The decline of doctrinal and exegetical discipline among the modernist clergy and scholars who produce study Bibles purporting to be “study Bibles” (“annotated Bibles”, “reference Bibles”, etc.) accounts for so much of the problem to find a good study Bible from a faithful Roman Catholic standpoint, though there are several good Protestant study Bibles that are free (or nearly so) of the unbelieving (or nearly that) mindset of modernist scholars who have annotated R.C.-translated Bibles. (Of course, some of these Protestant study Bibles are all too partisanly Protestant or sectarian, which is quite another matter!) However, there are some R.C. and Eastern Orthodox study Bibles that are well worth searching out.
There was a truly excellent study edition of the Confraternity Bible published in two mass-market paperback volumes in 1965. The scholarly priest (of the Society of Mary) who edited both of these volumes was Joseph A. Grispino. It is still possible to find copies of these two volumes (one for each Testament of the Bible) on Amazon’ WWW sites (especially on
Amazon.com). Here are the full citations (using, apart from capitalisation, the ISBD citation form for clarity) to aid in identifying these volumes:
The Old Testament of the Holy Bible : Confraternity Version, Complete and Unabridged / with introductions and commentaries by Rev. Joseph A. Grispino. – New York : Guild Press, 1965. – xii, [4], 1802 p. – (An Angelus Book)
The New Testament of the Holy Bible : Confraternity Version, Complete and Unabridged / with introductions and commentaries by Rev. Joseph A. Grispino. – New York : Guild Press, 1965. – xi, [3], 860 p. – (An Angelus Book)
Although I do not use the too paraphrastically translated New American Bible (N.A.B.) version much, there was a good annotated edition of it published some years ago that I can recommend, although it is less heavily annotated than Grispino’s edition of the Confraternity Version. This was the “Fireside Study Edition” 1991-1992 edition, published by Catholic Bible Publishers, Wichita, Kan.; there seem to have been earlier editions or printings of this N.A.B. “Fireside Study Edition”, as well, although I have not seen them.
A wonderfully orthodox (and specifically Eastern Orthodox) study Bible has come out this year, 2008 (its Old Testament newly translated from the Greek Septuagint, the New Testament being the New King James Version translated from the Greek Textus Receptus, the Byzantine text) that should aid Roman Catholic believers in studying the Bible from the standpoint of Patristic tradition, praxis, and theology, with keys to the liturgical tomes that Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians share. There is more devotional and liturgical commentary than purely doctrinal or exegetical, but this study Bible is all the more welcome and rather unique for that! Here is a citation, giving the ISBN for the hardback printing (and there are printings bound in leather of various qualities as well):
The Orthodox Study Bible / the Old Testament project Director, Jack Norman Sparks ; the New Testament project director, Peter E. Gillquist. – Nashville, Tenn. : T. Nelson, 2008. – xxviii, 1822 p.
Happy hunting! Do not be discouraged if these are not in the stores;
Amazon.com has lots of out-of-print Bibles, as well as currently published editions, so you should be able to trace these or others, in-print or out-of-print, that you wish to acquire.
Jerry Parker
