What is 'new' in the new edition of Il-Bibbja?

Abstract

Now that the Malta Bible Society is holding a number of cultural activities to remind Christians and non-Christians alike of the importance of the Bible within our culture, the writer of this article thought it is the right moment to review, even if in a general manner, the Third Edition of Il-Bibbja published by the Society towards the end of 2004. The reviewer of a work that has seen multiple editions is bound to ask whether the latest 'edition' merits the name: 'Was this edition justified vis-a-vis its predecessors?' Was the Malta Bible Society justified in requesting a frequent reader of Scripture or a Bible lover to fork out money to purchase this new edition of the Bible in Maltese? As our readers will remember, what many consider as the official translation of the Bible in Maltese published as Il-Bibbja, was first published by the Malta Bible Society, then in conjunction with the Media Centre, in 1984; the Malta Bible Society, this time on its own, published the Second Edition in 1996. In 2004 the Society has just published the Third Edition. What is there in this publication to justify the noun 'edition'? Why not using the phrase 'a new printing'? With some reserve on his part as he had a manu in pasta in the formation of the new book, the present reviewer maintains that the Il-Bibbja of 2004 merits the title 'new edition' and not simply the more general 'new printing'.