Types of Bibles

Although we do not sell the Vulgate, it is an important edition to be aware of. It is in Latin and was translated from the original Hebrew by St. Jerome in the 4th century. It was declared to be the official version of the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent, and a new translation only supplanted it after the Second Vatican Council. It is on the basis of this Latin edition that many of the English translations were made.

This is an English translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate. It was made in the late 16th century in France, at the English college in Douay, France. During this time, Catholics were severely persecuted in England, and the English college in Douay existed for the education of English priests. They made the translation in order to counter-act the multitudinous Protestant editions which were making appearances throughout Europe. This was to be the definitive English edition of the Bible. The Old Testament was published at Rheims, France, while the New Testament was published in Douay. Both came with extensive commentaries. Because it was written so long ago, much of the language used is extremely archaic and difficult or even impossible to understand. In the 18th century, the translation was updated to reflect changes in the English language, but even those changes have become archaic to modern-day English. Although recognizing its excellence, many people find this translation to be difficult to read because of its language.

The New American Bible (NAB) is the main translation of the Bible used in the United States. It is the official translation for the American Church and is the translation used at Mass. It also comes with extensive footnotes for the entire text, which helps to increase its popularity. It was translated mainly from the original languages of each book, so the New Testament from Greek and the Old Testament from Hebrew. Originally, a translation was begun from the Latin Vulgate, but a transition was made to translation from the original languages after Pope Pius XI's encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu. Again, Vatican II Council somewhat changed the focus of the translation, but it was eventually completed, approved and published in 1970. It has undergone four editions, the most recent being the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) which was published in 2011.

The Revised Standard Version was published in 1952. It was translated from several Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. It was not originally a Catholic translation. In 1965, it was used as the basis of a Catholic publishing of the Bible. The editors made sure that all parts of the translation were compatible with Catholic teaching and that all books of the Bible were included. In 2006, Ignatius Press published a second edition of this Catholic version of the Revised Standard Version. This is now the most common translation published under the Revised Standard Version moniker.

The Navarre Bible is a compilation of the Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition and the Latin Vulgate, along with commentaries from the Church Fathers and the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva. The work was commissioned by St. Josemaria Escriva but has been gradually worked on at the University of Navarre. Since it is such a comprehensive edition, it is often sold with only a few books of the Bible at a time.

The New Jerusalem Bible was published in 1985 and approved by the Catholic Church for personal use. It was translated from the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic, namely the original languages of the Bible. It was based loosely on a French translation of the Bible called the Jerusalem Bible, hence its name as the New Jerusalem Bible. However, the main sources of the translation were indeed from the original languages.