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REB

Revised English Bible

Oxford University Press / Cambridge University Press

First published 1989

TranslationREB
PublisherOxford University Press / Cambridge University Press
First Published1989
Canon Proximity7.0 / 10 — High
REB

Revised English Bible

The Revised English Bible (REB) is a thorough revision of the New English Bible (1970), published jointly by Oxford and Cambridge University Presses on September 14, 1989 — coincidentally the same day as the American NRSV. It corrects the NEB's more eccentric renderings, incorporates newer manuscript evidence including the Dead Sea Scrolls, and uses gender-inclusive language where the original texts are clearly inclusive.

History & Background

Commissioned by the same coalition of British churches that produced the NEB, with representatives from the Roman Catholic Church now included as full participants. Donald Coggan served as chairman of the Joint Committee. The REB's revision brought the NEB closer to the Hebrew and Greek originals in many disputed passages, while retaining the literary freshness that distinguished the NEB from the KJV tradition.

Canon Proximity Rating

Canon Proximity7.0 / 10 — High

Standard 66-book Protestant canon. An edition with the Apocrypha is also available. The leading British ecumenical translation.

Rating Scale

9–10: Formally equivalent, 66 books
7–8: Dynamic equiv., 66 books
5–6: Includes Apocrypha
1–4: Major departures / additions