Ignatius Study Bible or Catholicism for Dummies?

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I currently have a copy of the NAB given to me by the person who runs RCIA at the church I attend as well as a copy of the Missal that they use.

That being the case which of the aforementioned books would be better for continued study? I know very little of the faith other than the bare bones basics so I’m thinking the dummies book but wanted other opinions.
 
Without a doubt, you will benefit greatly from Catholicism for Dummies. It will teach you an amazing amount about your faith. It should be in every RCIA program. You can always supplement it with a study bible later.

Consider: There are doctoral degree programs in the study of US government - which has existed for little over 200 years. The Church has been living and growing for almost 2,000 years. There is much to learn that simply cannot be taught with the limited resources of a parish.
 
Thanks to both of you, I never would’ve imagined there would be more than one “dummies” book.
 
mdrummer5 said:
I currently have a copy of the NAB given to me by the person who runs RCIA at the church I attend as well as a copy of the Missal that they use.

That being the case which of the aforementioned books would be better for continued study? I know very little of the faith other than the bare bones basics so I’m thinking the dummies book but wanted other opinions.
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they are two different things so a poll is useless

you already have a bible, so if it is a question of money, get the CFD first as it will be of most immediate help for you at this stage. It is indeed the first book I would recommend for those new to faith formation classes and new to the Church. (we supply a bible and catechism to all our adult candidates at no cost except freewill donation.)

you can get on-line bible study support from various solid Catholic websites like Catholic exchange so you can wait to by another study bible until you can afford it. Yes this would be a good, probably the best, choice for a personal study bible when you are ready for one. but stick with the NAB during your formation since it is what the class uses, and what is used for the most part for the lectionary readings which are an essential part of your process.

welcome home!
 
puzzleannie said:
they are two different things so a poll is useless

you already have a bible, so if it is a question of money, get the CFD first as it will be of most immediate help for you at this stage. It is indeed the first book I would recommend for those new to faith formation classes and new to the Church. (we supply a bible and catechism to all our adult candidates at no cost except freewill donation.)

you can get on-line bible study support from various solid Catholic websites like Catholic exchange so you can wait to by another study bible until you can afford it. Yes this would be a good, probably the best, choice for a personal study bible when you are ready for one. but stick with the NAB during your formation since it is what the class uses, and what is used for the most part for the lectionary readings which are an essential part of your process.

welcome home!
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Thanks! Ironically though… of the two people that voted both said ISB but didn’t explain why… I would assume they didn’t actually read my post lol.
 
I’m not familiar with the ISB so I can’t offer an opinion about it specifically.

The “Catholicism for Dummies” book will provide you with targeted information about the 2,000 years of Catholicism and in particular information about the seven Sacraments which are both vital within Sacred Scripture and the present day Catholic Church.
 
I have both books and both are 10/10s. Wonderful books and I very much recommend both. The ISB is one of the best study bibles out there no questions asked, I have learnt so much from it.

Catholicism for Dummies is a great intro book to the faith and touches a bit on everything, I commonly hand it out to my protestant friends for a basic introduction book. I got it when I was thinking about converting and it provided the easy to understand basic information that I was looking for.
 
mdrummer5 said:
Thanks to both of you, I never would’ve imagined there would be more than one “dummies” book.
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“Dummies” books are published by Wiley Publishing, and are the only genuine books that will have such a title, as well as their characteristic yellow and black cover. I know of no other such books by that exact title.

Catholicism for Dummies is written by Fr. John Trigilio and Fr. Kenneth Brighenti.
 
Thanks again all who replied… I’d planned on speding $20 which is the normal price for a “dummy” book… but Amazon is so awesome I was able to get both shipped for $26!!!

Now I just have to wait…

Patiently…

Grrr…
 
When I was in RCIA the first Catholic bible I bought was the The New Catholic Answer Bible NAB.

It has inserts with questions about what Catholics believe. And then answers. It is excellent because at the bottom of the page you will find the verses and also where to find answers in the Catechism.

For instance:

Is the Eucharist truly the Body and Blood of Christ?

Answer: In his First Letter to the Corinthians (see 11:23-26) St. Paul echoes the words of Jesus over the bread and wine at the first Eucharist (the Last Supper) . . .

At the bottom of the page is a box with:

RELATED SCRIPTURE: Texts cited: Mt. 26:26-28 • Lk 24:30-31, 35, etc.

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: 611 • 790 • 1088, etc.

In the case cited there are seven citations which consist of a number of verses in different books of the Bible and 14 different places in the catechism.
 
I have the “Ignatius Study Bible” and love it. But it only has the new testament. That isn’t a complaint, but just wanted to point it out.

I also have “The Catholic Study Bible - New American Bible” from Oxford Press (c) 1990. That has a 577 page Readers Guide section with articles, etc. The Bible portion that follows has references to the corresponding RG pages. And there are study notes for both the Old and New Testaments.

The Ignatius Study Bible has the study notes on the same page as the text, so you don’t have to go back-and-forth.

Both have their merits; if the house burned down(God forbid) I would most likely replace them both.
 
Thanks again for all who replied, I received both books over the weekend. I’ve been nose deep in the dummies book which has kept me going back to the NAB for now as it’s the one I know but the little bit I’ve read throught he ISB I’m quite satisfied with both purchases 👍
 
po18guy said:
“Dummies” books are published by Wiley Publishing, and are the only genuine books that will have such a title, as well as their characteristic yellow and black cover. I know of no other such books by that exact title.

Catholicism for Dummies is written by Fr. John Trigilio and Fr. Kenneth Brighenti.
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Yeah, I think the other is called “Idiot’s Guide” or something but are not as thorough. It’s a book with a primarily white cover and green writing or such.
 
Just a thought,

Ever since early in my conversion and ever since the Lord has moved me to let Him interpret the bible for me. As I continue to read it the Holy Spirit continues to give me deeper insights. All I do is prayerfully read the plain text of the bible with an open heart and the Holy Spirit does the rest. It is like a picture coming to focus. Every thing we need to know is in the Bible, but it’s meaning is revealed to us in the Holy Spirit. God is God, if you are committed to reading scripture, He will reveal it to you. Don’t think about what you think it means, allow God to show you what it truely means.

Peace,

Rob
 
mdrummer5 said:
I currently have a copy of the NAB given to me by the person who runs RCIA at the church I attend as well as a copy of the Missal that they use.

That being the case which of the aforementioned books would be better for continued study? I know very little of the faith other than the bare bones basics so I’m thinking the dummies book but wanted other opinions.
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I recommend the *Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas. *It’s real easy to understand it its only got about 3,000 pages.

{just kidding}

I don’t know much about “Catholicism for Dummies”, but a book I recommend is called The Faith Explained by Fr. Leo Trese.

However, I don’t think any book should be read INSTEAD of the Bible. Read the Bible every day, even if just for 10 minutes. Read other great books, but never cease to read Scripture daily, meditate upon what you find in Scripture, pray about what you’ve meditated upon, and contemplate God through Scritpure.
 
itsjustdave1988 said:
However, I don’t think any book should be read INSTEAD of the Bible. Read the Bible every day, even if just for 10 minutes. Read other great books, but never cease to read Scripture daily, meditate upon what you find in Scripture, pray about what you’ve meditated upon, and contemplate God through Scritpure.
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That’s actually what I’ve been doing. In fact the ISB is so well put together I bought the Kindle version for my phone so I have it to read while I’m at work too 🙂

Catholicism for Dummies is great to but sadly my time for actually sitting down and really reading it like I’d like to is slim so most of it’s been devoted to the ISB 👍
 
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