Customer Reviews

The Catholic Comparative New Testament: New American Bible · Revised Standard Version · New Revised Standard Version · Jerusalem Bible · New Jerusalem ... Bible · Douay-Rheims · Good News Translation

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With the publication of this comparative New Testament, whoever said that Catholics don't read the Bible is probably eating his hat. However, Protestants looking for a good parallel text edition might want to consider this one. Why? It has not only the new "inclusive language" Revised Standard Version, but the old "standard" Revised Standard Version, and the RSV is surely one of the most beautiful translations next to the King James ever produced. Then there's the Jerusalem Bible, which many people like to read if for no other reason than that Tolkien translated the book of Job in the Old Testament (not included here).

The Good News New Testament was designed as a limited vocabulary paraphrase so as to be easy to read. The American Bible is the regular "standard" Catholic Bible. The real find in this edition is the Douay- Rheims, a translation historically significant to both Protestants and Catholics which many people are curious about and would like to read. The title of Flannery O'Connor's novel, The Violent Bear it Away, for instance, comes from a verse in that translation.

For those wondering how a Catholic Bible differs from a Protestant one, the Catholic one has 73 books instead of 66, but the additional books are all in the Old Testament; the New Testament has the same 22 books. I don't agree with some of the notes in the Oxford Annotated RSV Bible, some of which may be common to this edition. But Oxford has chosen a tantalizing assortment of translations for this volume, which even the casual reader will find difficult to put down.

This is a bible that is well worth the money. I saw it in a book store, and I am going to order it as soon as I'm done writing this review. Yes I really feel it is that good!!! What I like about this paticular parallel bible is the fact that it's using translations you don't normally find in other parallel bibles. I can almost guarantee you probably don't have at least two to three of these bibles in your collection (I have almost one book shelf devoted to different translations and I don't have a couple of them). That makes this a great resource!!! I especially love the fact that the Douay-Rheims, Revised Standard, and the New American Bible are used here. I'm not Roman Catholic. I just know a good purchase when I see it. Excellent choice of 2 to 3 fairly uncommon bibles to help your research library. The Douay-Rheims alone makes this a great purchase. That bible is very hard to find at an affordable price. This is a wise purchase in my humble opinion.

The Catholic Comparative New Testament is an excellent tool for Bible study. It is easy to use. It gives you 8 diffent translations at a glance. Why look up a passage in a single version Bible when you can compare 8 Bible versions at once? This book should be owned by all serious Bible students.

This is a GREAT resource. What a treasure!

There are so many strengths to this little volume! Firstly, Jean Marie Hiesberger is a scholar of serious weight who is also evidently very humble. This text is not riddled with her opinions; her introductory essay is clear and to the point. You will not find her lauding the NRSV and belittling the Douay-Rheims; neither will you find her lauding the Douay-Rheims and belittling the NRSV. She has simply put the eight most prominent Catholic English language translations side by side to aid the reader in his understanding. In doing this she has done a serious service to the Church in a way that promotes unity.

Furthermore, Hiesberger is a woman of faith, and it shows! Her words: "The New Testament is a treasure of faith for Catholics... People who read the scriptures regularly... discover that their day is incomplete without this experience." She speaks of all four senses of Scripture in her introduction.

The book is well-bound and well-typeset. The font is necessarily a little small, but definitely readable.

I go to this volume constantly when dealing with a difficult passage of scripture. Firstly, I read the passage in all the translations and then check out solid commentaries. This practice has really aided my understanding.

I think this book is an essential part of any Catholic library.

I love this Bible. When I read this, I was able to compare the Douay Rheims Bible, the New American Bible, the Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition, the Jerusalem Bible, and many more.

This comparitive Bible of the New Testament is great, because you get to read and compare each Catholic Bible version. I loved the Douay Rheims because it was a true literal translation based from the Latin Vulgate.

It is recommended to be owned because you can share it with Catholics or non-Catholics to what Bible they read and own.

I cannot say it is liberal or conservative, but what I can say about it---it is a reference tool for comparing translations.

Take almost any text in its original language and you'll be able to translate it every which way 'til Sunday. This presentation of eight translations may make for a hefty text and frequent page turning if you're interested in reading whole passages from a single translation, but the additional insights that can be gained by comparing multiple texts at once is well worth that effort.

This is a particularly useful resource when reading texts originally authored in Greek. Since the Greek language is so much more nuanced than Hebrew and Aramaic, many Greek words have several possible English translations. Take the Greek word metanoia as one example. This is the word used by John the Baptist in Chapter 3 of the Gospel of Matthew. Of the eight translations presented in the comparative text, five choose the word repent, while the other three vary in their translation, including, "penance," "turn away," "change your ways," and "change of heart." Having the ability to readily compare these different translations provides the reader with new insights into texts that they may have previously read in a much more limited manner.

Readers at all stages can benefit from this presentation. For those hoping to compare with the original language, this is not the publication for you, as only English language translations are presented. I'm keeping my eyes open for a comparative Old Testament that matches this level of quality.

This Comparative NT is a must have reference for any Catholic home library. Whether you are doing bible study, exegesis, or just personal reading, this is an outstanding collection of translations of the Catholic New Testament. This is the first time I have come across a collection of Catholic translations in one volume. It is a masterful work.

This is a superb resource (hence the 5 stars) with one reservation: it would have been most helpful to have the NIV translation as well. It is the most popular translation used by Protestants, and I understand it is a respectably accurate translation as well. Being in ministry, I would have appreciated this addition.

For people who are interested in comparing the differences in translations, this is an excellent reference. It is interesting how changing a word can have a significant impact on the meaning of the whole verse.

The big advantage of this book is that you have 8 different versions on facing pages of each verse in the New Testament. It certainly beats getting 8 versions of the bible and looking up a verse in each copy. The only shortcoming is that the verses do not include any notes which can be a disappointment to serious students of the bible.

I found it very useful.

Frank G.

There are times when I purchase a reference-type book like this, read it a little bit at first, and then use it once and a while (and then pick it up and read it from time to time).

This book is like that but even more! I have been using it quite a lot since, and really do enjoy perusing it as I go through the different versions. There are times that I like Douay-Rheims, other times the New American, and at times the Christian Community Bible (it is good to include an edition from the Philippines, for another perspective from around the world). The other translations are good, as well.

An excellent resource!