Dear Catholic Exchange:
What is the verse at the center of the translation of the Bible that Catholics use? How many verses are before and after it?
Rachel Gentzsch
Dear Rachel,
Peace in Christ!
Scripture scholar John E. Steinmueller addresses the division of Scripture into chapters in Volume 1 of his three-volume work, A Companion to Scripture Studies.
It seems that St. Jerome was the first to divide the Bible into chapters and verses, when he prepared his Latin Vulgate. As we know it today, Steinmueller notes that the chapter division in the Bible is attributed to a man by the name of Stephen Langton around the year 1214. The division of verses as we know it today in the Old Testament is attributed to Sanctes Pagninus around 1528 and in the New Testament to a man by the name of Robert Stephanus around 1555. For more information on these men, go to New Advent, which has an online version of the Catholic Encyclopedia.
The upshot is that division of the Bible into chapters is not divinely inspired revelation. In fact, there are two numberings of chapters in the Book of Psalms. Some versions divide into two psalms (as Psalm 10 and 11) the same text that other versions have as Psalm 10. Those that do not divide Psalm 10 divide their Psalm 146. Thus, both versions have the same number of chapters, but counting chapters either forward or backward will arrive at different psalm texts. So even Protestants don’t agree on which chapter is the center chapter of the Bible. It appears rash to let such an exercise influence one’s understanding of God’s revelation through His Word.
However, the full canon of Scripture would have a center chapter in a different place (not Psalm 117 or 118, as the Protestants argue). The NAB from the Bishop’s website has 1318 chapters, counting each of the chapter-less books as a chapter. An even number of chapters does not produce a center chapter, but two center chapters: 120 and 121.
If we were to count the number of verses in the Bible (which I am not willing to do at this point) and find a middle verse or middle two verses, the chapter thereof could loosely be called the middle chapter. (For Protestants that is apparently 118.)
A more thorough discussion of this exercise can be found here. The bottom line is that because chapters are a man-made convention imposed on the Scriptures and that the numbering can vary among versions, and given the various methods for reckoning a center of the Bible, attributing import to passages thought to be at the center of the Bible is not recommended.
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