Is the catholic bible hard to understand?

Question

what one should I buy?

Answer 1

The following Bible translations are approved by the Catholic Chruch for personal use:
+ Douai-Rheims
+ Confraternity Edition
+ Revised Standard Version (RSV) - Catholic Edition
+ New American Bible (NAB )
+ Jerusalem Bible
+ New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)- Catholic Edition
+ New Jerusalem Bible
+ Today's' English Version - Catholic

I recommend the New American Bible (NAB) which is the version used during Mass and other liturgies in the U.S. and many other English speaking countries.

Here is a NAB website: http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

There is no such thing as a "Catholic Bible". There is the Bible, as compiled once and for all time at the end of the 4th Century; and there is the protestant Bible with sections removed and words added to the text. There are several good translations of the complete Bible, all easy enough to understand in casual reading. However, no Bible can be understood in depth without the guidance of the Catholic Church. This should be clear enough when you look at the thousands of denominations and the doctrinal chaos of Protestantism, the direct result of trying to interpret and understand the Bible on their own, without any authoritative source. A good choice is the New American Bible, simply because it is the version used for all the Scripture readings at Mass (in the USA).

Answer 3

There is the Douey-Rheims: the English of the Latin Vulgate, the very Bible used as the Vatican. This is a very nice Bible, but they can be pricy.

There is the very popular NAB, New American Bible. Personally, I cannot abide this version on account of it's politically corrected gender neutral texts. It is the most popular with Catholics in America.

I personally prefer the RSV- CE, that is; the Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition. It very similar to the Douey-Rheims but is an easier read, in my opinion.

There is also the Jerusalem Bible, another good Catholic Bible in English.

Any of these four Catholic Bibles, you're doing okay. I would sample each of these, perhaps by looking up electronic versions on the Internet. If one strikes your fancy, purchase a hard copy.

Answer 4

I'd agree that the New International Version reads very easily and naturally. By the way, I'm not sure, but what you probably mean by "a Catholic bible" is just one that has the group of books called "deuterocanonical". You can get many different versions of the bible with these books - for example, the New Revised Standard Bible or the New International. (Be sure to check, and if it clearly says "with the deuterocanonical books," then you'll have all the books included in Catholic bibles.)

Answer 5

In terms of a Catholic translation, I'd recommend the New Jerusalem Bible. But ALL Bibles are difficult to understand. You are reading literature translated from another language, written in another culture and another time in history. You definitely want to use either Biblical commentaries or a good study Bible. If the latter interests you, the Access Bible published by Oxford University Press has fantastic notes by top Biblical scholars. It is an ecumenical project, and its notes are scholarly, and so it should be fine from a Catholic perspective.

Answer 6

I would buy the New American Bible (NAB). It's the version used by the Church for Mass and other liturgical reasons. So it has the same readings you'll hear at Church on Sunday morning.

It isn't a difficult translation at all. And you can purchase a paperback copy at your local Catholic book store for around $8.00. I like to use an inexpensive Bible for studying because I can write in it, highlight, etc.

Answer 7

.

I am Catholic and I own a Catholic bible that I Refer to But I Count On A New Living Translations Bible

It Is Written In Modern English Very Easy To Understand And
I would Recommend It To Any One.

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Answer 8

Personally, I always buy a "modern" translation. I'm sorry, this is NOT the 17th century and I wasn't born writing, reading or speaking it (heck, I had to learn this centuries) and I would like to be ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT I READ! So I buy a modern translation. There is no reason to consider the King James the be-all and end-all of Bible's, its certainly not, at least in quality.

So, if you really want to read it, get something modern and with easy to read typeface (font) so that it won't strain your eyes. Then, i would choose whether I wanted it leather and whehter I wanted it bendable or hardback (big difference) when being carried.

Just find a local Religious Book Store and ask for their Bible Section, even Books-A-Million, Barnes and Nobles, etc., have lots to choose from!

Answer 9

You have to be real care full when choosing a bible, the King James is probably the one that faithful Christians read out of, some bibles were translated to fit the needs of a denomination, that's why people say that the bible is corrupted.

Answer 10

The New International Version of the Bible is easy to understand. The Douay Version (Catholic) of the Bible perhaps is a little more difficult.