Best Bible for a new Catholic

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AmISearching

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Just was curious if anyone knew of any specific Bibles (not just versions) that are best for a new Catholic (or one who is considering becoming Catholic) (I know there are a few Catholic Study Bibles now? any of them any good?)

If it helps to give you an idea of what I tend to “like” (though I know thats not a reason to pick a Bible!) version wise, as a Protestant, my favorite is the New American Standard, followed by the NIV, KJV and NKJV all tied, and I don’t like paraphrases or the NLT as much for the language of it as for the fact that they’re paraphrases. (I worked for a Bible bookstore at one point, and was amazed at how many people came in and considered our chart about what reading level different Bibles were on - I guess I never considered that, as I had no issues with the KJV (12th grade reading level supposedly) in 3rd grade… though I do acknowledge why some people who have trouble reading would want a Bible such as the NLT)

Any ideas folks? I can’t buy one yet (I can’t really convert yet - long story I’ve mentioned before about moving out of my parents home in January and being able to start attending the Catholic Church then) But I wanted to go ahead and start looking at information on them online…

thanks!
 
Hi,

I would suggest the Douay Rheims Haydock Bible. It’s kind of pricey, maybe a little over $100 but it has great commentary from the fathers and is very orthodox.

Next to that I would recomend a copy of the Douay Rheims or the Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition).

I would stay far away from the NAB, mainly because the foot notes seem to be written by someone very hostile to the Church.
 
Scott Hahn helped write/edit a series of studies of the individual Bible books that are really good.

Also very very good is the Navarre study bible series.

As far as I know, though, there is no good single volume study Bible for Catholics.

The best translation, as far as I am concerned, is the RSV-Catholic Edition.

And I agree about the NAB study Bible, I was dumbfounded by some of the notes.
 
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bengeorge:
Scott Hahn helped write/edit a series of studies of the individual Bible books that are really good.

Also very very good is the Navarre study bible series.

As far as I know, though, there is no good single volume study Bible for Catholics.

The best translation, as far as I am concerned, is the RSV-Catholic Edition.

And I agree about the NAB study Bible, I was dumbfounded by some of the notes.
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The RSV is very good, I usually try to read in parallel the DR, RSV, and KJV. Mainly I read the KJV because it’s so popular with many non-Catholic Christians. Curiously, I find it very similar to the DR.

I also like the NAB, but without the foot notes. I am aware of a few problems with the text and it tends to paraphrase but my main problem is with the notes that I have seen in most NAB’s.
 
hmm… I’ve always felt the RSV (protestant version) read rather awkwardly (it was the pew Bibles on my College campus - but most of the time it wasn’t actually the version used by anyone) - but - I have extreme respect for Scott Hahn - so if the RSV-CE is the version he thinks is best, I probably might start with it. (and yes I’ve heard about that new multivolume study Bible - which I might have to start getting as well - but I certainly need a whole Catholic Bible to start out with!)
 
AmISearching?:
hmm… I’ve always felt the RSV (protestant version) read rather awkwardly (it was the pew Bibles on my College campus - but most of the time it wasn’t actually the version used by anyone) - but - I have extreme respect for Scott Hahn - so if the RSV-CE is the version he thinks is best, I probably might start with it. (and yes I’ve heard about that new multivolume study Bible - which I might have to start getting as well - but I certainly need a whole Catholic Bible to start out with!)
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The RSV certainly isn’t a bad choice, in fact it’s a good choice but if you can afford it, the Haydock Bible will be extremely helpful. The other issue with the Haydock Bible, besides the priceness of it, is that it is rather large and not easily transportable.

Do a google or yahoo search for the Haydock Bible and I think you will be impressed with it as it has many, many footnotes straight from the early church fathers.
 
If you want a Bible alone then I’d suggest the RSV:CE. I’m pretty sure the Ignatius Holy Bible is basically the same (it’s more utilitarian in design but also cheaper).

RSV:CE
ewtn.com/vcatalogue/pages/itemdetail.asp?itemcode=98011&source=categories.asp&category=BOOKS&pgnu=2

Ignatius
catholiccompany.com/product_detail.cfm?ID=684

If you want a Bible with commentary then you might want to consider the Haydock Douay-Rheims Bible (you might want to go ahead and order this anyway if you decide to get the Douay-Rheims Bible):
ewtn.com/vcatalogue/pages/itemdetail.asp?itemcode=11050&source=categories.asp&category=BOOKS&pgnu=1
prayrosary.com/shoppingcart/haydock.php3

I haven’t dealed with the prayrosary.com retailer so order at your own risk.

You might also want to consider the Ignatius Study Bible series:
catholiccompany.com/product_detail.cfm?ID=5165

If you want to preview the text on the Douay-Rheims Bible you can look here:
drbo.org/
 
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Madia:
If you want a Bible with commentary then you might want to consider the Haydock Douay-Rheims Bible (you might want to go ahead and order this anyway if you decide to get the Douay-Rheims Bible):
ewtn.com/vcatalogue/pages/itemdetail.asp?itemcode=11050&source=categories.asp&category=BOOKS&pgnu=1
prayrosary.com/shoppingcart/haydock.php3

**I haven’t dealed with the prayrosary.com retailer so order at your own risk. **

If you want to preview the text on the Douay-Rheims Bible you can look here:
drbo.org/
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I got my Baronius Douay Rheims from prayrosary.com. They are a little slow, but when I sent them an email, asking about my Bible, they sent me an immediate response, & the Bible was here in days…
So, given that slight caveat, I think they are OK to deal with, since, as I say, they are very good about responding to emails.
 
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bengeorge:
Scott Hahn helped write/edit a series of studies of the individual Bible books that are really good.

Also very very good is the Navarre study bible series.

As far as I know, though, there is no good single volume study Bible for Catholics.

The best translation, as far as I am concerned, is the RSV-Catholic Edition.

And I agree about the NAB study Bible, I was dumbfounded by some of the notes.
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I agree here . . . the Navarre is VERY good. In my classes, I STRONGLY encourage the RSV.

Hope this helps . . .
 
What are some examples of bad footnotes in the NAB? Its the version I have, and I don’t remember seeing anything too bad.
 
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FuzzyBunny116:
What are some examples of bad footnotes in the NAB? Its the version I have, and I don’t remember seeing anything too bad.
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You can probably start a whole new thread on this (there have already been several that talked about this), but here is just one from the commentary on a recent Sunday Gospel reading:
[Matthew 21:33-46] Cf Mark 12:1-12. In this parable there is a close correspondence between most of the details of the story and the situation that it illustrates, the dealings of God with his people. Because of that heavy allegorizing, some scholars think that it does not in any way go back to Jesus, but represents the theology of the later church. That judgment applies to the Marcan parallel as well, although the allegorizing has gone farther in Matthew. There are others who believe that while many of the allegorical elements are due to church sources, they have been added to a basic parable spoken by Jesus. This view is now supported by the Gospel of Thomas, #65, where a less allegorized and probably more primitive form of the parable is found.
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What this says to me, is that Jesus either never told this parable, or that he told a “simpler” parable that later writers expanded upon. Either way, it states –uncritically– that what the Gospels portray Jesus as saying, he didn’t say. It even sites the non-canonical “Gospel of Thomas” as a measure of the original form of the parable, when it could just as easily be the reverse–that the writer of Thomas included a smaller adaption of the original larger form. This is what is known as a hermanuetic of suspicion— place your trust in anything except the historical/traditional understanding of the face value of the text.
 
the version approved for liturgical use in the United States is the New American Bible. If you are going to be using it in RCIA this is the translation to get, it a Catholic study edition. If you have grown up with the KJV and love “the King’s English” and it feels more “biblical” to you, you will prefer the Douay-Rheims for devotional use, or the Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition (similar to the Authorized Version which is an update of the KJV). This is particulary good for ecumenical prayer groups. the Jerusalem Bible (1966 original edition) is also a great study bible.

The RSV-CE is the version used in English translations of Vatican documents. it is also the version preferred for most bible study classes and groups, or individual study. The notes accompanying the Ignatius Catholic Study bible are excellent. Personally I have all these translations, which I use depending on the setting. Please do not discount all the notes in the NAB based on some problematic ones in the original version.

Stay away form TEV, GNT, or NRSV. The first two are so much paraphrased that literal meaning–essential starting point for study of scripture–is lost or warked. The last sacrifices literal meaning in the name of inclusive language and PCness.

we give our Confirmation candidates and RCIA people the New International Student Bible For Catholics-NAB from Nelson. There are several pages of questions & answers, and articles that are wonderful.
 
In Canada, our liturgy uses the NRSV, even though the NAB is popular with the common people, and it still slightly saddens me that Catholics, even those devoted and my age, haven’t even lifted a page let alone touch a bible…

My preference is Douay-Rheims. It was pricy for me ($72 CAD, yuck!) and I often saw the irony that one can receive a paperback KJV for about $4 CAD, yet all DRV’s happen to be from $50 CAD or higher in standards. Sometimes I wonder if the Mother Church could endorse a version for distribution and evangelisation, like Gideons, but more Catholic-orientated.

I recommend the DRV for those who are traditional and esp. come from a Fundamentalist background. Liberal Christians can read the NAB, since it is closer to the NIV, although somewhat technical and heretical notes. And those who wish a good biblical study, or grew up with the NASB or RSV, the RSV-CE would be the best.

OR if you want a literary refreshing translation, although somewhat loose, get the Jerusalem bible, or the New Jerusalem Bible.

Determine one’s taste, **then **determine the bible.

:cool: Douay-Rheims Challoner (DRV) - Traditional “Biblical English”

New American Bible (NAB) - Technical, plain “American English”

(New) Jerusalem Bible (JB or NJB) - Loose, but refreshingly modern “Literary English” (British too! Closer to Canadian spelling for me, and thus more favoured by me!)

:cool: Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) - Praised for faithfulness of text, “Conservative English”

Of course, my definitions are simplistic ;).

If you are one who is active in Bible sharing with the common people, the NAB, although with heretical notes, would be best, since there are so many endorsements to it. NAB Marriage edition, NAB First communion edition, NAB baby’s first bible… It never stops.

If you want a more personal Bible, and just read it as your own time, then the NJB or the DRV would be a great choice.

If you are one who evangelises, studies, and participates actively on Catholic Answers, the RSV-CE.

Godbless, Godsend, and Godspeed (Godwilling!) 😃
 
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