Catholic alternative to the Orthodox Study Bible?

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I’ve spend some time with the Orthodox Study Bible that some people rave about around here and am liking the style of commentary (the translation itself is meh to me). Does anyone know if there is a Catholic-approved Bible that has a similar type of commentary? I’ve seen that the OSV Fathers of the Church Bible has patristic commentary, but would the depth of the inserts rival the type of commentary in the OSB (of course, being the NABRE which I’m meh on as a translation itself doesn’t help)? Otherwise, could you recommend a separate commentary/book on Patristics that would be similar to the commentary in the OSB?

Thanks.
 
tvknight415 said:
I’ve spend some time with the Orthodox Study Bible that some people rave about around here and am liking the style of commentary (the translation itself is meh to me). Does anyone know if there is a Catholic-approved Bible that has a similar type of commentary? I’ve seen that the OSV Fathers of the Church Bible has patristic commentary, but would the depth of the inserts rival the type of commentary in the OSB (of course, being the NABRE which I’m meh on as a translation itself doesn’t help)? Otherwise, could you recommend a separate commentary/book on Patristics that would be similar to the commentary in the OSB?

Thanks.
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I would wait for the upcoming ‘The Didache Bible’ from Ignatius Press which is going to base its commentary on the CCC, which of course uses the Church Fathers. It will use the RSV-2CE translation. I think it is going to be released in October. www.ignatius.com/IProducts/278384/the-didache-bible-with-commentaries–based-on-the-catechism-of-the-catholic-church.aspx
 
Another option might be the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible.
currently only the NT and parts of the OT are avaialble… whole OT eagerly awaited.

Once again it’s RSV-2CE

I personally like the Christian Community Bible (Claretian Publications) but it’s commentary is not what you describe it’s intended as a “pastoral” commentary. Translation and commentary are from catholic translators / authors.

There’s an edition called the New Community Bible by St. Pauls Press which started out as the same project, but has been edited separately.

I believe there’s a third version of this bible by an american catholic publisher.
 
Yeah I liked what I saw. Might need to start putting my pocket change away for this one. Might also have to send my regular 2ce on to someone else. This in physical copy with the ICSB on the lighthouse media app I think would be about perfect.
 
The RSV-2CE is the best Catholic polished Protestant version there is. I look forward to the Didache bible. With its notes and maps it should be the greatest RSV a Catholic can get!
 
Jerry-Jet said:
The RSV-2CE is the best Catholic polished Protestant version there is. I look forward to the Didache bible. With its notes and maps it should be the greatest RSV a Catholic can get!
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I agree, the notes look great!
 
Well, I’m the only one who (as far as I know) has “raved” or anything about the Orthodox Study Bible.

The reason that I got interested in the OSB is because it’s Old Testament is based on the Septuagint, which is the version of the Old Testament that is quoted in the New Testament.

The commentary of the OSB is somewhat unique in that it is based on the Septuagint, as the case may be with any particular verse of scripture.

I have not done an exhaustive study of the OSB, but I have found some interesting tidbits. The Psalms in English in the Catholic and Jewish Bibles have the word “selah” in several places. The footnotes in those Bibles say that the meaning of the word is unknown.

But, the Septuagint does not have that limitation, as the Greek apparently translates “selah” as “pause.”

To repeat what I’ve also said elsewhere, the Orthodox Church does not have an official list of books in the Bible, as determined by any of its hierarchy over the centuries. So, there’s even a couple extra books in the OT and the Psalms number not 150, but 151.

The OSB is not for everyone. You can get along without it. Where the text of the Septuagint may be important in the NT, it is there in the NAB, NIV, KJV, RSV-2CE, etc. where it should be. But, when the NT does quote the OT, you may not find the exact wording in the OT, because these other versions are using some other source (not the Septuagint, itself).

to the point: EVERY Catholic Bible is an alternative to the OSB. I like easy questions.
 
I highly recommend the Ancient Bible Commentaries in English series that my company is publishing. Its just beginning to release volumes, but the momentum is fast. Once every book of the Bible has a Patristic and Medieval commentary translated then we will be producing a one volume complete Ancient Bible Commentary. You can’t get any more Catholic than the Glossa Ordinaria, St. Jerome, etc.
 
I am nearing the end of my subscription to the series from Intervarsity Press entitled the Ancient Christian Commentary Series. It’s about $30 a volume and I have most of these. I tried to keep up with the reading, but I have been distracted by other books.

What I don’t like about ACCS is that THEY determine which book to send me, so they select books from all over the place. Some books of the Bible are covered in two volumes (reflecting the volume of patristic material available).

For each section of scripture, there are a number of selections of patristic writers, as the material itself is available. Some of the books of the Bible were not covered well by the early church fathers.

You can read, going into a volume, how many outside sources the editor used for assembling the commentary. But, you have to trust the judgment of the teams of people who made the selection for these commentaries.

Be warned about any commentaries that they do not cover every conceivable subject that covers a text. The Jewish Publication Society commentary on Exodus, for example, does not really explain why cattle are targeted in several of the plagues. You’d think the cattle were destroyed and then there’s another plague on other cattle. I haven’t figured that out yet. The commentary doesn’t help.

Christian commentaries are looking for Christ on every page of the OT, whereas Jewish commentaries are not, and rather avoid the subject, at that. The Church *approves * the use and study of Jewish commentaries as “first class” study aids.
 
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