Catholic Study Bible-Nab
£49.67
Excellent translation - I use this bible in my evangelism work. It is an excellent and accurate translation with outstanding study notes. The opening pages give explanations as to each book of the bible, there are maps at the back with a good concordance. Here and there it refers to the original Greek or Hebrew and other occasions when that word was used for further study. Now all you need is an excellent Catholic bible study course of which there are some around.
The rating is for the study guide part of it - As another reviewer said, the Bible itself needs no rating. However, I am disappointed with the study guide as it seems to reduce study of the Bible to a dry history lesson. This is a living book and I was expecting to see more down to earth, practical application of God s word in today s world. The lack of a doctrinal index IS a serious omission, in my opinion. Still, I think it s a nice book to have because it gives the historical context of each of the Bible books. In some places, it also mentions archaeological support for the existence of people and places. Although I gave the book a rating of 3 stars, I think it s worth having and can enhance the spiritual growth of serious Catholics
retraction - I would like to retract the last 2 star review that I gave, it is somewhat excessive. I stand by my comments from the first review that I gave, and I would suggest that those interested in the Catholic Study Bible also consider purchasing the St. Joseph s Edition of the New American Bible instead. The Doctrinal Index and Dictionary are very helpful, while the information in the reading guides of the New American Bible can be obtained in an inexpensive introduction to the bible. The Catholic Study Bible is a fairly good edition of the Bible, unfortunately it lacks the excellent Doctrinal Index of the St. Joseph s Edition. Also, in some of the reading guides, there is perhaps, I slight tendency to overemphasis the distinction between the Bible as lived in the Church today and the bible in the history of the Tradition.
On Second Thought - After a more thorough review, I realize now that I gave this edition of the New American bible a rating which was too high. Really it should get 2 stars, perhaps 3 at best. A much better edition of the New American Bible would be the St. Joseph s Edition, Classic edition. The St. Joseph s Edition and the Catholic Study Bible have the same introductions and notes, except that the additional materials in the St. Joseph s Edition are better. The Catholic Study Bible s reading guides and the guide to the lectionary reflect current trends among some popular theologians, but do not do much to illuminate the Church s teachings. The material in these reading guides one can get out of a decent introduction to the Bible. In addition to the good introductions and decent notes of the New American Bible, the St. Joseph s Edition provides a bible dictionary, a biblical/doctrinal index with citations to key texts supporting Catholic doctrine, and helpful illustrations and maps. The St. Joseph s Edition also contains the text of the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation from Vatican II and a helpful guide to reading the Bible. I would say that the St. Joseph s Edition is, for the money, a much better buy and a safer guide to reading the Bible from an orthodox Catholic perspective.
a good study bible - This is, overall, a good study bible, but difficult for me to rate. I give it 4 stars, but really I would prefer to give it 3.5 stars. In addition to extensive notes and good introductions to the biblical books, it includes a lengthy reading guide which can serve as an introductory textbook to the bible. Really, this is a bible and bible commentary built into one handy volume. The addition of the Latin Rite 3 year lectionary is also a nice touch.Weaknesses: The New American translation is fairly good and it is the official english translation for Latin Rite Roman Catholics in the United States (Eastern Catholics use the Revised Standard Version). But it is at times excessive in its use of inclusive language and is not as literary as the Revised Standard Version. The notes are for the most part good, but tend to rely too much on modern historical criticism with not enough attention to how the Tradition has interpreted passages of scripture. I would recommend that Catholics get the New Jerusalem Bible to use with this study Bible. The notes in the New Jerusalem Bible are more thorough and more explicitly Catholic. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is also recommended (the 1977 Revised Standard Version, not the NRSV). This edition includes the entire Canon of Scripture as accepted by the eastern Churches as well as the Western Canon. The Revised Standard Version is a literal and elegant translation that has not been infected with the political correctness of inclusive language. The notes to the Oxford Annotated Bible are fairly good, but relect a liberal protestant bias. However, read with the Catholic Study Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible, the three make for a nice group of texts to use for bible study. Catholics should also consider the Christian Community bible commissioned by the bishops of the Phillipines. This Bible has excellent notes which combine current scholarship, devotional exegesis, and a third world concern for social justice into one package.