Best English Catholic bible?

[Tallguy88]

So I have two Catholic bibles, a good-sized NRSV-CE and a pocket RSV-CE. I like the RSV, but it's too small to actually read (guess my eyes are getting old, it didn't used to be a problem). I do not like the NRSV translation.

So I'm pondering getting a new Catholic bible. Which English translation is the best, in your experience? Which one is used at Mass? When it comes to translations in general, my favorite is the ESV. I primarily use an ESV with Apocrypha as my personal reading bible, but it would be nice to have a strictly Catholic bible to compare it to.

 

[Stabat Mater dolorosa]

I went through the same process myself a month ago.
I bought Nabre and it seems nice, but I haven't read to much in it yet.
I can recommend CTS New Catholic Bible too.
CTS is a British bible that is 100 per cent compatible with mass readings as it's fully approved by the Vatican for mass.

 

[Rhamiel]

I use a New American Revised bible and a Douay Rheims bible
I like the readability of the New American translation but some of the footnotes seem.... overly timid
the footnotes in the D-R are a lot better, but not as extensive

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I think this one is the best (available in EWTN's religious catalogue):

DOUAY-RHEIMS & CLEMENTINA VULGATA

"Douay-Rheims and Clementina Vulgata texts are bound side-by-side in this handsome edition. The Clementine Vulgate was proclaimed the official Latin Bible of the Church after the Reformation. The Douay-Rheims version is a translation of the Latin text. Having both Bibles side by side allows us to see exactly where the vernacular translation came from. It is bound in black leather with gilded pages and two ribbon place markers. Measures 8 1/2" x 11 1/2". Hardcover. 1,488 pages. "

 

[Meowzltov]

I'm absolutely sold on the New American Bible (NAB). Not just because it's the official bible of the Bishop's Conference -- in fact, my choice has absolutely nothing to do with that.

It's because of the faithfulness of its translation from the Hebrew of the OT. As a Jew, I am intensely aware that there are problematic passages where Christian translators tend to fudge and make more Christian, or prefer the Septuagint over the Hebrew, even though the Hebrew is the original tongue. It's embarassing to me, when I talk to my Jewish friends, because I have to admit that these Christian translations are inferior to Jewish ones.

But not so with the NAB! All of the problematic passages are correctly translated. I'm so proud!

 

[chevyontheriver]

I'm absolutely sold on the New American Bible (NAB). Not just because it's the official bible of the Bishop's Conference -- in fact, my choice has absolutely nothing to do with that.

It's because of the faithfulness of its translation from the Hebrew of the OT. As a Jew, I am intensely aware that there are problematic passages where Christian translators tend to fudge and make more Christian, or prefer the Septuagint over the Hebrew, even though the Hebrew is the original tongue. It's embarassing to me, when I talk to my Jewish friends, because I have to admit that these Christian translations are inferior to Jewish ones.

But not so with the NAB! All of the problematic passages are correctly translated. I'm so proud!

Are you referring to the 1970 NAB or the later revision that is called NABRE? I was quite fond of the 1970 NAB and read it through several times. I have not been impressed with the NABRE mostly because of it's inclusive language issues. The old NAB was used for Mass readings. The newer NABRE is in part used for Mass readings, but other parts seem not to be good enough, by the USCCB authority, for Mass readings.

 

[Tallguy88]

I found a NABRE but the running footnotes and commentary are quite worrying. They undermine the words of scripture and promote the "Elohoist vs Yahwehist" theory of God in Genesis (the only book I've had a chance to look at so far). I'm hoping this is just an issue of this particular publisher and not some sort of officially endorsed interpretation of the scriptures.

 

[chevyontheriver]

So I have two Catholic bibles, a good-sized NRSV-CE and a pocket RSV-CE. I like the RSV, but it's too small to actually read (guess my eyes are getting old, it didn't used to be a problem). I do not like the NRSV translation.

So I'm pondering getting a new Catholic bible. Which English translation is the best, in your experience? Which one is used at Mass? When it comes to translations in general, my favorite is the ESV. I primarily use an ESV with Apocrypha as my personal reading bible, but it would be nice to have a strictly Catholic bible to compare it to.

The best English Catholic Bible has yet to be written. The best English Bible of any flavor has yet to be written as well. We can only deal in the less than perfect in the mean time.

For me I have settled on the RSV-CE for now and my next Bible, unless a better one comes along first, will be the Ignatius Press RSV-CE Second Edition in large type. The good thing about the Ignatius Press one is that it actually is approved under 'Liturgiam authenticam'. The current NABRE can't say the same.

I know nothing of the CTS translation. Is it used for readings in England? Was it acceptable under 'Liturgiam authenticam'? Is it modern in it's language? Is it too PC in it's language? Is the scholarship good? I simply don't know. I would be willing to hear more about it.

I would think at this stage in Christianity we could create a common English Bible. That was, of course, the goal of the NAB, although they missed the mark. That was the goal of the NIV, except that no Catholic was included in that supposedly ecumenical Bible. I am impressed with the ESV. And yet the ESV seems to be more of a conservative Evangelical response to the NRSV. If I had ten million dollars in spare change, I would try to sponsor a Bible to start with the RSV, have Catholic and Protestant translators, take the insights of both the NRSV and ESV, and have it pass muster with Liturgiam authenticam. But alas I haven't got that kind of spare change.

Check out the CTS translation I guess.

 

[Tallguy88]

This article expounds upon the problems I found with the NABRE's notes.

The New American Bible

 

[Tallguy88]

The footnotes are even on the USCCB website. Read them for yourselves:

scripture

Apparently, God is just one god in an assembly of gods.

scripture

Mary didn't really say the Magnificat. Luke just thought it sounded good, so he inserted it into the text.

And so on and so on

 

[ripple the car]

I have a beautiful, huge, family NAB which has an enjoyable and unique translation method, but as others mention, the footnotes are awful. Kind of lit-crit, liberal, discouraging, and weird.

 

[Tallguy88]

I have a beautiful, huge, family NAB which has an enjoyable and unique translation method, but as others mention, the footnotes are awful. Kind of lit-crit, liberal, discouraging, and weird.

I think I'm going to return it to the store and get my money back.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I had an NAB for a long time. I don't know which version of it it was, but one day I made the decision to get rid of it because the foot notes seem to be written by someone who has no faith.

Edit:
I just did an internet search on the one I had, and it was the NABRE.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I found a NABRE but the running footnotes and commentary are quite worrying. They undermine the words of scripture and promote the "Elohoist vs Yahwehist" theory of God in Genesis (the only book I've had a chance to look at so far). I'm hoping this is just an issue of this particular publisher and not some sort of officially endorsed interpretation of the scriptures.

One of the reasons I've not jumped to use the NABRE. (As an antidote to the Welhausen Hypothesis followers I found the book 'Before Abraham Was' to be enlightening. Using documentary hypothesis raw materials it came to a much more unified authorship conclusion.) Anyhow, having seen the notes with the NRSV handed out for my kid's confirmation classes, I'm not impressed either. I'm more likely to want a straight text and pick my own commentary or commentaries to assist me.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I think I'm going to return it to the store and get my money back.

Try out Ignatius Press.
Bibles : Ignatius Press
They have a study Bible, not quite complete yet but available for many books of the Bible, edited by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Text is RSV-CE, which is a bit dated but OK. But I expect the notes will actually be Catholic and at the same time up to date. The New Testament of the study Bible is done and I have donated a copy to my parish adoration chapel. I get to read it there, and the notes are very good.

 

[Meowzltov]

Are you referring to the 1970 NAB or the later revision that is called NABRE? I was quite fond of the 1970 NAB and read it through several times. I have not been impressed with the NABRE mostly because of it's inclusive language issues. The old NAB was used for Mass readings. The newer NABRE is in part used for Mass readings, but other parts seem not to be good enough, by the USCCB authority, for Mass readings.

I believe I have the Revised Edition.

 

[Virgil the Roman]

I recommend the Confraternity Bible (Any editions from 1942-1958); the Msgr. Knox Bible; or the Douay-Rheims Bible for any trustworthy orthodox English Catholic Bibles. Any English Bible post-1958 is suspect, dubious, and mistranslated ; even erroneous commentary, footnotes, or end-notes; also with heretical or approaching heretical incorrect renderings or translations of various verses.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I recommend the Confraternity Bible (Any editions from 1942-1958); the Msgr. Knox Bible; or the Douay-Rheims Bible for any trustworthy orthodox English Catholic Bibles. Any English Bible post-1958 is suspect, dubious, and mistranslated ; even heretical commentary, footnotes, or end-notes.

I do really like the Knox Bible. It reads well. I think more people should give it a look.

 

[Tallguy88]

I ordered a Douay Rheims bible

 

[ripple the car]

I ordered a Douay Rheims bible

I use the DRB a bit more often, now. Found a site where its text is on-line.

Catholic Bible: Douay-Rheims Bible Online, Verses Search.

There's some arguably questionable stuff on the site, too, but the fact that the Bible's there is good.