Looking to begin reading through the Bible... but I need a Bible first

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I’m a young adult (20 years old), lifelong catholic who has really begun to experience a profound deepening of my faith over the last two or three years. While I earlier began reading through the first few books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Acts) online, and got quite a bit out of them, I took a break for a while… only to find out that I’m just about back to square one.

You see, it just so happens that the translation I was using was the New American Bible (being approved by the USCCB and all, I never really thought to question it), and after hearing from many on CAF and elsewhere about the extreme dynamic equivalence, inclusive language and borderline anti-catholic footnotes (which I need to clarify things while I’m reading), let’s just say that I’m now in the market for a new Bible.

I’ve looked into this quite a bit already, and while I have a few options, there’s nothing I can really settle on. One of the first things to turn up in my search is the often praised RSV - 2nd Catholic Edition sold by Ignatius Press. From the preview pages I’ve read through, it really seems to strike a nice balance between being literal enough to not be throwing entire ideas away (as the NAB does) while being dynamic enough to be fairly easy to understand. The caveat that has kept me from ordering a copy? Not enough footnotes, making it much harder to understand the ideas being put forth (take for example the firmament dividing the waters from the waters in Genesis 1:7, no explanation was given in the RSV-CE, and that’s something I definitely could use a footnote for).

Then I remembered the Ignatius Study Bible, based on the RSV-CE, which while it solves the footnote problem, creates another. I plan on alternating between the old and new testaments somewhat in my reading, and the Old Testament portion of the Ignatius Study Bible isn’t scheduled to be released for another two years or so, and if at all possible I’d like to get started a little sooner, while I still have some free time on my hands. (Perhaps I could go with the Ignatius bible and find some outside resource in place of the footnotes?)

The other two options I’ve looked into have been the Haydock and Navarre study Bibles. While I was able to find a really nicely formatted version of the Haydock bible for free online at veritasbible.com, the language in the Duoay Rheims is just a little too difficult and dated for me to read through easily (at least for my first time around). As for the Navarre Bible, the translation is good, but $200+ on Amazon for a complete set is quite a bit beyond my budget ($40-$60 range). Not to mention that both sound a bit too academically-oriented for my first read-through.

I’ve also heard something about the Jerusalem / New Jerusalem Bible having good footnotes, but I haven’t looked into that yet.

Ultimately though, I’m just looking for a Bible with at least decently thorough footnotes (while not being too academic), that is solid on Catholic teaching in both the text and said footnotes, that would serve me well as a good Bible for growing in the Catholic faith through my young adult years.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. 🙂
 
JChapel said:
I’ve looked into this quite a bit already, and while I have a few options, there’s nothing I can really settle on. One of the first things to turn up in my search is the often praised RSV - 2nd Catholic Edition sold by Ignatius Press. From the preview pages I’ve read through, it really seems to strike a nice balance between being literal enough to not be throwing entire ideas away (as the NAB does) while being dynamic enough to be fairly easy to understand.
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I’m also “new” at this and I’m interested in that edition. A personal note on the quality: I was able to handle both the paperback and leatherbound copies at a Christian bookstore. The paperback seems to be well-made, but I was very disappointed with the leatherbound; it looked and felt “cheap”. I noticed that some of the reviewers on Amazon.com mentioned the same disappointment. 😦
 
I like the former official bible of the catholic church for english, the Douay-Rheims bible, best.
The new official one, NAB seems a little…well, the translation for me seems to almost explain away miracles, which is annoying.

Here is the DRB:

drbo.org/
 
I use a Ignatius Study bible for the New Testament, and usually revert to whatever I have handy for the Old Testament. I am really anxious to see the release of the Old Testament Ignatius Study bible, but so far only Genesis is available.
 
I have a big New Jerusalem Bible. It’s brilliant but quite expensive.
 
Have you considered that as you read through the Bible buying each section you need as you need it of the Navarre Bible? Yes, trying to buy the whole thing at once is tough, but each volume isn’t too bad at all.

Anyway how about a reading plan? presentationministries.com has serveral and they make sense with going along with the litergical year (and they’re based in my city so they just have to be the greatest thing since sliced bread:thumbsup:)
 
DihydrogenOxide said:
I like the former official bible of the catholic church for english, the Douay-Rheims bible, best.
The new official one, NAB seems a little…well, the translation for me seems to almost explain away miracles, which is annoying.

Here is the DRB:

drbo.org/
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How exactly does the NAB/NABRE translation explain away miracles? I don’t remember seeing any omitted or denied while reading it.
 
Keep in mind that certain people here at CAF tend to overblow the inadequacies of the NAB. I wouldn’t call it an instance of “extreme dynamic equivalence”. (I save that designation for translations like the Living Bible.) Don’t get me wrong, I have significant problems with the footnotes and the presence of inclusive language bothers me. But I don’t think reading the NAB is going to lead people to heresy.

Even though the RSV-CE has almost no footnotes, I would still recommend it. The early Christians didn’t have footnotes either. 😉 As Catholics, I think sometimes our fear of getting it wrong leads us to question that the Spirit can speak to us through the words of Scripture. We are so worried about veering off into heresy or interpreting the Sacred Text in some way contrary to magisterial teaching that we think we can only approach Scripture with some uber-orthodox biblical scholar holding our hand. We sell ourselves (and the Holy Spirit!) short when we think this way.

Of course, I love the Ignatius Study Bible, and I’m not trying to say that study Bibles are bad. We can and should make use of such great resources. But don’t be afraid to read through the Scripture with the Spirit as your guide. I have great affection for Scott Hahn (and I agree with him on a great number of points), but his is not the only interpretation of the Bible (as I’m sure he’d be the first to tell you).

I guess this is just my lengthy way of telling you I would start off with the RSV-CE. If you want to get the NT Study Bible, too, it is very well done. But don’t worry too much about not having the OT just yet. Simply read the OT. Two years is not that long of a time in the grand scheme of things. You can use the OT Study Bible for your second (or third or fourth) read through.

I also recommend Benedict XVI’s excellent apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini. It gives a great account of the role of Scripture in the life of the Church and each Christian. I would especially recommend reading the paragraphs on Lectio Divina (the paragraphs aren’t numbered on the Vatican website for some reason, so just do a word search for “The prayerful reading of sacred Scripture and ‘lectio divina’” to find the right section). Lectio Divina is that ancient way of prayerfully reading through the Scripture. No footnotes required. 😉
 
Joe_5859 said:
Keep in mind that certain people here at CAF tend to overblow the inadequacies of the NAB. I wouldn’t call it an instance of “extreme dynamic equivalence”. (I save that designation for translations like the Living Bible.) Don’t get me wrong, I have significant problems with the footnotes and the presence of inclusive language bothers me. But I don’t think reading the NAB is going to lead people to heresy.
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The NABRE is in no way a dynamic equivalence translation. Examples of dynamic equivalent translations would be the NJB, JB or even the NIV. Even further on the translation spectrum would be paraphrases, like the Good News Bible or the Message. The preface to the recently revised NABRE Old Testament mentions:
“In many ways it is a more literal translation than the original NAB and has attempted to be more consistent in rendering Hebrew (or Greek) words and idioms, especially in technical contexts, such as regulations for sacrifices.”

The revised NAB NT preface also states:
“The primary aim of the revision is to produce a version as accurate and faithful to the meaning of the Greek original as is possible for a translation. The editors have consequently moved in the direction of a formal-equivalence approach to translation, matching the vocabulary, structure, and even word order of the original as closely as possible in the receptor language. Some other contemporary biblical versions have adopted, in varying degrees, a dynamic-equivalence approach, which attempts to respect the individuality of each language by expressing the meaning of the original in a linguistic structure suited to English, even though this may be very different from the corresponding Greek structure. While this approach often results in fresh and brilliant renderings, it has the disadvantages of more or less radically abandoning traditional biblical and liturgical terminology and phraseology, of expanding the text to include what more properly belongs in notes, commentaries, or preaching, and of tending toward paraphrase. A more formal approach seems better suited to the specific purposes intended for this translation.”

Is the NABRE as formal/literal as the RSV? By no means. But it is not far off either, and certainly more literal than the majority of Bibles that have been produced during the past 30 years. The notes, on the other hand, are another issue. While most are quite good and helpful, there remains a few that are not helpful and far too speculative. These notes, more so than the translation itself, tend to dominate the discussion of the NAB/NABRE on this forum.
 
Reading through the Bible is quit a task. After you decide which Bible(s) to get, consider The Bible Timeline by Jeff Cavins. The CD’s are expensive and the DVD’s are twice that, but it is a great resource.

The series presents the fourteen of the books in chronological order so that the “Story of Salvation” can be understood and shows where the other books fit in. I wouldn’t consider just reading through the Bible in the order the books are presented.

Check local churches to see if anyone is running the series or will in the future. And good luck on your quest. God bless you.
 
The Ignatius RSV New Testament study version is also available from Amazon for Kindle, which can be run on some smart phones as well, and on your computer of course, with the free Kindle reader app. I own a Kindle as well, so I can read it on three different devices at present.

The notes for this Bible are by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, and I don’t think one can get much better than that.

I also have the NAB, of course, and Douay Rheims on Kindle and on audio, but for my graduate courses the RSV is the version of choice. It also correlates quite well with the Truth and Life audio New Testament, available from audible.com (now part of Amazon too). I like to read along while listening to Stacy Keach, Sean Astin et. al.
 
mccorm45 said:
How exactly does the NAB/NABRE translation explain away miracles? I don’t remember seeing any omitted or denied while reading it.
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I’m not arguing with you about this. It’s a suggestion thread. Go to a thread that argues about differences between bible translations and you will see that several people are of similar belief.
 
DihydrogenOxide said:
I’m not arguing with you about this. It’s a suggestion thread. Go to a thread that argues about differences between bible translations and you will see that several people are of similar belief.
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That’s fine. Although if this is a thread about Bible recommendations/suggestions it is important that accurate info is given regarding the various translations.
 
Here is one idea that is working for me. I read the King James Version, as it is my favorite bible to read. I use the New Living Translation (a vastly under-rated version IMO) when I need a more “modern” interpretation of obscure points in the KJV. When I want commentary, I use my Douay-Rheims/Haydoock Bible. As some here have indicated, you can find the latter on line.
 
Here’s one idea which I didn’t touch much on in my original post: Does anyone know of a good whole-bible supplemental resource that I could get alongside the RSV-CE that could help fill in for what is lacking in the footnotes?

Thanks for all of your suggestions and insight so far, everyone.
 
JChapel said:
Here’s one idea which I didn’t touch much on in my original post: Does anyone know of a good whole-bible supplemental resource that I could get alongside the RSV-CE that could help fill in for what is lacking in the footnotes?

Thanks for all of your suggestions and insight so far, everyone.
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The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible would be a helpful tool. So far they have completed the New Testament and Genesis/Exodus.
 
The Douay-Reihms with Fr. Haydock commentary is the only one I know of that is replete with commentary in both the Old and New Testaments. The English translation leaves a lot to be desired, pretty stiff and ackward to the modern mind. It is a pretty literal translation of the Clementive Latin and very close toe the Latin Nova Vulgata. It is the only Bible I have. I love the commentary and that is why I use it. One thing I don’t like about it is that it is so big! If the New Jerusalem translation gets completed I will take a look at it if I can get one cheap.
 
Well, based off of further research I have done, and comments in this thread, I’ve definitely narrowed things down a little.

NABRE: While the translation is decent, certainly improved from the NAB, footnotes still questionable.
Duoay Rheims (Challoner): I find it hard to take away the full meaning of scripture, when the language is so dated and difficult to understand.
Haydock Study Bible: See Duoay Rheims. Commentary is a bit too academically-oriented.
Confraternity Bible: I haven’t been able to find a new copy (reprint).
Navarre Study Bible: ~$400 for the entire set is just out of my price range. Seems a bit too extravagant for what I need.
Jerusalem Bible: No longer printed, save for the reference-free “reader’s edition”.
New Jerusalem Bible: Translation a bit too dynamic for my tastes, questionable inclusive language.
Reader’s Digest Bible: …don’t get me started. 😃

…which pretty much leaves only the RSV-CE (1966) and the RSV-2CE (2006). Both seem to be excellent, easy to understand but not too colloquial translations. Granted, the lacking feature in all of the printings I’ve come across in both is a very spartan use of footnotes. However, the quality of the translation seems to outweigh this fault.

My plan is thus this: For the time being, I’ll work through the barebones Ignatius Bible, albeit with some study aids (Scott Hahn’s Bible Dictionary looks good, as does Edward Sri’s “The Bible Compass”) and whenever the complete (massive) 1-volume Ignatius Study Bible comes out, I’ll pick up a copy and go into things a little deeper.
 
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