindings - hard bound, deboss, vinyl and bonded leather and are priced from Rs 250 to Rs 1,300 based on the particular variety and are available at leading bookstores, major e-commerce sites like Amazon, Indiamart, Flipkart etc, and ATC branch outlets.