Fallible Bibles?

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Must Bibles be approved by the Church to be seen as the inspired, written Word of God? Such as Protestant translations of Bibles, would the Church have to approve of these for Catholics to read them?
 
40 views, 0 replies? Is this a hard question or is it unworthy to be answered?😃
 
I thought the only difference between all of the various translations were just that Catholic Bibles have a certain number of books that other ones don’t?

For example the KJV is not used by Catholics typically but the parts that are in common are the same are they not? So it would still be the inspired word of God, right?

I’m asking as much as pointing it out as I’m obviously not sure either 🙂
 
The Protestant bibles leave out the Deuterocannon. (Only the newer versions - the older versions usually relegated them to their own section.

These are a real part of sacred scripture. Not to mention 400 years of history leading up to Christ.

The translations are generally fine as long as they are Christian: this very definitely leaves out the Jehovah’s Witness “Bible” and the Morman “Bible”.

So, my advice is to find a good Catholic Study Bible, but most Protestant Bibles are fine if you are dwelling in the New Testament (where we all agree).
 
CCC - 81 “Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit.”
“And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching.”

If purchasing a Bible, always purchase a Catholic Bible.
It’s OK to read/own a protestant version for matters of comparison.

The Protestant Bibles used ours as a starting point, - Martin Luther was the first and then and other Protestants made changes as they desired in the 1500’s and later.

Pentecost (30/33AD)
The beginning of the (Catholic) Church; the Church exists before a determination of a canon or a definitive list of books of what was later called the Bible. The NT was not even written yet. The Bible is the book of the Church, we are not a church of the Bible.

Melito, Bishop of Sardis (c. 170)
Produced the first known Christian attempt at an Old Testament canon. His list maintains the Septuagint order of books but contains only the Old Testament protocanonicals minus the Book of Esther.

Council of Laodicea (c. 360)
A local council of the church in union with Rome produced a list of books of the Bible similar to the Council of Trent’s canon. This was one of the Church’s earliest decisions on a canon.

Council of Rome (382)
Local church council under the authority of Pope Damasus, (366-384) gave a complete list of canonical books of the OT and NT which is identical with the list later approved by the Council of Trent.

Council of Hippo (393)
Local North African Church council in union with and under the authority of the Bishop of Rome approved a list of OT and NT canon (same as later approved by the Council of Trent)

Council of Carthage (397)
Local North African Church council in union with and under the authority of the Bishop of Rome approved a list of OT and NT canon - same as later approved by the Council of Trent.

Pope Innocent I, Bishop of Rome, 401-417 (405)
Responded to a request by Exuperius, Bishop of Toulouse, with a list of canonical books of Scripture; this list was - same as later approved by the Council of Trent.

Council of Carthage (419)
Local North African Church council in union with and under the authority of the Bishop of Rome approved a list of OT and NT canon - same as later approved by the Council of Trent.

Council of Florence, an ecumenical council (1441)
Complete list of OT and NT canon was drawn up; this list later adopted by the Fathers of the Council of Trent
 
All Bibles that are published these days by publishing houses such as Harper Collins, Zondervan are and should be recognized as the inspired word of God. When it comes to finding a good bible, it’s important for the selection to be taken seriously because one needs to understand the translation they select. The New Jerusalem Bible, a translation that is recognized by the Catholic Church is written in a high level of English that might be difficult for beginners and non academics to understand vs the NRSV a translation that is used by both the Protestant and Catholic church. This version is very user friendly and you can also pick up good study bibles that will help you understand what’s being said. Several Protestant bibles place the Catholic books in a separate section called “the Apocrypha.” Therefore if you find a bible that has the Apocrypha in it, it’s basically Catholic.

If there is a Protestant translation of the bible you prefer (be careful with the NIV because it doesn’t always contain all of the verses that all of the other Protestant and Catholic bibles have) you can always pick up a good Protestant bible and buy the Apocrypha separately. You can buy it on amazon for between $10 to $20.

This website willhelp you find a good version.
findabible.com/features.php

How to find a bible translation
crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/choosing-a-bible-translation-11631126.html

You might also want to take a look at the font, font size, margins, layout, size of the bible, if its hardcover or soft, weight etc because selecting a bible should be like picking a new friend and so if the font is easy to read and the bible is light and portable, it’s more apt to be used.

I could write more but if anyone has questions, message me and I’ll give you a hand.
 
Must Bibles be approved by the Church to be seen as the inspired, written Word of God? Such as Protestant translations of Bibles, would the Church have to approve of these for Catholics to read them?
no translation however good or under what authority is the inspired written Word of God. Only the original is that. Yes, the Catholic Church must approve all translations of the bible used for study and worship.

many of us may not have answered your question sooner since it was asked and answered recently, and many times before, and there is a good guide to translations and bible study resources in the stickies on the scripture forum and good resources to answer the question on the CA homepage library. That is a good place for you to begin if your questions lead you further.
 
The Protestant bibles leave out the Deuterocannon. (Only the newer versions - the older versions usually relegated them to their own section.

These are a real part of sacred scripture. Not to mention 400 years of history leading up to Christ.

The translations are generally fine as long as they are Christian: this very definitely leaves out the Jehovah’s Witness “Bible” and the Morman “Bible”.

So, my advice is to find a good Catholic Study Bible, but most Protestant Bibles are fine if you are dwelling in the New Testament (where we all agree).
Do you realize that the “mormon” Bible is simple the KJV…right?
 
Do you realize that the “mormon” Bible is simple the KJV…right?
The one I have includes “The Book of Mormon” at the start which most definitely had NOTHING to do with His Majesty King James. I assumed they all did.

Despite your clarification, Catholics still should, in no way, go get Mormon Bible if searching for a Catholic Bible- “Book of Mormon” or no.
 
The one I have includes “The Book of Mormon” at the start which most definitely had NOTHING to do with His Majesty King James. I assumed they all did.
Usually, the bible is all by itself, but the Bookof Mormon is combined with the other 2 books of scripture, normally referred to as a “triple combination”. There is also a “quad” that bundles all our scriptures into one volume.
Despite your clarification, Catholics still should, in no way, go get Mormon Bible if searching for a Catholic Bible- “Book of Mormon” or no.
I thought it went without saying that Catholics would utilize a bible that is approved by the Catholic church…one that would contain all the books considered to be scripture.
 
Usually, the bible is all by itself, but the Bookof Mormon is combined with the other 2 books of scripture, normally referred to as a “triple combination”. There is also a “quad” that bundles all our scriptures into one volume.

I thought it went without saying that Catholics would utilize a bible that is approved by the Catholic church…one that would contain all the books considered to be scripture.
Hey, thanks … & Yep. 👍 *That *was my point.
 
Must Bibles be approved by the Church to be seen as the inspired, written Word of God? Such as Protestant translations of Bibles, would the Church have to approve of these for Catholics to read them?
I would think so because of the terrible mis-translations like the New World Translation. Also, the New Testament was written by the Holy Spirit through Catholic authors, for Catholics and the entire Bible (Old & New Testaments) were compiled by Catholics and approved by the Catholic Church.

I own many non-Catholic Bible Translations but they all omit entire Books and parts of books of the Bible and a couple even add books not recognized as part of the Canon of the Bible like 4th Macc.

The only reliable English (or any other language) Translations which can be considered reliable are those that have been approved by the Catholic Church. The Vatican’s website even has an approved English (& several other major languages) Translation available for all to read for free.
 
I would think so because of the terrible mis-translations like the New World Translation. Also, the New Testament was written by the Holy Spirit through Catholic authors, for Catholics and the entire Bible (Old & New Testaments) were compiled by Catholics and approved by the Catholic Church.
lol

You know I never thought of it that way.

Guess I should have mentioned that to my friend at Gideons when he said he’d never allow “one of those” (a Catholic Bible) in his home.

~love~ it.
 
I thought it went without saying that Catholics would utilize a bible that is approved by the Catholic church…one that would contain all the books considered to be scripture.
Correct, and the KJV (with or without the book of Mormon) is NOT one that is approved by the Church. That was the point.
 
The Bible used by Jehovah Witnesses was re-written by them and is difficult to know what you are picking up since the word “Watchtower” is in small print. This should not be used either. They do not believe in the Trinity.

If you go to any reputable Catholic bookstore or Catholic catalog web site, you can select from several Catholic Bibles.
Again, I recommend large print for ease of reading.

Some of the Catholic bibles enjoyed by many seem to be:

RSV-CE in large print. ‘Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition’ (my personal favorite)
Navarre Bible. (my husband’s favorite due to the extra commentary)
Jerusalem Bible (Mother Angelica’s favorite)
Douay Rheims Bible
Etc.

Spend a little time reading the descriptions of the Catholic Bibles in the internet catalogs before you purchase, so you can determine your own preferance. But always purchase a Catholic Bible as your first choice.

These two links together will provide you with good descriptions of the various Catholic Bibles.
ewtnreligiouscatalogue.com/shop.axd/Search?keywords=Bible
and
ignatius.com/Products/CategoryCenter.aspx?SearchTerm=bible
 
As a recommendation, if the Bible you chose does not have built in tabs, you may want to purchase tabs for ease of finding the different books in the Bible.

If you want to mark various passages, I recommend bible markers for highlighting. These do not bleed through the thin paper onto the other side of the page.

Over the course of two years, as gifts for various occasions, my husband and I have given:
RSV-CE bibles to each of our children, their spouses, and all grandchildren :bible1:;
“Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” to each household;
and “Catholicism for Dummies” to each household.
You may want to consider doing the same.
What greater gifts than helping to Save their Souls for eternity.
Remembering them in my daily Rosary is all that is left. The rest is up to God and them. :gopray2:
 
Regarding The New World translation that is recognized and used widely by the Mormon church it’s important to separate this book from the other bible translations because in this case, some thing have been changed which** go** against the Christian belief in God and when I mean Christian, I also mean Catholic!!!

For example: quoting the The New World translation Jonah 1:1 states “And the word of Jehovah began to occu to Jonah the son of Amittai…” You’ll notice that Jehovah is used. In the NRSV (Both Protestant and Catholic bible), New King James (my personal favorite) and the NIV (a protestant favorite) use the word “Lord” instead of Jevovah. We use the word Lord for a reason.

In adddition, the Book of Mormon was published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr. who was given some plates from some angel. The story is in the website below.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Mormon

It is no way Christian, it is not the inspired word of God. The Christian bible especially some of the contents dates back about 10 thousand years.

I have a copy of both because I was considering to do a project on them but they are dust collectors. Catholic.com has a good article on it.

catholic.com/library/Problems_with_the_Book_of_Mormon.asp

In terms of finding a solid translation, look at my previous post or if you are uncertain



They only use translations that are recognized by the Christian church. The bible is available in other languages as well which is useful if your first language isn’t English.

Catholic:
drbo.org/

I found it harder to find a free Catholic online version that is similar to biblegateway in terms of providing a few Catholic translations such as the NRSV, or New Amercian Bible. I couldn’t find them online at least not like biblegateway.

This website will also help you as well:
catholic.com/library/Bible_Translations_Guide.asp

As for the King James version of the bible, it was written in the 1600’s and was one of the first bibles translated into English. The fact it has lasted over 400 years is pretty good. I suspect one of the reasons why the book of mormon sounds like the King James is because when the mormon book was written (in the 1800’s) it was probably the only bible version Joseph Smith knew at the time.

I hope this helps.
 
I would think so because of the terrible mis-translations like the New World Translation. Also, the New Testament was written by the Holy Spirit through Catholic authors, for Catholics and the entire Bible (Old & New Testaments) were compiled by Catholics and approved by the Catholic Church.

I own many non-Catholic Bible Translations but they all omit entire Books and parts of books of the Bible and a couple even add books not recognized as part of the Canon of the Bible like 4th Macc.

The only reliable English (or any other language) Translations which can be considered reliable are those that have been approved by the Catholic Church. The Vatican’s website even has an approved English (& several other major languages) Translation available for all to read for free.
Wow, claiming Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, et al as Catholics? :eek:

Where’s that “jaw dropping to the floor” smiley when I really need it?
lol

You know I never thought of it that way.

Guess I should have mentioned that to my friend at Gideons when he said he’d never allow “one of those” (a Catholic Bible) in his home.

~love~ it.
That attitude I totally don’t understand: Catholic Bibles aren’t different except for containing the Deuterocanonical books, which if you don’t like, you can totally ignore. This Protestant has several Catholic editions in her Bible collection.
 
. . . . .The Protestant Bibles used ours as a starting point, - Martin Luther was the first and then and other Protestants made changes as they desired in the 1500’s and later. . . .
ANNE 2,

That may have been the case years ago, but that is not necessarily the case today. In fact one might say it is quite the opposite today.

This is a quote from the** Introduction to the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version**, found in the The Catholic Comparative New Testament:
(emphasis in quoted material is mine)
“This edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible has been prepared for the use of Catholics by a committee of the Catholic Biblical Association of Great Britain. It is published with ecclesiastical approval and by agreement with the Standard Bible Committee and the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States. . . . A small committee of members of the Catholic Bible Association was formed and permission obtained to examine this translation and suggest any changes that might be required to make it acceptable to Catholics. The Standard Bible Committee of the U.S.A. was then approached and they gave warm welcome to the proposal."

The Catholic Bible Association adopted the Revised Standard Version, used primarily by non-Catholics and edited it for Catholic use. The RSV became the Revised Standard Version- Catholic Edition. It has been reissued under the title, **The Ignatius Bible. **

In addition, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, uses the RSV and NRSV by permission from the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition
“Scripture quotations contained herein are adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971, and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States, and are used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Link to Member Communions and Denominations of the National Council of Churches: ncccusa.org/members/index.html

So, in the case of the RSV and NRSV; it is not Protestants starting with a Catholic translation and “making changes as they desired”; but rather Catholics starting with a Protestant translation and adapting it as they desired for Catholic use–thus was born the RSV-CE and NRSV-CE. There were very few changes made to the Catholic Editions of these translations.

Peace,
Anna
 
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