Which Catholic Bible to get?

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Hugh_Betcha

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Hello all,

I’m new here on the forums and have many questions about Catholicism (sp?). I am currently a presbyterian engaged to a Catholic, which caused me to research what exactly Catholics believe. I’d always considered Catholics as another form of Christianity (sorry) but now I find out that not only were you the church founded by Jesus, but the Bible I read has been edited down to fit what the reformers thought. This really urks me and now I’d like to read the actual Bible, not the run edited for content and formatted to fit this screen. I’m not sure which Catholic bible to get, I read the thread about which bibles you guys use and to my surprise many of you use protestant bibles at least in part. Currently I have the New Living Translation, which I find very easy to read and understand. I’d like to know which Catholic bible is similar to this one as far as readability, and I’d also like to know whether or not I should continue to read the one I have now, because I don’t know what has been left out or added to; hence don’t want to read the wrong things. Thanks for all your help
 
There’s a thread that talks about the various version here:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=42630

Since I just purchased an ESV this past summer, I didn’t want to buy a whole new bible. Someone here did recently mentioned that the ESV is a good translation (although they don’t have a Catholic version yet), although you should also buy the Apocrypha to use with it to make it complete. So I found a (cheap!) used copy of New Oxford Annotated Apocrypha, New Revised Standard Version on Amazon.com.

Aunt Martha
 
Versions of the Living Bible (and Good news bible) are easy to read, but NOT very accurate. They tell you what the translator THINKS the words mean, not what they actually say. This can be quite different in verses which have a depth of meaning or several possible interpretations.

The main modern-language Catholic Bibles in English are the New American bible and the New Jerusalem Bible. However both were translated by Liberal scholars and the notes in them reflect Liberal rather than Catholic doctrine. Of these the Jerusalem Bible is better.

I would recommend the **Christian Community Bible **, available at Amazon and elsewhere, as an easy-to-read modern catholic translation with notes that will help you to understand Catholicism.
 
If you grew up with the KJV or authorized version, or RSV, or NRSV you will be most at home with the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, that is the Ignatius Bible from Ignatius Press. If you want the version used in the lectionary for the daily Mass readings, use the New American Bible, which is the one you should use if your are going through RCIA, since that program is so dependent on the lectionary. Try to get an NAB version with approved psalms. TEV, Living Bible, Good News translation are all less literal more manipulated translations which try to put the Bible into a modern idiom and make it easier to read. The trouble is, modern English changes all the time, and the recent updates to the TEV border on the heretical. These 3 are very sloppy translations, and should be used only for private use, never for liturgy, and for those perhaps reading them in a second language, or whose reading ability is lower than college level. To my mind, the NAB is straightforward and easy enough to read for anyone on a middle school reading leve.
 
Do NOT get the Ignatius bible. It is a hybrid work that is mostly Catholic, but it contains a number of the Protestant corruptions in it from earlier KJV versions. It amazes me how many people don’t seem to care about this.

Go to ebay and buy a Catholic bible printed before Vatican II. My 1950 bible is a revision of the Challoner-Rheims. Before Vat II, the Catholic bibles were more avid about keeping Protestant influence out of scripture even where the names of books were concerned. (My bible still calls the final book Apocalypse, not Revelations for example.)

Unfortunately, recent events in the Catholic church has caused it to become less demanding and more accomodating, even to subjecting scriptures to Protestant corruptions. Very sad.

Thal59
 
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