Choosing Bible

[mercygate]

Thanks for all the information, I really appreciate it - unfortunately I’ve hit a financial crisis (see post in Family) so it’ll be a month or so I would think until I can afford a really good Bible.

But I really do appreciate the thoughtfull commentary. It DOES help.
Elizabeth

If you go into RCIA they will probably GIVE you an NAB. I used to HATE it (and I read Greek, so I’m kind of at the head of the line when it comes to Bibles) but now I no longer hate it. I just don’t LIKE it a lot but it is EASY to read. I would not call it a dynamic equivalence version. It IS a translation, even though it is more gender manipulated that I find respectable.

That said, for general reading, the RSV-Catholic Edition is a good, handy version.

The Scott Hahn booklet collection uses the RSV-CE. I have the 4 Gospels but actually find the commentary rather thin. Not worth the $$$.

And be sure you keep all those other bibles you have at home. Now, if you’re a KJV person, and you have Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, you have an invaluable tool there.

The Vatican web site and the USCCB web site both have the NAB available on line. Point/click. Bingo!

 

[allhers]

Here is the Vatican web site for the New American Bible
vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/_INDEX.HTM

…and I believe that I got this list from EWTN awhile back, these are the approved Bibles for the Catholic Church, this list may not be complete, I thought that Fr. Corapi was working on one also, but I don’t know any updates on that, anyone know? (I believe it was going to have a great study guide too.)

RSV (Revised Standard Version)
Jerusalem
Douay Rheims
NAB (New American Bible)
Ignatius
Navarre

 

[tobinatorstark]

If you have the 1971 version, you’re fine. The NAB was revised in th 80s and it was the revised version whose Psalms were rejected.

Gary

very correct 1986 I think. I am very partial to the Douay-Rheims, but then again I can understand some of things that some can’t. I know the NAB isn’t the best Catholic Bible on the market I would recommend this for starters due to the fact of the readings during mass. I do think th Jerusalem Bible is better though. The choice of Bible versions is up to you. If you can feel the presence of the holy spirit through one translation, stick with it

 

[richardwy]

Liz,

I use 2 Douay’s: one of them you can find by googling the Haydock Study Bible. 2 volumes. Wonderful notes from the Church Fathers, Saints, etc.

The other is a normal sized Bible.

I had for a time a modern Catholic study Bible. I think I gave it away.

 

[SFH]

Quite frankly, most of the English translations stink. If you read French, then the best translation available is La Bible de Jerusalem. A close follow-up is the Nova Vulgata. Among the English translations, I’d go with the Douay-Rheims or King James Version (assuming the archaic language doesn’t bother you) and consult a biblical commentary from time to time. After that, the Confraternity Edition, the Jerusalem Bible, and the RSV are good (I think the RSV-CE isn’t quite as good since it uses the older revision of the New Testament).

One of my rules of thumb – and I admit it’s rather arbitrary – is to see whether the translation refers to the authors of the four Gospels as St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. I find that those translations that refer to the four evangelists as “Saint” tend to provide more traditional, Christian translations.

 

[Dragoro]

Since he’s going to be starting the RCIA shouldn’t he get the NAB since that’s probably be what they’ll be using?

 

[Ron_Conte]

There is a great deal of insightful, well-balanced commentary on different Bible versions in the link below:
bible-researcher.com/
The opinions about Bible versions on that site are well-researched and offer a balanced perspective on each version.

On the other hand, one should avoid opinions which are merely a long series of baseless assertions about which versions are good and which are bad. I’m sure I can find a post for each and every version that will call that version horribly bad, and a post for each and every version that will call that same version wonderfully good.

The truth is that almost any version of the Bible will have both strengths and weaknesses, and almost any version will be fitting for use by some persons, but not as fitting for use by others. For example, looser translations tend to be more approachable, but more literal translations tend to be better for study.

Throughout most of the history of the Church, few Christians even possessed one copy of any version of the Bible. Only relatively recently in history have copies of the Bible become very affordable and very widely distributed. I own and use over a dozen different versions of the Bible in English and Latin. In past centuries, it would have cost a small fortune to own that many versions. So it pains me to continually read so many thoughtless posts which, without any explanation, trash one version and exalt another.

 

[bstcy]

I have the NAB with Revised Psalms & New Testament. I have the St. Joseph’s edition with large print and I absolutely love it!

From the sound of it it seems like a bad version but I truly feel at home with it and still pray the Psalms and don’t really look at the gender inclusive (I used to study the bible but still don’t get the whole gender inclusivity thing…)

I found a friend in the NIV Bible over the past few years.

But deep down with my upbringing in the KJV I’m still not sure…

Which is truly better for me (since I used to do Hebrew and Greek exegesis)? Douay Rheims or RSV-CE?

 

[puzzleannie]

you may want to ask your pastor or RCIA director if they will give you a bible as we do in this parish. most likely the translation used in your sessions will be the New American Bible because it is the only one approved for liturgical use in the United States. In Canada, you would probably be using the NRSV, New Revised Standard Version.

your parish may also supply you with a Catechism of the Catholic Church or other resources at no or low cost, so it might save you some money to find out first before purchasing anything.

for private devotional reading, choose the Catholic translation (it will have an imprimatur with a cross on the copyright page, a notice of approval from a Catholic bishop.) that is closest to the version that seems most “biblical” and comfortable for you. For instance, if you grew up with the traditional KJV, you will prefer the style of the Douay Rheims, translated at about the same time that preserves the Shakespearean flavor of those times (both have been revised and updated in some language areas through the years). If your favorite version was the RSV or NRSV, choose the Catholic version of these that have the Deuterocanonical books included. If you like the NIV or “modern American English” translation, choose the NAB. If you like the more poetic style, try the Jerusalem Bible, as the NAB often reads like business English. If English is your second language, or for middle graders, and you like the Good News Translation, that also has a comes in a Catholic version.

in evaluating a bible, I suggest looking at feel–weight, pages, size, print size and type, covers etc for what “feels” right to you. Then read some of your favorite passages, at least a few gospel passages, psalms, some favorite OT passages, and compare with what you are “used” to.

The biggest difference you will find will be in study notes, not in the translations themselves.

In working with non-Catholic Christians coming into the Chruch through RCIA, we have found the RSV-CE to be the most “ecumenical” and some publishers of RCIA resources for Breaking Open the Word (study and teaching based on the Sunday Mass readings) use that translation for that reason.

 

[puzzleannie]

Thanks for all the information, I really appreciate it - unfortunately I’ve hit a financial crisis (see post in Family) so it’ll be a month or so I would think until I can afford a really good Bible.

But I really do appreciate the thoughtfull commentary. It DOES help.
Elizabeth

access the NAB online through the bishop’s website
usccb.org
the entire bible, or the Mass readings for the day. great place to start, and free!