Bibles

[Faith1960]

I have a few Bibles, including A New American Bible, St. Joseph’s Edition and an NIV Life Application Study Bible. I bought the New American Bible because it’s a Catholic one but later bought the NIV because I was looking for a study Bible, without thinking that there are probably Catholic study Bibles available. Anyway, The NIV is easier for me to understand and has been a very helpful version to learn from. Is there anything wrong with me, as a Catholic using a Protestant Bible?

 

[crazzeto]

I have a few Bibles, including A New American Bible, St. Joseph’s Edition and an NIV Life Application Study Bible. I bought the New American Bible because it’s a Catholic one but later bought the NIV because I was looking for a study Bible, without thinking that there are probably Catholic study Bibles available. Anyway, The NIV is easier for me to understand and has been a very helpful version to learn from. Is there anything wrong with me, as a Catholic using a Protestant Bible?

Not necessarly, though there will be a problem with the notes. Have you tried looking at Catholic study bibles to see if you might prefer the language?

 

[James224]

I have a few Bibles, including A New American Bible, St. Joseph’s Edition and an NIV Life Application Study Bible. I bought the New American Bible because it’s a Catholic one but later bought the NIV because I was looking for a study Bible, without thinking that there are probably Catholic study Bibles available. Anyway, The NIV is easier for me to understand and has been a very helpful version to learn from. Is there anything wrong with me, as a Catholic using a Protestant Bible?

Hi Faith1960,

I would use a Catholic Bible. I use the Douay-Rheims but any catholic bible you will read is the best one to use. Instead of trying to find a bible with notes, you may want to get a good Catholic Commentary. I use more traditional sources such as the Haydock commentary, 1953 Catholic Commentary or Cornelius Lapide’s Commentary. Lapide’s Commentary hasn’t been made available totally yet. You can see parts of the NT online.

 

[Fidelis]

I have a few Bibles, including A New American Bible, St. Joseph’s Edition and an NIV Life Application Study Bible. I bought the New American Bible because it’s a Catholic one but later bought the NIV because I was looking for a study Bible, without thinking that there are probably Catholic study Bibles available. Anyway, The NIV is easier for me to understand and has been a very helpful version to learn from. Is there anything wrong with me, as a Catholic using a Protestant Bible?

Aside from the fact that Protestant Bibles are incomplete (they lack seven OT Books and parts of two others), they tend to have a Protestant bias in the translation. Steve Ray has written about this here.

There’s nothing wrong with have the NIV (or any other Bible) around for a secondary reference, but as a Catholic, your primary Bible should be a Catholic Bible. If you are looking for something a little easier to read, I’d suggest the New Jerusalem Bible or the Catholic Good News Bible (this last, being a paraphrase, should not be used for study, but for easy daily reading it’s fine)

 

[Faith1960]

Aside from the fact that Protestant Bibles are incomplete (they lack seven OT Books and parts of two others), they tend to have a Protestant bias in the translation. Steve Ray has written about this here.

There’s nothing wrong with have the NIV (or any other Bible) around for a secondary reference, but as a Catholic, your primary Bible should be a Catholic Bible. If you are looking for something a little easier to read, I’d suggest the New Jerusalem Bible or the Catholic Good News Bible (this last, being a paraphrase, should not be used for study, but for easy daily reading it’s fine)

I’ve definately noticed the Protestant bias in the NIV Bible but use my CAtholic one the most and it’s the only one I use in Bible Study.
I also have a Good News Bible which has been very helpful when I’ve needed some help in understanding a verse.

 

[Rolltide]

If you’re looking for a good study Bible with commentary, there are three that I would recommend: The Ignatius Study Bible, the Navarre Bible, and the Douay-Rheims with Haydock Commentary.

So, which study Bible to get? Well, it depends on what you want. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch are working on the Ignatius Study Bible. I have several volumes, and I think they’re great. The notes are very clear, there are ample maps, and there are occasional mini-essays dedicated to important passages for Catholics, or particularly important Greek words that are difficult to translate. The introductory essays are also very good. The main problem with this version is that it is a work-in-progress. It is being released book-by-book; the New Testament has JUST been completed, and the Old Testament is now well underway, although no books have actually been released yet. A single version of the complete New Testament is going to be released around May, so you might want to wait for that. Once totally complete, many people think that this will become the new standard in Catholic study Bibles. This is the version to get if you’re looking for a good, orthodox, in-depth study of the background and interpretation of the Bible.

Here’s a link to the 13-volume paperback New Testament set:
catholiccompany.com/catholic-books/1001916/Ignatius-Catholic-Study-Bible-Complete-Set/

(and one Amazon.com link to the volume on the Gospel of Luke so you can see inside: )
amazon.com/Gospel-Luke-Ignatius-Study-Catholic/dp/0898708192/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246342183&sr=8-3

And here is a link where you can pre-order the brand-new single volume New Testament on Amazon.com. It’s going to be right around $15 for the paperback version (available May):
amazon.com/Ignatius-Catholic-Study-Bible-Testament/dp/1586172506/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249897269&sr=1-10

Here’s a link to the same book in hardcover (available June):
ignatius.com/IProducts/30008/new-testament.aspx

And… a link to the same book leatherbound (available June):
ignatius.com/IProducts/30009/new-testament.aspx

continued…

 

[Rolltide]

As far as the Navarre Bible, it is also outstanding. It has several distinctive features. First, it’s complete. Second, it’s available in four versions: a 10-volume hardbound set, a 12-volume paperback New Testament, an abridged single-volume New Testament, and a brand new expanded single-volume hardcover New Testament. The longer versions contain the text of the Bible, the commentary, and the entire Nova Vulgata, along with long introductory essays. The abridged volume drops the Nova Vulgata and shortens the introductory essays. The hardbound version is almost of heirloom quality; it is very well made. The Navarre is printed by Scepter Press, the publishing arm of Opus Dei, so you KNOW it’s going to be orthodox. The Navarre tends to be more of a devotional Bible than a rigorous scholarly study Bible. The great thing is that both Bibles present something completely different. You could read both and learn totally different things. I included links to where you can order them direct from Scepter Publishers, and also Amazon.com. I included Amazon.com links when the page included the option to search inside the book so you can get an idea of the layout.

Here is where you can get the various versions:

The brand-new one-volume expanded New Testament:
scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=526

The one-volume abridged New Testament:
amazon.com/Navarre-Bible-New-Testament-Compact/dp/1889334596/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246340393&sr=8-5

The original ten-volume hardcover series:
New Testament:
scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=618
Old Testament:
scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=514
(and one Amazon.com link of the first volume so you can see inside: )
amazon.com/Navarre-Bible-Pentateuch-Old-Testament/dp/1889334219/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246340393&sr=8-2

The twelve-volume paperback New Testament set:
scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=125
(and one Amazon.com link of the first volume so you can see inside: )
amazon.com/Navarre-Bible-Acts-Apostles/dp/1851829040/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246340775&sr=8-23

I might also recommend the Douay-Rheims Bible with Haydock Commentary. This was a Bible commentary written by a Father Haydock in the mid-nineteenth century. It’s very orthodox also, and is known for utilizing a tremendous number of quotes from the Early Church Fathers themselves. If you want to know what the great theologians had to say about various passages, all in one place, than this is also a great resource. Not all Douay-Rheims Bibles have the Haydock Commentary, so search carefully. There is only one readily available version with the commentary, and it runs around $125. I should also point out that it’s available online for free viewing here:

haydock1859.tripod.com/index.html

Here’s a link to the leather-bound hardcover Haydock Douay-Rheims Bible:
loretopubs.org/index.php?target=products&product_id=60

(And here’s a link to a sample interior page: )
catholictreasures.com/pictures/Sample%20Douay.pdf

continued…

 

[Rolltide]

As a couple of added thoughts:

From EWTN:
The most widely used Catholic commentary is probably the Jerome Biblical Commentary, now in a 2nd edition. There is also a summary version of it. This commentary is the work of well-known Catholic Biblical scholars and is filled with articles on historical, archaeological, linguistic and other subjects useful for understanding the background of the Scriptures. The JBC is, therefore, a valuable resource for those seeking such information. However, the textual commentaries use primarily the historical-critical method, and thus must be read with discernment. The Church approves of the use of this method for the purpose of understanding the historical and literary foundations of the text (see Vatican II, Dei Verbum 11-13), but finds it an incomplete method apart from the Tradition. Scripture must be interpreted according to the analogy of faith, that is, in accordance with what God has revealed in toto, as taught by the Magisterium.

Here is the New Jerome Biblical Commentary at Amazon.com:
amazon.com/Jerome-Biblical-Commentary-Raymond-Brown/dp/0225668033/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246340021&sr=8-1

There is also the brand new “Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture” that is in the works, although only four books have currently been released. What’s out, however, is really good, and written for more of an average audience. Here are links to the what’s available:
The Gospel of Mark
amazon.com/Gospel-Catholic-Commentary-Sacred-Scripture/dp/0801035864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252704824&sr=8-1

First and Second Timothy, Titus
(This one lets you look inside at some of the pages)
amazon.com/Second-Timothy-Catholic-Commentary-Scripture/dp/0801035813/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252704824&sr=8-3

Ephesians
amazon.com/Ephesians-Catholic-Commentary-Sacred-Scripture/dp/0801035848/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252704824&sr=8-2

Second Corinthians
amazon.com/Second-Corinthians-Catholic-Commentary-Scripture/dp/080103583X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252704824&sr=8-4

 

[Fidelis]

Excellent analysis, Rolltide.

 

[Faith1960]

Thanks for all the help. I need to write down the names of the Bibles suggested so that when I buy a new one (not anytime soon, I have enough, lol) I’ll know what to purchase.