Poor Quality Catholic Bibles!

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jamison said:
I’m a new Catholic who came from a Protestant background. Some o you may know my conversion story as it was talked about on here and I’m sure it’s searchable. Scripture has always been important to me. I just recently bought a new NRSV bible with the apocrypha from Cambridge. The bible is bound in a French Morocco leather cover. While the quality is good, it is not up to Cambridge’s finer standards. The cover is stiff instead of soft and supple. It does not have a leather lining. For an msrp of $140, this is dissapointing. I have a nkjv as well as couple kjv goatskin Bibles from Cambridge that have much nicer covers and lining. I have also a NASB bound in the finest calfskin from as well as some Nelson signature series. The covers on theese are a beauty to behold. Finally I have an ESV by RL. Allen, considered to be the finest bible maker in the world.
My problem is now that I’m a Catholic, a Bible of this quality is nowhere to be found. I can purchase a nrsv from rl allans but it lacks the apocrypha. It is disturbing that a heirloom quality Catholic bible seems unattainable. Is It only me who is bothered by this? Are Catholics simply less concerned about a quality bible? It seems I will be forced to carry a Protestant version as it’s the only quality bible up to par. Something needs to be done about this.
If anyone knows of any Catholic bible that is published in a quality goatskin non hardcover and signature bound, please inform me. It seems Catholics just don’t produce finer quality bibles and Im forced to use a Protestant translation.
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I’m Catholic and use the ESV. They have an edition with the deuterocanonicals.
 
crazzeto said:
Hmmm, I might give that bible you recommended a serious look. I’d kind of like a Douay Rheims version, but unfortunetly they’re all so expensive that I couldn’t just buy one with out discussing it with my fiance… Since they’re all pretty much expensive enough that they’re really more “family bible” contenders that they are “personal bible” options.

Of course then the Douay Rheims has the issue that my Fiance really dislikes (strongly) black & gold. She really want’s white and gold, and in that category we’ve seen far better packages at least in terms of looks and what she wants. Mainly what I want is a good translation to work with. Particularly for apologetics, which is where the NAB is more defincient (not as much in terms for personal education I would argue though).
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// baronius press has the douay-rheims bible in white…i’m not sure if the edges of the pages are in gold…below is the link to their site…

baroniuspress.com/category.php?wid=58&cid=1
 
Moderator: please stop this endless boring thread. I have been a book collector all my life with Bibles in Spanish, French, Latin and English. A large Catholic book store has about a hundred bibles to chose from. Even St. Paul’s in Cochin in India a mostly Hindu city has rows and rows. This is tiresome.
 
mccorm45 said:
The main problem is that there are very few, if any, Catholic bibles made with
premium leather covers and quality bindings. I for one, a cradle Catholic, would
pay for a specifically Catholic edition of the rsv or nrsv, with crossreferences, that
was made in premium goatskin leather and excellent binding. I want a Bible
that I can carry around, use, and reverence for the rest of my life. For me, that
simply will not be the case with a paperback or bonded leather cover. And other
than a few editions of the nrsv and an oxford rsv edition, there simply is nothing
available.
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And I, Methodist though I am, would also pay for an RSV-CE. Its an awesome Bible, but the comparison in quality of binding to my [pre-switch to bonded leather] Baronius Douay is…sad. Its a Bible that is well deserving of a better binding. (Ditto my Orthodox Study Bible…I love it, but for :eek:$80, it should have at least a simple pigskin cover…which would have added little to the cost & MUCH to the quality).
crazzeto said:
How’s the translation on this one? I think a protistant convert in my bible study has this one and he seems to like it. I’m looking for a bible with a little “better” translation than the NAB. Not that I’m “hating” on the nab here, I like it fine. But I think some of the “logical”/“contextual” translations they made kind of detract from certain passages.
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Its very good indeed. (Even aside from the fact that it is a pleasure to have a complete Bible, not the :cool:Readers Digest condensed version). The RSV has been itself revised, giving it a less modernist/PC-correct tone than the NRSV, and also restoring what both RSV & NRSV lack: It is actually a literal translation, which follows traditional Biblical scholarship rather than trying to please everybody (whilst pleasing nobody. Especially serious Bible students who happen to believe the Bible is actually the story of God’s interaction with man…not, say, “humankind”, or “people”. Because we learned in English class that “man” is a generic, not an attempt to exclude women).
Give it a look; I think you will be pleased.👍
 
James_Miller said:
Moderator: please stop this endless boring thread. I have been a book collector all my life with Bibles in Spanish, French, Latin and English. A large Catholic book store has about a hundred bibles to chose from. Even St. Paul’s in Cochin in India a mostly Hindu city has rows and rows. This is tiresome.
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Ah, people like this are always wonderful. Clearly others are having a discussion but because you personally are bored, the thread should be closed? Wow. Unbelievable. No ones forcing you to read. Stay out of the thread.
I’m really shocked at how some so called Christians act on theese forums.
 
garysibio said:
I’m Catholic and use the ESV. They have an edition with the deuterocanonicals.
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I was not aware of this. I will search for this. Coming from a Protestant background, I have loved the esv. It was my understanding that many Catholics right it off as an extremely Protestant version. I do love the ESV though. I would love to hear your thoughts about esv vs nkjv vs nasb- from a Catholic perspective. I suppose that’s another thread though. Perhaps you can pm me. Peace brother.
 
DallasCatholic said:
I found a white Douay Rheims for about $50 at:
getfed.com/discount-catholic/465/Douay-Rheims/?aid=185
If you seriously want to get into Apologetics than you really need to become familiar with more of the Protestant translations…although I have found that there is less and less difference in the translations now a days.
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Yeah, I do understand your point about using a protistant version. I have a handy dandy KJV pdf for this as well. I just would love to also have a better quality Catholic version, that way it sort of becomes multi-purpose.

Typically I’ve been using NAB for my online discussions (I haven’t done as much face to face apologetics yet), it’s done it’s job… OK… The problem comes in when you try to make certain comparisons where the translator decided to make a contextual translation in one case, but not in another.

For instance when discussing the so called “brothers of christ”. When attempting to make the case that there was no word for “uncle/cousin/nephew/etc” in hebrew it becomes more challenging when the bible should say

“And when Abraham heard that his brother Levi was kidnapped”

But now says

“And when Abraham heard that his nephew Levi was kidnapped”

because someone decided to go ahead and make that contextual translation but then decided not to in the case of Matthews

“are these not the brothers of christ”

because while there is enough information to refute they’re brothers, there isn’t enough to say exactly what the relation is… I don’t even mind the more natural/modern language, it’s the selective contextual translations that fustrate every once in a while.

Of course one must admit that on occation the more modern language can obscure things too. I’m doing a bible study on Revelation to John right now, my study guide had me reference some passages else where in the bible to get certain information, which wasn’t made abudantly clear in the translation. In fact so obscured one of my group mates (protistant convert) flat out told me “it’s not in the NAB, but it is in this bible”, just so happens he had the version you recommended to jamison.
 
chaunceygardner said:
I wonder if Mother Teresa used a leather bound Bible that fit her specifications? What would she have paid for a Bible? My guess is that it didn’t matter to her, and she likely used a quite inexpensive Bible.
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Not that I’m defending lusting after expensive, leather-bound Bibles, but I doubt that Mother Teresa would be sitting in front of a computer discussing things on CAF. She was a bit too busy for that.
 
Just a follow up on discussing specific versions of the bible. I don’t even know if it’s soft, or hard cover. But I got a used Douay Rheims off addall.com/ shipped from England for $30. I’m pretty happy, I think between that and NAB I should be in a decent place.

Edit
And now that I have what I want, the Fiance can get whatever edition of the bible she wants as our family bible 😉
 
I don’t know if the OP ever found a Bible or not but I was doing a search myself so thought I would add what I found.

These should be as good or better than a Cambridge for regular use and much less expensive and are the most highly recommended Catholic translations.

RSV-CE 2nd Ed

saintbenedictpress.com/images/100px/SB2490.jpg

RSV-CE 2nd Ed.

http://shop.catholic.com/images/P/IB2lg-02.jpg
(I have this version and can vouch for it being as good as a Cambridge. The picture does not do it justice. Its actually much darker color than shown here. It should last for years and is very suple).

1966 New Jerusalem - Leather

http://img.aquinasandmore.com/items/59373sm.jpg

Black Ultrasoft NABRE

http://img.aquinasandmore.com/items/82619sm.jpg

Douay-Rheims Bible Challoner (Black Premium UltraSoft)
tanbooks.com/images/SB2018/SB2018_175.jpg

Douay-Rheims Bible Challoner (Standard size)
baroniuspress.com/upimages/6-147.jpg

The Rheims New Testament 1582 AD < Pictures at link
 
While I appreciate you trying to contribute to an old thread, I must say I wonder if you’ve read through this. The Bible that you posted and have, I have too. There are actually a few reviews of this bible on catholic blogs. While I’m happy to own it and consider it one of the better versions made and a great price, it is hardly anywhere near a top quality Cambridge, I know, I’m on my second one :). The “leather” cover is not actually genuine leather, let alone a calfskin or goatskin from Cambridge. Comparing the paper quality as well… Let’s just say it’s not a comparison.
The ultra soft bibles you posted are also not leather and they do not even have sewn bindings. They are simply glued and will come apart quickly with any serious Bible use.
I’m glad that they work for you and serve a purpose but they are hardly anywhere near a Cambridge or an RL Alllans.
 
jamison said:
While I appreciate you trying to contribute to an old thread, I must say I wonder if you’ve read through this. The Bible that you posted and have, I have too. There are actually a few reviews of this bible on catholic blogs. While I’m happy to own it and consider it one of the better versions made and a great price, it is hardly anywhere near a top quality Cambridge, I know, I’m on my second one :). The “leather” cover is not actually genuine leather, let alone a calfskin or goatskin from Cambridge. Comparing the paper quality as well… Let’s just say it’s not a comparison.
The ultra soft bibles you posted are also not leather and they do not even have sewn bindings. They are simply glued and will come apart quickly with any serious Bible use.
I’m glad that they work for you and serve a purpose but they are hardly anywhere near a Cambridge or an RL Alllans.
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I thought I did contribute. Are you saying I only tried to contribute and failed? I don’t know if I should feel slighted or not. I am rather pleased with the quality above. Its top notch and the best anyone could ask for. Content wise, they are the only real Bibles. I just ordered that leather 1966 NJ and the NABRE. Can’t wait to get them.

I wonder if you read what I said. They are the “best I could find” unless you want to pay $500-$10,000. Maybe you want one like that. Would that make it any better reading though? Not if it wasn’t Catholic it wouldn’t. I did see some in that expensive category. And I am quite sure some of the Bibles above are real leather.

I find it odd that I have seven of these Catholic Bibles and not a one of them has ever come apart. Some of them are decades old now and they are “seriously” used so I don’t get what your problem is. I have paper back books that I have read daily for years that have never come apart like you claim other than the covers wearing off. Sounds like your breaking the bindings somehow. Do you stuff them full of things or pile anything on top of them or leaning on them when open? Maybe you need to take better care of them.

I looked at the Cambridge. It wasn’t anything special. The Allans looked like the covers were too big for the book. I don’t call that quality. And besides, if either of those were so great they would offer a good Catholic translation like the ones listed above. Evidently they are too concerned with the externals and not enough with the substance. Perhaps thats the whole problem here anyway.

But yea, you’re welcome justthesame. Surely anyone who does “serious” Bible reading must have an astounding grasp on modesty and charity.

Pax.
 
Perhaps you’re easily offended. Let’s not be so dramatic. You went ahead and declared to everyone that these are all “as good or better than a Cambridge.” I not only disagreed but provided my reasons for doing so. That statement had zero merit.
You claimed you had one of the bibles, now you say have a few of the bibles for years. One of the links is not released yet. One doesn’t work, if you now own the rest of them, that’s fantastic for you.
As for the personal insinuations, I won’t get into that. I don’t think I should have to defend wanting a top quality Catholic Bible. One with a Goatskin or Calfskin cover that is made with fine bible paper and has a sewn binding. Any book with a glued binding will come apart sooner or later. The Protestants have these and many Catholics like myself feel this way, like this thread explains.
I will not be responding to your reply again in this thread and you get a little over the top. Hope the rest of your day is better.
 
(Edited)

Hello sir.

I think these guys are pretty ignorant when it comes to quality stuff. I have the NRSV Ref edition, I got it for $40. I think it is very nice, and I also have the KJV concord in goat. I think that is a very nice Bible, and I like the soft cover, but its extra $100 retail price in my opinion is not warranted. I also own a pitt NASB in goat as well as a Allan Longprimer which is probably one of my favorite Bible is not the favorite. I used to have the Allan PSR but traded it for the ESV3 which has a bit of a stiff cover even though it is goat and the font isnt that great and I hardly use it. I prefer the NKJV over the ESV and NASB any way.
So what are your options with a Catholic Bible? Very slim. BUT I have found some for CHEAP!!!
First off I found an older Baronius in Moroccan leather, lightly used for $16 on ebay. It was hardcover but thats ok. Next one I found was an Oxford RSV-CE in Genuine Leather which I think is actually cowhide and not pig. Very soft but not uber flexible. My biggest gripe about it is actually too thin. While not as thin as say a thin line, it is not as thick as the cambridge Bibles. The page quality is still great however. Better than Allan ESVs for readability.

Finally I found a Jerusalem Bible for $20 at a 1/2 price book store. It was hidden away and very small. It was a SHEEPSKIN edition! This thing looked like an Allan Bible. Same white head and tail bands. Opens flat, good semi yapp, great gilting (not art though oh well…). The JR translation is a bit to colloquial for me. It can obscure some stuff sometimes in its simplicity and lack of precision.

Yes, these are all now no longer in production. The Baronius is now (Edited) bonded leather, but the text block is very good and sewn so it is suited for rebinding, which I did do to a DR Bible in calf. Very nice, but most rebinders do NOT do leather lining, which in my opinion is an excuse for lazyness and being cheap. Right now you can find some decent candidates for rebinding but no, you wont find any current production Cambridge goat or Allan quality Bibles. It is kind of lame, and I feel your pain.

There is the special edition Orthodox study bible. It looks nice and is not bonded leather. Im sure its not at the goat bible levels but Im sure its still nice. I just bought some prayer and psalm books from Holy Transfiguration Monastery and they are simple hardcovers, but I really like em and they are excellent quality!

Im currently looking at getting the NJB bonded leather edition and sending it off to Leonard’s for a goat treatment and adding white tail and headbands for an Allan look.
Once I get money that is.

You can find decent Catholic Bibles on the used market, but you need patience and a bit of luck. You arent going to find any current production ones sadly. The NRSV by Cambridge is good (just the ref one. The other ones even the FM bindings arent good. They are not printed or bound in England.) (Edited) Well good luck in your search or rebinding efforts.
 
Wow you really know your stuff! I would love to hear about the rebinding job you had done. I have the Cambridge NRSV as well and I love it. A fantastic post KShaft!!
KShaft said:
Hello sir.

I think these guys are pretty ignorant when it comes to quality stuff. I have the NRSV Ref edition, I got it for $40. I think it is very nice, and I also have the KJV concord in goat. I think that is a very nice Bible, and I like the soft cover, but its extra $100 retail price in my opinion is not warranted. I also own a pitt NASB in goat as well as a Allan Longprimer which is probably one of my favorite Bible is not the favorite. I used to have the Allan PSR but traded it for the ESV3 which has a bit of a stiff cover even though it is goat and the font isnt that great and I hardly use it. I prefer the NKJV over the ESV and NASB any way.
So what are your options with a Catholic Bible? Very slim. BUT I have found some for CHEAP!!!
First off I found an older Baronius in Moroccan leather, lightly used for $16 on ebay. It was hardcover but thats ok. Next one I found was an Oxford RSV-CE in Genuine Leather which I think is actually cowhide and not pig. Very soft but not uber flexible. My biggest gripe about it is actually too thin. While not as thin as say a thin line, it is not as thick as the cambridge Bibles. The page quality is still great however. Better than Allan ESVs for readability.

Finally I found a Jerusalem Bible for $20 at a 1/2 price book store. It was hidden away and very small. It was a SHEEPSKIN edition! This thing looked like an Allan Bible. Same white head and tail bands. Opens flat, good semi yapp, great gilting (not art though oh well…). The JR translation is a bit to colloquial for me. It can obscure some stuff sometimes in its simplicity and lack of precision.

Yes, these are all now no longer in production. The Baronius is now (Edited) bonded leather, but the text block is very good and sewn so it is suited for rebinding, which I did do to a DR Bible in calf. Very nice, but most rebinders do NOT do leather lining, which in my opinion is an excuse for lazyness and being cheap. Right now you can find some decent candidates for rebinding but no, you wont find any current production Cambridge goat or Allan quality Bibles. It is kind of lame, and I feel your pain.

There is the special edition Orthodox study bible. It looks nice and is not bonded leather. Im sure its not at the goat bible levels but Im sure its still nice. I just bought some prayer and psalm books from Holy Transfiguration Monastery and they are simple hardcovers, but I really like em and they are excellent quality!

Im currently looking at getting the NJB bonded leather edition and sending it off to Leonard’s for a goat treatment and adding white tail and headbands for an Allan look.
Once I get money that is.

You can find decent Catholic Bibles on the used market, but you need patience and a bit of luck. You arent going to find any current production ones sadly. The NRSV by Cambridge is good (just the ref one. The other ones even the FM bindings arent good. They are not printed or bound in England.) (Edited) Well good luck in your search or rebinding efforts.
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KShaft said:
Hello sir.

I think these guys are pretty ignorant when it comes to quality stuff. I have the NRSV Ref edition, I got it for $40. I think it is very nice, and I also have the KJV concord in goat. I think that is a very nice Bible, and I like the soft cover, but its extra $100 retail price in my opinion is not warranted. I also own a pitt NASB in goat as well as a Allan Longprimer which is probably one of my favorite Bible is not the favorite. I used to have the Allan PSR but traded it for the ESV3 which has a bit of a stiff cover even though it is goat and the font isnt that great and I hardly use it. I prefer the NKJV over the ESV and NASB any way.
So what are your options with a Catholic Bible? Very slim. BUT I have found some for CHEAP!!!
First off I found an older Baronius in Moroccan leather, lightly used for $16 on ebay. It was hardcover but thats ok. Next one I found was an Oxford RSV-CE in Genuine Leather which I think is actually cowhide and not pig. Very soft but not uber flexible. My biggest gripe about it is actually too thin. While not as thin as say a thin line, it is not as thick as the cambridge Bibles. The page quality is still great however. Better than Allan ESVs for readability.

Finally I found a Jerusalem Bible for $20 at a 1/2 price book store. It was hidden away and very small. It was a SHEEPSKIN edition! This thing looked like an Allan Bible. Same white head and tail bands. Opens flat, good semi yapp, great gilting (not art though oh well…). The JR translation is a bit to colloquial for me. It can obscure some stuff sometimes in its simplicity and lack of precision.

Yes, these are all now no longer in production. The Baronius is now (Edited) bonded leather, but the text block is very good and sewn so it is suited for rebinding, which I did do to a DR Bible in calf. Very nice, but most rebinders do NOT do leather lining, which in my opinion is an excuse for lazyness and being cheap. Right now you can find some decent candidates for rebinding but no, you wont find any current production Cambridge goat or Allan quality Bibles. It is kind of lame, and I feel your pain.

There is the special edition Orthodox study bible. It looks nice and is not bonded leather. Im sure its not at the goat bible levels but Im sure its still nice. I just bought some prayer and psalm books from Holy Transfiguration Monastery and they are simple hardcovers, but I really like em and they are excellent quality!

I’m currently looking at getting the NJB bonded leather edition and sending it off to Leonard’s for a goat treatment and adding white tail and headbands for an Allan look.
Once I get money that is.

You can find decent Catholic Bibles on the used market, but you need patience and a bit of luck. You arent going to find any current production ones sadly. The NRSV by Cambridge is good (just the ref one. The other ones even the FM bindings arent good. They are not printed or bound in England.) (Edited). Well good luck in your search or rebinding efforts.
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