Customer Reviews

The New American Bible

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I recently bought two of these Saint Joseph Edition New American Bibles (NAB) in hardcover, by Catholic Book Publishing Corp., one in green cloth ISBN 978-0-89942-963-2, No. 611/67, the other in black cloth: Saint Joseph Bible-Nab-Large Print-Illustrated, ISBN 978-0-89942-964-9, No. 611/22. I have had one of these for about two decades and it is finally falling apart. I like these editions for my own personal use. They are rugged, have nice sewn bindings, they can take quite a beating. They have large print. They open nicely and stay opened without pages flipping back or forth.

The translation is the one that people hear each Sunday in the Catholic Church at Mass. I believe this makes it the preferred one to use in Bible Study in the parish. Besides the Sacred Scriptures, these editions come with what I believe is one of the essential Vatican II documents supporting the study of Scripture, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation: Dei Verbum: Solemnly Promulgated by His Holiness Pope Paul VI on November 18, 1965, (Documents of Vatican II). It also has a very nice section, "How to Read the Bible." There are a fair number of good illustrations, maps and other tables. It has a basic Bible Dictionary, lists the Readings for Sunday Mass for the entire 3-year Cycle, and has a useful Doctrinal Index wherein the Scripture texts underlying Church Teachings can be found.

The Saint Joseph Edition of the NAB is very reasonably priced. Having bought both new Bibles as "used" in "very good" condition, they were only a fraction of the normal price, arrived in excellent condition looking like new Bibles, with the durability to last another 10-20 years with lots of use, I say these are a real bargain anyway you look at it.

This is an excellent Bible for general use. The NAB translation is used at the Roman Catholic (Latin Rite) Liturgy and is perfect for all Catholics and non-Catholics. This edition, with its hard cover and easy-to-read typeface, makes it a great Bible for the low cost of purchase.

The gold designs on the deep green cover and pure white pages with lighter green edges have been very well made.

That aside, this is an amazing translation and even print (large and easy to read). Simple and scholarly, but very powerful.

The NAB is a fine Catholic translation for comparative study, containing the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur necessary for acceptance by any Catholic. It is written in modern English and the print is bold and easy to read. Each Bible book contains a brief introduction and every page contains footnotes and comments. Maps and illustrations are found in appropriate places throughout the work. A Bible dictionary of important names and words is found at the back, along with a list of suggested Scriptural readings and a Catholic Doctrinal Bible Index. The volume also contains the Apocrypha for those interested in familiarizing themselves with those non-inspired books. It translates the Divine Name "Yahweh" in a number of places, but for the most part follows the common practice of rendering it LORD. It is a useful addition to my personal library.

I had a good experience with my order. Received my items on time for Christmas and it was easier than visiting the store.