Which Bible translation?

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Okay, people, I need help. I need to choose which of my Bibles should be my main Bible. Which of these should I use as my main Bible in each language?

English BIbles:
Douay-Rheims-Challoner Bible
King James Bible with Apocrypha
Confraternity Bible
New Oxford Annotated Revised Standard Bible with Apocrypha
New American Bible (1970)
Christian Community Bible
Orthodox Study Bible

Spanish Bible:
Torres Amat Biblia
Biblia Latinoamericana
Biblia de Jerusalen Latinoamericano

Please also state the reason why. Thank you.
 
I would suggest the NAB or the Douey as they are my favorite. The Douey has a very straitforward translation that I prefer if I don’t understand the meaning of a verse. On the other hand I also love my NAB because of it’s clearer contemperary translation.
 
Rose_Commander said:
Okay, people, I need help. I need to choose which of my Bibles should be my main Bible. Which of these should I use as my main Bible in each language?

English BIbles:
Douay-Rheims-Challoner Bible
King James Bible with Apocrypha
Confraternity Bible
New Oxford Annotated Revised Standard Bible with Apocrypha
New American Bible (1970)
Christian Community Bible
Orthodox Study Bible

Spanish Bible:
Torres Amat Biblia
Biblia Latinoamericana
Biblia de Jerusalen Latinoamericano

Please also state the reason why. Thank you.
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Douay-Rheims: Which was the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by the Pope to gather all the original works and earliest transcriptions from the apostles as were still available, and with his great intellect, as it was recognized that St. Jerome was the most intelligent man of his time, and as he was fluent in the ancient languages of the bible, he could translate without the assitance of another. And his mission was to remove all the foolishness and personal inclusions that may have found their way into many of the handwritten bibles of the time, and return the bible to it’s original meaning and intent. A monumental task which took him many years, but to this day, it is recognized as the most accurate “Catholic” Bible.
Now that having been said, I heard Father Corapi adivse on this same question and in addition to the Douay-Rhiems he mentioned another, which I was not prepared for and failed to write down.
 
Ditto FightingFat’s comments. Also, consider the Navarre Bible which includes a faithful commentary on the RSV plus the Latin Vulgate. FWIW, in my graduate studies with Ave Maria University, all my professors required the RSV for the text and my Scripture teacher also added the New Jerusalem for notes.

AMDG
jsa
 
I made a top 5 list of my favorite Bible translations over a year ago on my blog. Over a year later, and having used many of those translations more frequently in Bible study and prayer, I feel the same.

catholicbibles.blogspot.com/search?q=Top+5+bible+translations

Please note that there has been new editions of the RSV published since that post was made as well as the news of the complete overall, including Psalms, for the NAB Old Testament.
 
Julian0404 said:
Douay-Rheims: Which was the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by the Pope to gather all the original works and earliest transcriptions from the apostles as were still available, and with his great intellect, as it was recognized that St. Jerome was the most intelligent man of his time, and as he was fluent in the ancient languages of the bible, he could translate without the assitance of another. And his mission was to remove all the foolishness and personal inclusions that may have found their way into many of the handwritten bibles of the time, and return the bible to it’s original meaning and intent. A monumental task which took him many years, but to this day, it is recognized as the most accurate “Catholic” Bible.
Now that having been said, I heard Father Corapi adivse on this same question and in addition to the Douay-Rhiems he mentioned another, which I was not prepared for and failed to write down.
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**The above quote is not at all true. **

The Douai is not the work of St. Jerome. Neither is it based directly on Jerome’s Latin version of the Bible, but on the Clementine version of the Latin. Jerome was not said to be the most intelligent person of his time. He was actually not fluent in Hebrew when he started is work with the Bible; he studied and learned Hebrew later. He was not commissioned to do a new translation, but initially only to arbitrate between various Latin editions then in existence. His initial commission from the Pope was not primarily one of translation. And there is no one edition of the Bible that is recognized as ‘most accurate’.
 
Geremia said:
This [Challoner version] is the oldest Catholic, English translation most faithful to the Magisterium because it is based primarily on the Latin Vulgate.
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The original Douai Rheims Bible was translated in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s. Bishop Challoner produced an updated version of the Douai (some would say a new version, not merely an update) in the mid 1700’s. Both versions are faithful to the teaching of the Magisterium in the translation and in the annotations. The mere fact that a translation is based on the Latin Vulgate does not make it faithful to the Magisterium.

There were other Catholic translations prior to the original Rheims, but these were not of the whole Bible.
 
I agree that the Douay-Rheims is much closer to the Latin translations that St. Jerome worked on, however I like the RSV-CE because it is more modern in language, not as archaic as the DR, not that the DR and the archaic is not beautiful, my personal preference is the more modern language.

However the NAB is what is used in the Catholic Church for the Liturgy.
 
I noticed that many of you state the RSV-CE. People remember that I don’t have the RSV-CE, just the New Oxford Annotated Bible. Please keep the recommendation on the list that I had provided. I am broke to buy any new bibles. Thank you.
 
I would recommend the Confraternity, as it falls in the middle of the road, having the accuracy of the Douay but better readability for those books that were retranslated.
 
Back in the day…
Dr, Minto at Steubenville, who is skilled in Hebrew and Greek, stated all the translations have issues. For study of Scripture, he recommended read several translations, and when there is a significant variance, try to get a hold of what the source languages say (study them yourself or get info from someone who does).
I personally have found the concordance tools at blueletterbible.org **immensely **helpful in this regard, as my Greek is not 100% and I have only a slight awareness of how Hebrew operates.
It may also be good to read Jimmy Akin’s remarks here
 
I always recommend Confraternity New Testament–Douay Rheims Challoner Old Testament–and an English translation of the Bea Psalms authorized by Pope Pius XII.

Such a bible is not perfect–but I think it’s better than most anything else out there.

I haven’t read all of Ron Conte’s translation but if it does indeed mostly come from the Vulgate then it might be a good translation.

Some of the knox bible is great but as it is a loose translation I don’t think that it is the best.

In general translations that flow from the Vulgate will be better than one that do not because they will be free from doctrinal error.
 
bpbasilphx said:
Which version of the Bible?

The one you will read.
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You beat me to it!!!
I love and read the Douay-Rheims (Challoner), the RSV-CE, and the Orthodox Study Bible. But I try not to be as stern about the “right” or the “perfect” Bible, since I have have realized that not everyone is actually going to read the Bible that I would recommend.
Which of your Bibles do you actually read, understand, & enjoy reading?
You have several that I think are excellent.
I don’t read Spanish, so I can’t help you there, except to say, that keeping a Bible in another language near is always a good idea, when you have a question about a verse, you can 👍 check it out…
Which is what I do with my Latin Vulgate…even though I have been told several times that it is the:shrug: “wrong” Vulgate. (This & several:eek: KJV-Onlyists :rolleyes:have been the reason I have gotten less rigid about what is the best Bible for someone else).
 
Rose_Commander said:
Okay, people, I need help. I need to choose which of my Bibles should be my main Bible. Which of these should I use as my main Bible in each language?

English BIbles:
Douay-Rheims-Challoner Bible (?)
King James Bible with Apocrypha
Confraternity Bible (?)
-]New Oxford Annotated Revised Standard Bible with Apocrypha/-]
-]New American Bible (1970)/-]
-]Christian Community Bible/-]
-]Orthodox Study Bible/-]
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I’ve read that you have not got the money to purchase another Bible right now, but I think you could. I, personally, would sell the Christian Community Bible, the New American Bible (they are coming out with another revision next year I believe which might be worth buying), the Oxford Bible, and possibly the Orthodox Study Bible. If I were you I would stick with mainly Catholic Bibles. I left the KJV up there because it’s kind of nice to have handy when conversing with Protestants and it’s also very pretty to read and does not try to avoid making the Bible sound “Catholic” as some modern Protestant versions do. I’m not sure what to do with the Douay-Challoner Bible and the Confraternity Bible, having both seems kind of redundant. I would say sell the one that’s harder for you to read. Now that I’ve told you to sell all of those, I’ll tell you what I would buy . . .

NOTE: I don’t know anything about Spanish Bibles, sorry!
FightingFat said:
I have several translations but find myself using the RSV Catholic edition- because it is true to the Hebrew/ Greek and doesn’t elaborate too much and the NJB Study Edition, because it has loads of brilliant study notes and gives a nice juxtaposition to the RSV. I have also invested heavily in Scott Hahn’s Ignatius Study Bible catholiccompany.com/catholic-books/1001916/Ignatius-Catholic-Study-Bible-Complete-Set/ and these are excellent! 👍
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I would first buy either the RSV - CE or the RSV - 2CE. The only difference is that the RSV - CE tends to use “thees” and “thous” whereas the RSV -2CE uses more modern English. The reason I am telling you to get one of these is to help with understanding. The Douay-Challoner/Confraternity is great for study because it is very literal and will give you a feel for what was actually being said, but it does help having a modern translation around in case you are stuck and don’t understand something. I also second FightingFat’s suggestion of getting the Ignatius Study Bible Series by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. But, I will say don’t go to his link and buy all of those for over $100, I would go here and pre-order the one volume New Testament for $20, if you have the money.

To recap: I would sell the New Oxford Annotated Revised Standard Bible with Apocrypha, the New American Bible, the Christian Community Bible, the Orthodox Study Bible (I’m on the fence about that one though), and either the Douay-Challoner OR the Confraternity Bible, just one of those. Then, use that money to invest in and RSV-CE or an RSV-2CE (I prefer the latter edition because I have a hard time with the more archaic language, I’m bad at it! :whacky:). And also, if you have any spare money, I would try to pre-order the Ignatius Study Bible.

I hope this helps!

PS - As has been suggested previously, the Navarre Study Bible is very good, it has lots of commentary from the Fathers and Saints, but it is pretty expensive. There is also a new commentary coming out called Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. You can look it up on Amazon.com. They have four books our right now (Mark, Ephesians, 2 Corinthians, and 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) and I’ve heard they are publishing two books every three months. This is a great time to be Catholic because there is a new resurgence of Bible Studying in the Church and the Church is being given more and more great Bible tools as the years pass!
 
I think that the RSV-CE2 is basically just a Protestant bible with a little bit of Catholic polishing.

In one of Pope Benedict XVI’s Encyclicals on faith–Spe Salvi–he commented on how the Vulgate was more accurate about the nature of faith.

That’s not to say that the RSV should not be used–it is used in the Catechism for example.

And that’s not to say that the Vulgate is perfect. I believe in matters and details not pertaining to faith and morals that the RSV in its translation of ancient texts that were not Latin can be better than the Vulgate.

I do think that the Vulgate is superior in 2 Corinthians 2:10 when St. Paul grants the incestuous Corinthian absolution.

St. Paul forgave the man “in the PERSON of Christ”–I PERSONNA CHRISTI–not just “in the PRESENCE of Christ”.

you or i or anyone can forgive in Christ’s presence because Christ is everywhere.

Only a priest can forgive in Chrit’s PERSON.

The Greek work–prosopon–refers to a “mask” such as what Greek actors would wear during plays when the BECAME the role of a character–just as priest forgive in the ROLE of Christ.

The KJV says “person”. It was only later that Protestant translators realized that they could not abide the bible’s PROOF POSITIVE description of St. Paul as a priest granting absolution that we get the translation “presence”.

The Confraternity New Testament uses person and it is derived from the Vuilgate. the Knox Bible uses the word person and it is derived from the Vulgate. the Douay Rehims Challoner New Testament uses the word person and it is derived from the Vulgate.

As far as I know–not other bibles use the word “person” in 2 Corinthians 2:10.

While “presence” is not per se “WRONG”–it does not contain the “fullness of truth” that the Vulgate does when it refers to absolution–a doctrinal concept in 2 Corinthians 2:10.

Just because one believes that the Vulgate is superior in doctrinal matters–because the Ecumenical council of Trent said so–does not mean that one doesn’t see the need for the bible to be translated from ancient original language texts and also to at the same time be translated so it is easy to understand in modern English.

I personally think the Vulgate can be improved upon and certtainly that english is deifferent today thatn at the time of the Douay Rheims–or the time when Bishop Challoner revised it.

And to be sure we have made ancient language textual discoveries since then.

So there is a need ro the bible to be translated anew. that does not mean that the translations that are currently “NEW” should be preferred when they do not convey the “FULLNESS OF TRUTH” that the Vulgate conveys when it comes to doctrinal matters.

Nopw there’s nothing wrong with reading many different translations.

And the RSV along with the Jerusalem bible has been approved by the Catholic Church.

Just pleas spare me the notion that the RSV-CE2 is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

While it may have a little bit of Catholic polishing–while it may be superior in some minor non doctrinal details over the Vulgate–it is not superior to the vulgate of doctrinal matters.

The reason I recommend the Confraternity New Testament is not because it is perfect but because it is the most polished and readable translation of the Vulgate that we have in English.

The Douay Rheims Challone Old Testament is not archaic or impossible to read.

And the Bea Psalms are superior in some ways to the Psalms of the Douay Rheims Challoner Psalms when it comes to verb tenses and they were approved by Pope Pius XII.

Not to mention the fact that Protestant bibles such as the RSV more times than Catholic bible prefer the Masoretic text while Catholic bibles will side more with Septuagint texts which in the case of the Dead Sea Scrolls–mor times than not have ben proven to be superior!

So if anyone wanrts to read the RSV in any of its iterations–fine! Just know that it is not the final answer to bible accuracy in Catholic scholarship.

I wouldn’t say that any bible is perfect. I will say this:–the Confraternity new Testament–Douay Rheims Challoner Old Testament–and Bea Psalter–are closer to that ideal than any other bible out there.

And you can go online or at antique bookstores and find such bibles.

Do so–you won’t regret it.
 
Good comments Jerry-Jet.

Why are so many Catholics praising without any reservation Protestant versions of the Bible? Do you people not know that Protestant Bible translators are material heretics?

And as for the King James Version:
  1. The source texts used by the translators were much more limited than what is available to scholars today.
  2. The translators were Anglicans who were complicit, at least by their silence and by sins of omission, in the severe persecution of Catholics occurring at the time.
  3. The commission of translators and editors was appointed under King James I, who continued the persecution of Catholics during his reign, a persecution begun by previous rulers of England. During this persecution many Catholics suffered greatly and more than a few were martyred.
How can any Catholic use a Bible version named after a persecutor of the Church? How can any Catholic use a Bible version translated and edited by scholars appointed by that same persecutor, scholars who were complicit in that persecution by cooperating with source of that persecution?
 
Thank you all for your responds and explanation. I will probably use the Doauy-Rheims Bible and the Authorized Bible as my main Bibles with the Orthodox Study Bible and the New Oxford Annotated Bible as my Study Bibles. Thank you all again.
 
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