Why don't Catholics have more specialty Bibles?

[thewanderer]

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Protestants have all sorts of specialty and devotional Bibles aimed at people of different ages and walks of life. This seems like a really great way to help people better apply the Bible to their lives. Is there any reason why Catholics don’t have more specialty and devotional Bibles? And what would we need to do to realistically change this trend?

 

[Seraphim73]

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Protestants have all sorts of specialty and devotional Bibles aimed at people of different ages and walks of life. This seems like a really great way to help people better apply the Bible to their lives. Is there any reason why Catholics don’t have more specialty and devotional Bibles? And what would we need to do to realistically change this trend?

I’m not sure if the trend needs to be changed. The faith is lived through the life of the Church. That life is applicable to everyone.

 

[thewanderer]

I’m not sure if the trend needs to be changed. The faith is lived through the life of the Church. That life is applicable to everyone.

Well, of course the faith is lived through the life of the Church. The Bible happens to be a very large part of that. And of course it is applicable to everybody, but wouldn’t it make sense to have different commentary for different groups of people to make it easier for them to apply it to their own lives?

 

[sousley]

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Protestants have all sorts of specialty and devotional Bibles aimed at people of different ages and walks of life. This seems like a really great way to help people better apply the Bible to their lives. Is there any reason why Catholics don’t have more specialty and devotional Bibles? And what would we need to do to realistically change this trend?

We are not people of the book, but the Word. This Word shows us a history of successes and failures that mankind has had as God is coaxing them back into His family. By understanding the story of Sacred Scripture on Its own terms, we should be able to fairly easily see ourselves within the story, though not always in the same group: sometimes we are properly pious, sometimes we are tempted to pick and choose, sometimes we’re a little Pharisaic, etc.

The trouble comes in when we approach scriptures from a decided perspective. We see it with doctrine: like if we believe OSAS, we can read that into scripture and make it represent that, for an example. The same with radical predestination, or heno-theist. We can also run into other pride problems when we posit ourselves as the Apostle Paul correcting all the weak brothers, or as Jesus opposing the Pharisees. It is sometimes hard to see ourselves as the weak sinner that needs to listen when we don’t read ourselves into the text that way.

These types of bibles have the unfortunate effect of declaring yourself first and then once declared you can actually open the scriptures. Bibles that are devoted to construction workers, firemen, women, or marriage tend to assign themselves (and us) to a particular area and then fit the scriptures into that vocation. We are not so much giving ourselves to God but rather making the Word conform to our preset position. If I can make a suggested amendment to the underlined, “We need a really great way to help us better conform our lives to the Bible’s precepts.”

 

[po18guy]

I have a protestant “The Bible As Literature” a publication in which certain (apparently boring) books and all of the various genealogies have been removed. Great reading as far as it goes, but it is tinkering with God’s revealed truth.

The bottom line is that, if all you have is the bible, you have to fluff it up every now and then, like a pillow.

Since Catholics have innumerable devotions, the great blessing of the Sacraments, the miracle of the Mass and the true presence of Christ, there is no need to tweak, massage or nuance the bible.

 

[thewanderer]

We are not people of the book, but the Word. This Word shows us a history of successes and failures that mankind has had as God is coaxing them back into His family. By understanding the story of Sacred Scripture on Its own terms, we should be able to fairly easily see ourselves within the story, though not always in the same group: sometimes we are properly pious, sometimes we are tempted to pick and choose, sometimes we’re a little Pharisaic, etc.

The trouble comes in when we approach scriptures from a decided perspective. We see it with doctrine: like if we believe OSAS, we can read that into scripture and make it represent that, for an example. The same with radical predestination, or heno-theist. We can also run into other pride problems when we posit ourselves as the Apostle Paul correcting all the weak brothers, or as Jesus opposing the Pharisees. It is sometimes hard to see ourselves as the weak sinner that needs to listen when we don’t read ourselves into the text that way.

These types of bibles have the unfortunate effect of declaring yourself first and then once declared you can actually open the scriptures. Bibles that are devoted to construction workers, firemen, women, or marriage tend to assign themselves (and us) to a particular area and then fit the scriptures into that vocation. We are not so much giving ourselves to God but rather making the Word conform to our preset position. If I can make a suggested amendment to the underlined, “We need a really great way to help us better conform our lives to the Bible’s precepts.”

Just curious, but are you also against catholic prayer books and devotional books that are geared towards teens, or mothers? All I’m talking about is a Catholic translation of the Bible with commentary/devotional articles that are geared towards different groups of people. A teenager is at a very different place in their life than a mother and a recent convert is in a very different place than someone who is very knowledgeable about the Bible and the Churchs teachings. What is so bad about the idea of having different Bibles with commentary that is more appropriate to where those different people are in life?

 

[thewanderer]

I have a protestant “The Bible As Literature” a publication in which certain (apparently boring) books and all of the various genealogies have been removed. Great reading as far as it goes, but it is tinkering with God’s revealed truth.

The bottom line is that, if all you have is the bible, you have to fluff it up every now and then, like a pillow.

Since Catholics have innumerable devotions, the great blessing of the Sacraments, the miracle of the Mass and the true presence of Christ, there is no need to tweak, massage or nuance the bible.

First, I have to admit that I don’t see why its so terrible to have an abridged version of the Bible around. Even Catholics do that when they print the new testament separately from the old.

Second, I’m just talking about taking a Catholic translation and adding in commentary/devotional reflections that are geared towards people in different places in life. One of the Catholic Churches many devotions is that of the reading, study, and meditation of Scripture. Why do you think its a terrible idea to add commentary/devotional reflections that is more likely to help mothers do this in one bible with commentary/devotional reflections that will help teens do that in another one?

 

[Crusader13]

Just curious, but are you also against catholic prayer books and devotional books that are geared towards teens, or mothers? All I’m talking about is a Catholic translation of the Bible with commentary/devotional articles that are geared towards different groups of people. A teenager is at a very different place in their life than a mother and a recent convert is in a very different place than someone who is very knowledgeable about the Bible and the Churchs teachings. What is so bad about the idea of having different Bibles with commentary that is more appropriate to where those different people are in life?

I completely agree with you. I’ve been into Christian book stores where they have hundreds of different styles and translations, different covers, different sizes, etc, etc. I found bibles that are full of inspirational stories from pastors, authors, speakers and full of other study aides and information designed to help one grow in their faith.

I find bibles designed for a certain profession or for fathers, men, mothers, women, teens, etc, etc to be very helpful and in many cases can be a lifeline for someone who is struggling with a particular crisis. I think Catholic bibles are sorely lacking in this area and I for one would love to see more options for us to choose from.

 

[QuestLove]

We are not people of the book, but the Word. This Word shows us a history of successes and failures that mankind has had as God is coaxing them back into His family. By understanding the story of Sacred Scripture on Its own terms, we should be able to fairly easily see ourselves within the story, though not always in the same group: sometimes we are properly pious, sometimes we are tempted to pick and choose, sometimes we’re a little Pharisaic, etc.

The trouble comes in when we approach scriptures from a decided perspective. We see it with doctrine: like if we believe OSAS, we can read that into scripture and make it represent that, for an example. The same with radical predestination, or heno-theist. We can also run into other pride problems when we posit ourselves as the Apostle Paul correcting all the weak brothers, or as Jesus opposing the Pharisees. It is sometimes hard to see ourselves as the weak sinner that needs to listen when we don’t read ourselves into the text that way.

These types of bibles have the unfortunate effect of declaring yourself first and then once declared you can actually open the scriptures. Bibles that are devoted to construction workers, firemen, women, or marriage tend to assign themselves (and us) to a particular area and then fit the scriptures into that vocation. We are not so much giving ourselves to God but rather making the Word conform to our preset position. If I can make a suggested amendment to the underlined, “We need a really great way to help us better conform our lives to the Bible’s precepts.”

Which is why I think the OP was suggesting a devotional bible from the Catholic perspective. The OP does have a point most of the devotional bibles have a decidedly protestant leaning.

 

[1newcatholic]

The bottom line is that, if all you have is the bible, you have to fluff it up every now and then, like a pillow.

Great line . It really captures the essence of the reason Protestants have so many niche Bibles; the Bible is really their only shared resource, whereas Catholics have so many sources of authority and tradition to consult.

 

[esieffe]

There is the NAB and some of the Jesuit editions.

But rather than focus on the Bible issue think of all the other tools we do have.

-The sacraments
-All of the many different prayer books
-The Rosary, the novenas
-All the different Holy orders that are there for us and others. Ones we can join
-The confraternities
-More ministry opportunities then I have ever seen in any other church
-Fellowship groups from bowling to rosary making

I have never seen anything that comes close to what we have.

 

[sousley]

Just curious, but are you also against catholic prayer books and devotional books that are geared towards teens, or mothers? All I’m talking about is a Catholic translation of the Bible with commentary/devotional articles that are geared towards different groups of people. A teenager is at a very different place in their life than a mother and a recent convert is in a very different place than someone who is very knowledgeable about the Bible and the Churchs teachings. What is so bad about the idea of having different Bibles with commentary that is more appropriate to where those different people are in life?

no, I am not against Catholic prayer books. I wouldn’t give a person with under-developed reading skills and D-R Bible when and NAB would be able to be read and understood more easily. My only point is that there is a certain danger in tailoring Bibles to meet groupings of people as it may encourage a prevalent idea of placing oneself as primary focus and having the bible “fit us” rather than starting with the Catholic concept of surrendering ourselves to it.

I have heard far too often that my Non-Catholic family members are looking for a “church that fits their lifestyle” or “one that I like” or something to that effect. Bibles that cater to a particular group (will ignoring other groups) may unintentionally also focus on ‘me’ and then the Scripture, secondly. That is the only point I am trying to make.

 

[po18guy]

First, I have to admit that I don’t see why its so terrible to have an abridged version of the Bible around. Even Catholics do that when they print the new testament separately from the old.

Second, I’m just talking about taking a Catholic translation and adding in commentary/devotional reflections that are geared towards people in different places in life. One of the Catholic Churches many devotions is that of the reading, study, and meditation of Scripture. Why do you think its a terrible idea to add commentary/devotional reflections that is more likely to help mothers do this in one bible with commentary/devotional reflections that will help teens do that in another one?

Separating the New from the Old is just fine. Messing around with content, removing seven books, making it into literature, biasing it toward certain groups, converting it into a handy self-help book etc. etc.

Not good with God’s word.

In truth, the bible has become the only tangible presence of God in the vast majority of the denominations. And, while each of them knows what the bible says - not one of them infallibly knows what it means.

 

[sousley]

Which is why I think the OP was suggesting a devotional bible from the Catholic perspective. The OP does have a point most of the devotional bibles have a decidedly protestant leaning.

Hi QuestLove. I think my comment is being heard a bit more manically than what I intended it to be spoken. My point was simply to surrender oneself to the Sacred Scriptures; sacrificing ourselves is a Catholic perspective. When we tailor to ourselves, we can lose sight of those that are not ourselves. My view is simply opposed to creating new ways to individualize ourselves, that’s all.

 

[thewanderer]

no, I am not against Catholic prayer books. I wouldn’t give a person with under-developed reading skills and D-R Bible when and NAB would be able to be read and understood more easily. My only point is that there is a certain danger in tailoring Bibles to meet groupings of people as it may encourage a prevalent idea of placing oneself as primary focus and having the bible “fit us” rather than starting with the Catholic concept of surrendering ourselves to it.

I have heard far too often that my Non-Catholic family members are looking for a “church that fits their lifestyle” or “one that I like” or something to that effect. Bibles that cater to a particular group (will ignoring other groups) may unintentionally also focus on ‘me’ and then the Scripture, secondly. That is the only point I am trying to make.

All I’m suggesting is a combination of a Catholic Bible and some good Catholic spiritual reading geared towards different groups of people. I have to admit I really don’t understand how that would make oneself the primary focus rather than the Bible or encourage someone to look for a different Church that “fits them”

 

[thewanderer]

Separating the New from the Old is just fine. Messing around with content, removing seven books, making it into literature, biasing it toward certain groups, converting it into a handy self-help book etc. etc.

Not good with God’s word.

In truth, the bible has become the only tangible presence of God in the vast majority of the denominations. And, while each of them knows what the bible says - not one of them infallibly knows what it means.

Like I said, all I’m talking about is taking the full Catholic Bible and adding in commentary/reflections/spiritual reading in relevant places that are appropriate for different people. I really can’t see how that is a bad idea and I’m honestly really surprised by the responses I’ve gotten here.

 

[thewanderer]

Hi QuestLove. I think my comment is being heard a bit more manically than what I intended it to be spoken. My point was simply to surrender oneself to the Sacred Scriptures; sacrificing ourselves is a Catholic perspective. When we tailor to ourselves, we can lose sight of those that are not ourselves. My view is simply opposed to creating new ways to individualize ourselves, that’s all.

I’m really not talking about anything that would individualize people but rather help all sorts of different people to better surrender themselves to Sacred Scripture.

 

[Usige]

Is there any reason why Catholics don’t have more specialty and devotional Bibles?

I would suspect because there is not as large a demand for them as perhaps protestants have.

And what would we need to do to realistically change this trend?

If you mean how do you change the trend that there aren’t tons of Catholic devotional Bibles, then you first need a demand for them. No publisher is going to put out a product that is going to sit on the shelf. Doing a quick search on Amazon for “catholic devotional bible” does show some (i.e. women’s, men’s, couples, saints, children’s, lectio divina, etc), so they are out there. I don’t suspect you would see a huge selection in a book store because the local market for them might be tiny.

One average, most Catholics I know might have one or two bibles in their house. The might have one for each member of the family. Protestants I know often have 8-10+. Each member seems to have at least 2 Bibles. For them having different Bibles for different purposes is a way to come closer to God. Most Catholics I know don’t read the Bible as a devotion. They turn to prayer, LOTH, novenas, the sacraments, etc. We also have daily Mass where protestants don’t have the opportunity to encounter the Lord in liturgical worship on a daily basis.

So to turn it around would require generating more demand. That in turn would require convincing significant numbers of Catholics to want to do devotional Bible reading. I think that would be a tough row to hoe given the many other traditional devotions already available to Catholics.

 

[abook]

If you are looking for a good bible including extra readings on the scripture I highly recommend the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (amazon.com/Ignatius-Catholic-Study-Bible-Testament/dp/1586172506). Although it contains only the New Testament, included in it are writings of the Fathers of the Church and other catholic scholars. I agree that it would be nice to have more comprehensive study bible, but I think at the same time it is not really necessary to have one because all of the catholic doctrines are so easily accessible to anyone with internet connection, and I will post some resources at the end of this post. Hopefully this post was able to help you.

Papal documents (w2.vatican.va/content/vatican/en.html)
Church Fathers (newadvent.org/fathers/index.html)
summa (newadvent.org/summa/)
Scott Hahn (scotthahn.com/)

Oremus pro invicem.

 

[po18guy]

Like I said, all I’m talking about is taking the full Catholic Bible and adding in commentary/reflections/spiritual reading in relevant places that are appropriate for different people. I really can’t see how that is a bad idea and I’m honestly really surprised by the responses I’ve gotten here.

I think the idea is rather protestant in its genesis. Imagine picking a bible up and thinking “Gee, this is not really the version that I need right now…”

As noted theologian (may he rest in peace) Sam Kinison said, “the way a Christian takes the bible and he holds it sacred…”

Sacred means untouchable.