All Bibles are not the same. The Catholic Bible contains seven books of the Old Testament which are not found in Protestant Bibles. These books include:

• Judith
• Wisdom
• Tobit
• Sirach
• Baruch
• 1 and 2 Macabees
• Portions of Esther
• Portions of Daniel

These books are sometimes referred to as the "Apocrypha" by Protestants or the "Deuterocanonical" books meaning "also canonical" by Catholics.

Bible History

During the early centuries of the Church there was plenty of debate and discussion about which books actually were authentic and inspired Sacred Scripture. The early Church councils of Hippo (393) and of Carthage (397) both declared that the books currently contained in the Catholic Bible (the canon of Sacred Scripture) were the inspired Word of God and belonged in the Bible.

During the Reformation, Martin Luther and other Protestant leaders removed these books from the Bible. Luther even argued that the Letter of St. James and the Book of Revelation (The Apocalypse) should be removed from the Bible! The Council of Trent in 1546 reaffirmed what the councils of Hippo and Carthage had proclaimed over 1000 years earlier: that the texts found in the Catholic Bible are all the authentic Word of God and comprise the complete canon of Sacred Scripture.

Catholic Bible Translations

There are several different English translations available for the Catholic Bible. The primary ones include:

• Douay Rheims - This is the oldest English translation available and is frequently compared with the King James version because of its use of "Thee", "Thou" and other older forms of words. This translation is considered highly accurate but can be more difficult to read for some people.
• Revised Standard (RSV) - This was a joint translation project between American Protestants and Catholics with the Catholic Church completing the translation of the Apocrypha. This translation is considered the most accurate modern translation but still contains "Thee" and "Thou" when referring to God. This translation along with the New American Bible was approved for liturgical use in the United States.
• Revised Standard 2nd Edition - This version is almost identical to the regular Revised Standard but updates the language by getting rid of "Thee" and "Thou".
• New American Bible (NAB) - This version is the most common American translation. It was written for an eighth grade reading level and contains the most "modern" language of the primary Catholic translations. The New American Bible is available in more versions than any other Catholic Bible.
• Jerusalem Bible - The Jerusalem Bible, completed in 1966, is very similar to

Becoming a Praying Person Six Weeks with the Bible: Catholic Perspectives By Kevin Perrotta For busy adults who want to study the Bible but don't know where to begin, Six Weeks with the Bible provides an inviting starting point. Each guide is divided into six concise, 90-minute segments that introduce one book of the Bible. All biblical text is printed in the guides, which means no …

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Available November 2005.

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This new edition of the venerable Douay-Rheims Bible is a complete reprinting of the Challoner edition. Features include: Leather hard cover Gold-edged pages Double ribbon bookmark Completely re-typset for clarity 11 Color Re-drawn maps of Israel and the Temple 32 woodcut prints of biblical scenes Family register Historical and Chronological index of the Old and New Testaments Table …

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Living In The Power Of The Holy Spirit - A Catholic Bible Study Rich Cleveland Who is the Holy Spirit? What is his role in our salvation? How do we cooperate with him to experience the fullness of his presence? How do we receive his fruits and excercise his gifts? These are a few of the questions explored in this nine-week Bible study, which is designed to help Catholics grow in their …

This deluxe New American Bible gift edition has a brown bonded leather soft cover with the words "New American Bible, Saint Joseph Edition, Illustrated" in gold lettering with illustration on the front with lovely gold edging on the pages. Special Features : Large easy-to-read type 30 full-color illustrations Presentation page Colorful 8-page Family Record Rosary and …

This Catholic First Communion Bible measures 5 1/4in. x 3 3/8in., with satin and lace, ribbon tie closure.  Comes in gift package.

Fr. Ignatius Schuster For generations Bible History has remained unsurpassed as a concise, readable and solidly Catholic presentation of all the important events of the Bible. The venerable Catholic Encyclopedia called it "excellent," noting that it was in "universal use." It went through three dozen printings before the present one. Far more than a recitation of facts, Fr. Ignatius Schuster's …

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The third installment in the “Come and See” Catholic Bible Study Series, The Synoptics invites you on a journey through the Holy Land and the Gospel texts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Drawing insights from biblical archeology and the writings of the early Church Fathers, this study compares parallel passages from the three Synoptic Gospels to construct a vivid picture of the life …

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