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

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The contemporary theologian and mystic Adrienne Von Speyr gives a verse by verse commentary on St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians that is the fruit of her own contemplative meditation and prayer.

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This book, a companion volume to Gospels and Acts, is an omnibus edition compromising four titles in the Navarre Bible New Testament. These are: Romans and Galatians, Corinthians, Captivity Letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon), and Thessalonians and Pastoral Letters – all the texts directly attributed to St. Paul. Like the Gospels and Acts, this edition contains …

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Finally, a high-quality genuine 100% full grain leather Bible case, tastefully designed and built to last! This Zip Around Bible Case features a back open pocket and cell phone pouch. Inside has flaps for a Bible, zipper compartment, and loops to held pens. Hand tooled vegetable tanned antique brown leather accented with silver spots. Holds Bible up to 7 x 10 x 2. Made in South …

The Epistles, for all their disarming simplicity do not make easy reading; even in crisp, modern translations they pose a problem for the ordinary reader, no matter how interested and concerned. The exciting findings of modern biblical research compound the problem. Scholars know more with each passing year and the knowledge gap grows wider. This unique reader's guide is ideally suited to …

Martin Cothran Between 382 and 405 AD, St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin from the original languages.  His goal was not only accuracy , but also simplicity.  The result was the Latin Vulgate, a version of the Bible that could be read and understood by those who knew "common Latin," spoken by the people of the time.  Because of this, the Latin of the Vulgate provides …

Martin Cothran Between 382 and 405 AD, St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin from the original languages.  His goal was not only accuracy , but also simplicity.  The result was the Latin Vulgate, a version of the Bible that could be read and understood by those who knew "common Latin," spoken by the people of the time.  Because of this, the Latin of the Vulgate provides …

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 …

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Reviews - In the desert of biblical scholarship that tries to deconstruct or get behind the texts, the patristic commentators let the pure, clear waters of Christian faith flow from its scriptural source. Preachers, teachers and Bible students of every sort will want to drink deeply from The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Fr. Richard John Neuhaus , president of Religion and Public …

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