Bible Study Supplies

How to Choose a Bible, Books on How to Read the Bible, and Other Supplies for Bible Study

First and foremost, you will need a good Catholic bible.  Picking up the old, dusty bible that has been in your family may not be advisable.  It may be of an older translation--the language and phrasing may be archaic.  And, if it is really old, it could have some monetary value to it because of its edition--or, sentimental value, say if it was given to your grandfather for his First Communion.

Ideally, you will want a new bible you can write and use a highlighter on, so a previously used study bible may not be good for this either.  See our resource on How to Read the Bible to help choose a new, accurate and approved version that is just right for you.  In general, we recommend the New American Bible, as this version was translated into American English directly from the original texts (as opposed to a translation from Latin or an edited version of an older English or Queen's English source).  Check to see if it has the "Nihil Obstat" and "Imprimatur" within the first few pages as this certifies this text was approved for use by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

If your bible does not have a commentary or a concordance, these may be valuable supplementary resources to have.  The commentary will provide insight on what you may not understand from a simple line-by-line reading: remember, the bible was written over centuries, in several languages of different cultures--there will be some things that will need to be explained to you.  A concordance and biblical dictionary is also helpful because you can search for specific words, phrases, or themes, if you wish to study one particular topic as it is addressed over the entire bible.

Having a bible handbook or bible guide can be helpful in providing you with a structured regimen of readings for your bible study.  These will give you a logical progression of relevant books and bible verses clustered into lessons, allowing for in-depth study of people, places, and themes.  Some have follow-up questions and related non-Biblical supplementation that enrich the learning process.  Hermeneutics is the study of the Bible from a specific perspective: we have several of these guides that will approach lessons from the point of view of your personal interests.

Other Things to Have

 1. Writing instruments and a notepad.  We recommend a journal style-notebook.  Reading the bible is not just a growth in knowledge of the Word of God--it is also growth in faith.  As you learn more and more about His Word, you will become a better Christians following His examples.  In addition to taking notes about what you learned, meditate and write down ways you can apply what you have learned in your daily life, recount experiences in your life that relate to particular verses, jot your aspirations, prayers, questions, and even your doubts--one day these will get addressed as you progress. 

2. A bible with thumb indexes or bible tabs.  The completeness of the Catholic bible allows for it to reference back and forth between separate books, Old Testament and New Testament.  It would be helpful to get a bible with these thumb indexes, or, get bible tabs.  Make finding the books, cross-references, and your favorite verses easier. 

3. Atlas of the Bible.  The bible is filled with accounts of wars being waged, of people traveling to and fro, and of kingdoms that no longer exist.  An Atlas of the Bible will give you a better visual of where all this took place relative to today's political borders, and this will put into perspective just how close--and, how far--these biblical figures sojourned before the days of modern transportation.