Posted on 09/17/2006 6:37:32 AM PDT by Wage Slave
Can anyone recommend a good version of the Bible for study? Preferably a translation that is as close to the original as possible and that includes notes on the cultural/political/geographic dynamics during the time that it was written. (I am Catholic.)
See if you can find one of the older King James Versions with references down the center of the page. There are some later versions, but the original is the best for me.
I have one that is over 40 years old, and still in relatively good shape. The New Testament has all of Christ's words in red as an additional feature.
You can also download about 10 translations for free at www.e-sword.net. The NASB isn't free at that site, though.
The Navarre Bible is excellent as well.
Another alternative is to get the Scott Hahn single volume on the Bible from the "Didache" catechetical series (Midwest Theological Forum) and combine it with any copy of the RSV-CE (Revised Standard version, Catholic Edition) or the Jerusalem Bible (not the New Jerusalem Bible).
Not appropriate for Catholics. Doesn't have church approval, doesn't have Catholic notes, and most KJV's don't have all the OT books (some do, but only traditional Anglicans sell those).
Also, the language of the KJV is antiquated and requires a considerable amount of interpretation for modern readers. E.g., "conversation" doesn't mean "talking or discussion" but "deportment, way of life".
For my own personal study, I have been using a copy of A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (unfortunately out of print and hard to find) in conjunction with either a Douay-Confraternity or RSV-CE text.
Thank you all for your recommendations. I'm chasing the links you posted and I'm sure I can find something good there. I wanted to avoid moonbat versions of the Bible and I knew y'all would lead me in the right direction.
ML/NJ
I find this online edition of Strong's Concordance very useful: http://www.sacrednamebible.com/kjvstrongs/index2.htm
I wasn't reading this part the ** (I am Catholic.) ** before I posted my reply earlier. No offense meant by recommending the KJV. That is basically the only version I ever read.
Geneva Bible 1599 and a GOOD dictionary.
Yes, I think I will also get a separate reference/commentary in addition to a study Bible. I need one that doesn't assume an academic level of knowledge. I am far from that.
No offense taken! The time is coming when the theological differences between Christians will be the least of our worries.
I had mentioned the Haydock Bible earlier; I actually found an online copy of the commentary.
http://haydock1859.tripod.com/
It may or may not be helpful to you. The online one isn't completely transcribed (NT done, OT still in progress), but it may be worth a look.
Very helpful...bookmarked! Thanks
No problem, friend. God bless !!!
Interesting. I'll bookmark that for sure. I've wanted to buy the Haydock before, but the only printed copies I've ever seen were very price-y. (~ $100).
Jerome doesn't assume any level of knowledge apart from a general familiarity with the text, but it does assume a reasonably intelligent reader. Have a look at it in a library some time. (But don't be put off by their style of abbreviating everything. All the abbreviations are detailed at the beginning, and you get used to them after a while.)
ML/NJ
Be sure to pick up a copy of the Septuagint.
I understand you are a Catholic, and the only version I can recommend is the So That's Why! Bible, published in the New King James Version. It has a lot of commentary, but it is also published chronologically. And it is written in understandable, contemporary English. I don't know if there is a version acceptable to Catholics.
Why is a chronological version important? Because it gives context to a lot of material that is extremely hard to understand without context. Case in point, The Psalms are placed in circumstances where they were written. For example, I Samuel 19:18 through I Samuel 21 is followed by Psalm 56 and Psalm 34 and then followed by I Samuel 22, followed by Psalm 52.
The books of Isaiah and Jeremiah are a hodge-podge of disconnected writing, until they are pieced together with the historical documents of The Chronicles, Kings, Nehemiah and Ezra.
Yeah, you read my mind. I'm going to try to get as many of these suggested Bibles and references as possible at the library before I buy one.
This would be very helpful for me. I am not so concerned about Catholic vs Protestant, even though it does indeed have an influence on things. Maybe I'm not a good Catholic, but I just want to know what God has communicated to Man. And I feel that I need to understand the context of the writings so I can separate the wheat from the chaff.
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=015622&event=CFN
There probably is not anything comparable in a Catholic translation; however, I would say there probably is a benefit for a Catholic to have something like this (either a listing to put everything in chronological order or a Bible that does).
The particular translation may be an issue, but it could be used along with a Catholic Bible (most of the Deuterocanonical books fit into the 400 years between Malachi and Christ's Birth, so the order would be mostly the same anyways.)
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On a different note, you may be able to find the Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture and/or it's successor, the New Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture at the library as well.
All added to my list. Thanks!
Get the Greek New Testament, as well as the Vulgate. These will probably cost more than most of the translations and you will want Greek and Latin lexicons. If you get the Septuagint you might also want a Hebrew lexicon.
bookmark. for use at home.
If you ever come across a copy of the OLD Jerusalem Bible -- it was an excellent study Bible. The new one is not as good.
Also -- with new translations coming out soon -- you may want to get one of them.
Plus Luther add the word "only" when talking about faith. The King James is therefore misleading.
That is a KJV version of a concordance. Not appropriate. See the first post.
I want one of those for Christmas!
And yes, I know you're Catholic :D
I like the Navarre Bible. I have the whole New Testament (in separate volumes), and the "Major Prophets" from the Old Testament. There are other OT sections available, but I haven't bought them yet.
I like having, for example, the Gospel of John, with its commentary, in a single book that's easy to carry around.
Not appropriate because it's not catholic? I'm not a Catholic (obviously), so I'm ignorant here.
Why is a chronological version important? Because it gives context to a lot of material that is extremely hard to understand without context. Case in point, The Psalms are placed in circumstances where they were written. For example, I Samuel 19:18 through I Samuel 21 is followed by Psalm 56 and Psalm 34 and then followed by I Samuel 22, followed by Psalm 52.The books of Isaiah and Jeremiah are a hodge-podge of disconnected writing, until they are pieced together with the historical documents of The Chronicles, Kings, Nehemiah and Ezra.
I'm sorry, but that sounds like a mess. (Or a very specialized tool, like unto a harmony of the gospels or a Greek/Anglic interlinear.) That sacrifices everything including any kind of internal structure the documents (I doubt they're a "hodge podge" even though the various bits aren't in chronological order.) to chronological order.
Use charts and cross references in the study notes, if necessary. I myself couldn't see using something like that for ordinary reading.
Re historical context, once upon a time I picked up a book called The Old Testament Speaks. It covers the historical aspects of the biblical documents, in the context of the greater history of the region.
Be sure to pick up a copy of the Septuagint.
Why? (I know why I would, if I ever get myself back up to speed with Koine.)
Plus Luther add the word "only" when talking about faith. The King James is therefore misleading.
What did Luther have to do with the English KJV?
The Septuagint is a very early translation from the Hebrew to Greek by Hebrew scholars. It differs at many points from other translations including the KJV and Jerome. If we are trying to get the Word we should of course read the Word in the language it was given rather than any translation. But, translations carry some interpretation with them and the Septuagint gives a different look that might help illuminate some things.
like the Reformation Study Bible
Ping!
I got the Ref. Study Bible, mostly because that was the cheapest way to get a copy of the ESV that actually had a sewn binding. Don't get me started on my "cheaply bound pages glued to the spine but still expensive bibles" rant. (Back when I was a kit, the cheapest gift bibles were still bound with sewn signatures.)
Noone's recommended Scofield yet. :-)
The Septuagint is a very early translation from the Hebrew to Greek by Hebrew scholars. It differs at many points from other translations including the KJV and Jerome. If we are trying to get the Word we should of course read the Word in the language it was given rather than any translation. But, translations carry some interpretation with them and the Septuagint gives a different look that might help illuminate some things.
Bingo.
And gives us insights into how particular passages were interpreted at that time (ex. almah-->parthenos). But you'd have to read it in the original Greek. A translation of the Septuagint into English would less useful because it would just be a once removed translation and what's the point of that.
Cambridge Study Bible is leather-bound and two bookmark ribbons. The commentary is scholarly, that is secular rather than sectarian, which makes some of it questionable, but the book is good quality and not expensive.
I have two different Septuagints. Both have Greek and a translation and the translations are different. I don't actually read them for comparison, just have one in one room and the other in another building.
This is neat. My bible, (New American Standard), Genesis 14:20 says in part: "And he gave him a tenth of all." That always left me wondering if Abram gave Melchizedek goodies or the other way around.
This version clarifies it: "And Abram gave him tithe of all."
One more mystery solved. :)
Stays faithful to Catholic teaching. There's a leather-bound edition also available. God bless you in your desire to grow in knowledge of God.
I'd like to toss these thoughts into the confusion :)
I personally prefer a Bible without comments for some of my studies because there are times when I want the Lord to teach me HIS ways which are independant of religious denominations. I honestly don't thing it matters whether one is Catholic, or Protestant, because after all, Jesus was Jewish! God knows how to reach you through His Holy Spirit since He created you. He didn't create you based upon the religious preference of your parents, but according to His own ways.
Secondly, regardless of which translation you choose (without commentaries and notes) I'd like to suggest doing a google search on Kay Arthur. Once you find her site, see if you can find her book on how to study the Bible.
Her book doesn't tell you what the bible MEANS, but offers a suggestion on a study method. She gives tips on how to take notes, how to use little diagrams such as a clock for instance when a scripture refers to something based on a time sequence. Example "In those days" is a reference to time.
She helps you set up a study page so you become aware of who the main character is, what part of the country the info takes place, what year it happened, who else was involved, what was the key message and things like that.
I personally own MANY bibles. Some are Catholic, some are 'Protestant', some chronoligical, some are Books while others are electronic. This way, I can compare the various styles and interpretations to get a well rounded view of things.
My personal favorite is a wide margin edition so I have space to write in my bible.
One of my old time favorites was the Oxford Collegiate with Apocrapha because I found it easy to read. I'm told however that that interpretation isn't reliable. Well, when you come right down to it, NONE of them are reliable because there is no way you can directly translate from the original languages, so the interpretations are subject to the opinion of the authority who wrote them. I think if you are going to be able to understand the thought processes/reasonings of a Jew, you need to be raised as a Jew. To understand the mind of a Catholic you must be raised Catholic, to understand the Greek, you must be raised Greek so no matter what, there will be barriers as far as language goes.
God's Holy Spirit is not as limited. He's only as limited as YOU allow him to be.
Learn a good study method, go to God in prayer, and let Him show you what language can't.
pl2
I've tried telling my Sunday School teacher that, as he is looking for new material. I am NOT interested in learning about doctrinal differences between myself and other Christians... Will be looking for another class.
The real enemies are 1) Satan 2)his Islamofascist friends and those similar.
Also, Nelson Study Bible (Thomas Nelson) or even Scofield Study Bibles hone in on history at the time and definitely differentiate between the various James', etc. since their names are used more than once.
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