Recommend a good Bible

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bribur21

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Hi, I’m new at this but I have a question about bibles and hopefully this is a good forum for that.
Anyway, I am dating someone who is a “fallen away” Catholic and he expressed interest in a bible that explained things about our faith in it, like in the margins or whatnot. He is 20 years old, i don’t know if that helps. But if you could please recommend a good bible that might be useful to him and help him understand Catholics more. That would be wonderful. Thank you.
 
bribur21 said:
Hi, I’m new at this but I have a question about bibles and hopefully this is a good forum for that.
Anyway, I am dating someone who is a “fallen away” Catholic and he expressed interest in a bible that explained things about our faith in it, like in the margins or whatnot. He is 20 years old, i don’t know if that helps. But if you could please recommend a good bible that might be useful to him and help him understand Catholics more. That would be wonderful. Thank you.
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The RSV-CE (Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition) has good notes, and so does the Douay-Rheims Version (DRV) - the language in both is kind of “old fashioned,” though - the DRV much more so than the RSV.

What I would recommend is to take him with you to a Catholic book store, and take a look at their selection of study Bibles, to see which one he finds easiest to read.

Before you buy anything, take a look inside at the publisher’s page to make sure that it has a Nihil Obstat and an Imprimatur, which will ensure that it meets minimum Catholic standards. (Please keep in mind that these standards are minimums - so, don’t get anything that hasn’t got these.)
 
I have an RSV-CE there are no notes (which is why I like it) the Oxford Press Catholic Study Bible NAB is the best all purpose inexpensive Bible for Catholics because it has the translation used in the lectionary. the ignatius bible study editions by Scott Hahn are good and of course the Navarre bible for serious bible study, but we are talking about someone returning to the Church and his first contact with the Bible in a long time.

The Bible we use for Confirmation classes for youth and adults is the Thomas Nelson International Student Bible NAB, it is a white paperback. The reason I like it is because in the front it has a lot of Q&A good for an inquirer, returning Catholic or Confirmation student.
 
My favorite is

Christian Community Bible (mine is 26th edition)
This was translated from Hebrew and Greek
It is commented according to the church teaching, and in additional, it has summary of dates of scred History, introduction for each book, and some other explanations.

The translation is easier to understand and consistent.

ISBN 971-501-760-6 (Claretian Philipine)
ISBN 81-86507-57-4 (Claretian India)
 
As far as a Bible goes, my favorite is the NAB.

Your friend may benefit more by being given a good missal (such as a Magnificat issue or subscription). Because it will have Bible readings in it. And interesting stories of saints. And meditations. And many interesting Catholic things to read.

I pick up my Magnificat more often than I pick up my Bible. And why not, because the Mass readings are there.

When I read the Bible, I often read the NAB online with the US Catholic Bishops website. Because then I don’t wear out the pages.
 
…he expressed interest in a bible that explained things about our faith in it, like in the margins or whatnot.
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You might want to think twice before getting him the New American Bible (NAB), then. The explanatory notes in this bible are controversial to say the least. Many people believe the notes favor relatively recent theories about Scripture over more time-honored Catholic understandings.

As you know, the Holy Bible is only a part of our Catholic faith. There is no better reference for learning that faith than a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Consider a catechism along with a bible.
 
One of my Bibles is the Catholic Answers Bible. It has footnotes but also inserted colored divider pages throughout that have explanations of major Catholic things like Eucharist, why confess to a priest, etc.

If someone is just returning to the church and wants to read the Bible more in general, then I would suggest getting the daily mass reading with the Navarre commentary attached. You can still sign up for that email service (free) through www.cin.org

They have set up a google group and the daily mass readings are posted. It is a good way to get deeper appreciation of the Bible and the mass.
 
http://www.catholicfamilycatalog.com/images/bscyb1.jpg
Catholic Youth Bible (NAB)
Personal Study Edition (5.5" x 8.5")

**The Catholic Youth Bible is written just for Catholic teens( but also great for young adults) It enables them to grow emotionally and spiritually in their Catholic Faith. Featuring the complete NAB text, this Bible is a great resource for teens to grow closer to Christ by helping them make the right choices in the face of tough decisions, to find where the Bible speaks to their concerns and to help them understand why we as Catholics believe what we believe. Teens will also learn how the saints dealt with teen topics and how they can develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. ** **This collection of insightful and thought-provoking articles is presented in five unique, comprehensive sections throughout the Bible with additional supplemental material including: **
  • Terms of the Mass
  • Basic Prayers and Practices of the Catholic Faith
  • Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation
  • Page Indexing for Easy Reference
  • Articles on the Origin, Inspiration, and History of the Bible
  • Three Year Cycle of Readings
  • Durable Laminated Cover
 
jc-servant said:
One of my Bibles is the Catholic Answers Bible. It has footnotes but also inserted colored divider pages throughout that have explanations of major Catholic things like Eucharist, why confess to a priest, etc.
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I was really hoping that someone would recommend this one. I suspect, tho I have not seen it, that this will be just about right for this fellow.

My Douay Rheims from TAN has real good notes too, but ya have to remember that not everyone can handle that 16th century English, so the NAB might be best. I wouldn’t use Good News or any of those…it’s just not a very good translation IMO.

My 2nd Edition RSV-CE is great and has lots of references, but pitiful few notes. Which is okay because (in general) I don’t need 'em much. 🙂

I think I’d go with that Catholic Answers Bible.
Pax tecum,
 
Church_Militant said:
I wouldn’t use Good News or any of those…it’s just not a very good translation IMO.

The Good News is not a translation, actually; it is a paraphrase.

Another one I would recommend is the NRSV-CE. It is a rather literal translation, in modern English. It does use inclusive language (i.e. “Brothers and sisters”, etc.) but not when referring to God.
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What about for children? My 7 and 6 yr old and I have a lot of fun reading from the Good News bible. I didn’t read the bible till I was in high school, so I don’t know what translation is appropriate for them.
 
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