Jose C. Abriol
Encyclopedia
Jose C. Abriol was a Filipino
Catholic priest, monsignor
, and Bible
translator from the Philippines
. He became an official member of the priesthood on May 14, 1942. He translated the Holy Bible from the original Hebrew
and Greek
. Apart from this, he also became the rector
of the Manila Cathedral
from 1962 to 1975, and at the same time as the chancellor
of the Archdiocese of Manila. He was fluent in nine languages, namely Spanish
, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Italian
, English
, German
and Filipino
(Tagalog
). He served as a priest for sixty years. He died at the age of 85, five months after receiving his award. He is regarded as one of the "great intellectuals of the Philippine Church and the world."
faith in the Philippines, Abriol wrote and translated hundreds of books and novenas into the Filipino language. Among his works are the very first translation of the complete books of the Catholic Bible
into Tagalog
(also known as Pilipino), literature on Roman Catholic Cathecism, the Ordinary
of the Vatican II Missal
, the Sacramentary
, and the Lectionary
. He translated the Holy Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek while serving as rector of the Cathedral of Manila, a period encompassing ten years of his life. From 1953 to 1963, he alloted five hours a day for this task. Among the 69 to 70 books he authored - excluding his other translation works - were those about the life of saints, prayers for the Virgin Mary, Sunday missals, the Via Crucis (or the Way of the Cross), the Siete Palabras (Spanish for the Seven Last Words of Christ). Before the year 2000, he was also able to finish his translation of Pope John Paul II
's encyclical
, the Fides et Ratio
(or Faith and Reason), which became Pananampalataya at Katwiran in Tagalog.
(1947–1951), of San Rafael, Balut, Tondo
in Manila
(1951–1962), and of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene at Quiapo, Manila
(1976–1993). He was also a member of the Manila Archdiocesan Commission for the Conservation of the Patrimony of the Art and History of the Church from 1993 through 1999. He became the Vicar General
for the Archdiocese of Manila for 38 years from 1965 to July 2003. He was also the first director of Manila's Archdiocese Museum, a museum that houses his own "personal collections and church treasures" formerly safeguarded inside a bank vault. While serving as a parish priest at the Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, Abriol established the St. Peter’s Men Society, a group that "defended Catholicism in Plaza Miranda against anti-Catholics and employed radio technology to communicate and explain the Biblical foundation of the Catholic faith" to the Filipino people. Abriol did not retire from the priesthood, nor from his translation and research activities, when he reached the mandatory age of 75. Abriol died of cardiac arrest
at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital on July 6, 2003. His wake was held at the Arzobispado de Manila (the Archbishopric of Manila) inside Intramuros
, while the interment was held on July 10, 2003 at the Manila Cathedral, with Cardinal Jaime Sin as the main celebrant of the mass. Abriol was the friend and confessor of Cardinal Sin.
[ of the hand
] Award") in 1999 from the Ateneo de Manila University
, the Outstanding Manilan Award in 2000 from the government of the City of Manila, and the Gawad ng Pagkilala (or "Recognition Award") in 2000 from the Commission on the Filipino Language (formerly known as the National Language Institute) of the Philippines for the "propagation and development of the Filipino language." On October 3, 1999, Abriol - then 81 years old - also became a recipient of the Ten Outstanding Elderly of the Philippines Award (known in the Philippines as Sampung Ulirang Nakatatanda) because of his religious work and writings that were offered "for the use and edification of the ordinary faithful." The award was given to Abriol at St. Paul’s College in Quezon City
.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
Catholic priest, monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
, and Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
translator from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. He became an official member of the priesthood on May 14, 1942. He translated the Holy Bible from the original Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. Apart from this, he also became the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the Manila Cathedral
Manila Cathedral
Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is also known as Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception or Basilica Minore dela Inmaculada Concepcion or Basilica Minore dela Nuestra Señora de Inmaculada Concepcion A Roman Catholic church having a higher status of "Minor Basilica" with...
from 1962 to 1975, and at the same time as the chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the Archdiocese of Manila. He was fluent in nine languages, namely Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Filipino
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
(Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
). He served as a priest for sixty years. He died at the age of 85, five months after receiving his award. He is regarded as one of the "great intellectuals of the Philippine Church and the world."
As a translator
As a priest who yearned to propagate the Roman CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
faith in the Philippines, Abriol wrote and translated hundreds of books and novenas into the Filipino language. Among his works are the very first translation of the complete books of the Catholic Bible
Catholic Bible
The Catholic Bible is the Bible used by Catholics and typically refers to the Douay-Rheims Bible , or to those Bible translations which contain the deuterocanonical books found in the Latin Vulgate —just as "Protestant Bible" refers to translations descended from the Tyndale Bible and...
into Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
(also known as Pilipino), literature on Roman Catholic Cathecism, the Ordinary
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
of the Vatican II Missal
Missal
A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year.-History:Before the compilation of such books, several books were used when celebrating Mass...
, the Sacramentary
Sacramentary
The Sacramentary is a book of the Middle Ages containing the words spoken by the priest celebrating a Mass and other liturgies of the Church. The books were usually in fact written for bishops or other higher clegy such as abbots, and many lavishly decorated illuminated manuscript sacramentaries...
, and the Lectionary
Lectionary
A Lectionary is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings appointed for Christian or Judaic worship on a given day or occasion.-History:...
. He translated the Holy Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek while serving as rector of the Cathedral of Manila, a period encompassing ten years of his life. From 1953 to 1963, he alloted five hours a day for this task. Among the 69 to 70 books he authored - excluding his other translation works - were those about the life of saints, prayers for the Virgin Mary, Sunday missals, the Via Crucis (or the Way of the Cross), the Siete Palabras (Spanish for the Seven Last Words of Christ). Before the year 2000, he was also able to finish his translation of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
's encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
, the Fides et Ratio
Fides et Ratio
Fides et Ratio is an encyclical promulgated by Pope John Paul II on 14 September 1998. It deals primarily with the relationship between faith and reason....
(or Faith and Reason), which became Pananampalataya at Katwiran in Tagalog.
As a priest
Apart from being the rector of the Manila Cathedral and from being the Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Manila from 1962 to 1975, Abriol also served as parish priests for the parishes of St. Michael the Archangel at Jala-Jala, RizalJala-Jala, Rizal
Jalajala is a 4th class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 28,738 people in 4,759 households.-Etymology:...
(1947–1951), of San Rafael, Balut, Tondo
Tondo, Manila
Tondo is a district of Manila, Philippines. The locale has existed prior to the arrival of the Spanish, referred to as "Tundun" in the Laguna Copperplate Inscription. One of the most densely populated areas of land in the world, Tondo is located in the northwest portion of the city and is primarily...
in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
(1951–1962), and of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene at Quiapo, Manila
Quiapo, Manila
Quiapo is a district and city square of Manila. Referred as the "Old Downtown", Quiapo in known for where cheap buys or goods are being sold at rock-bottom prices and was the home of the Quiapo Church, where the feast for the Black Nazarene is held, with over millions of people attending...
(1976–1993). He was also a member of the Manila Archdiocesan Commission for the Conservation of the Patrimony of the Art and History of the Church from 1993 through 1999. He became the Vicar General
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
for the Archdiocese of Manila for 38 years from 1965 to July 2003. He was also the first director of Manila's Archdiocese Museum, a museum that houses his own "personal collections and church treasures" formerly safeguarded inside a bank vault. While serving as a parish priest at the Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, Abriol established the St. Peter’s Men Society, a group that "defended Catholicism in Plaza Miranda against anti-Catholics and employed radio technology to communicate and explain the Biblical foundation of the Catholic faith" to the Filipino people. Abriol did not retire from the priesthood, nor from his translation and research activities, when he reached the mandatory age of 75. Abriol died of cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Hospital on July 6, 2003. His wake was held at the Arzobispado de Manila (the Archbishopric of Manila) inside Intramuros
Intramuros
Intramuros is the oldest district in the present day city of Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines. Nicknamed the "Walled City", Intramuros is the historic fortified city of Manila, the seat ot the government during the Spanish Colonial Period. Its name in Latin, intramuros,...
, while the interment was held on July 10, 2003 at the Manila Cathedral, with Cardinal Jaime Sin as the main celebrant of the mass. Abriol was the friend and confessor of Cardinal Sin.
In the Philippines
In the Philippines, Abriol received the Gawad Bukas Palad (literally, the "Open PalmHand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
[ of the hand
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
] Award") in 1999 from the Ateneo de Manila University
Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
, the Outstanding Manilan Award in 2000 from the government of the City of Manila, and the Gawad ng Pagkilala (or "Recognition Award") in 2000 from the Commission on the Filipino Language (formerly known as the National Language Institute) of the Philippines for the "propagation and development of the Filipino language." On October 3, 1999, Abriol - then 81 years old - also became a recipient of the Ten Outstanding Elderly of the Philippines Award (known in the Philippines as Sampung Ulirang Nakatatanda) because of his religious work and writings that were offered "for the use and edification of the ordinary faithful." The award was given to Abriol at St. Paul’s College in Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
.
Works
The translation works of Abriol include the following:- Ang Bagong Tipan [The New Testament] (translator, 1997)
- Ang Lumang Tipan [The Old Testament] (translator)
- Ang Banal na Biblia [The Holy Bible] (translator, 2000), ISBN 9715901077
External links
- Photograph of Msgr. Jose C. Abriol, from FirstFilipino.blogspot.com
- Photograph of Msgr. Jose C. Abriol, from the official website of the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica (Philippines), ManilaCathedral.org