Customer Reviews

The Revised Standard Version Catholic Bible: Reader's Version Burgundy

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a big fan of the superior RSV translation, I have been waiting for an RSV Bible of this quality for a long time. I own the blue, hardback "Ingatius Bible" and have never been very happy with it's workmanship. The type in that Bible is hard to read, the text is not divided into clean, easily-read paragraphs, and the margins are too narrow, causing the text to practically run into the spine of the book. Also, I prefer leather to a hard-back. Scepter press makes a RSV leather Bible but it apparently suffers from the same deficiencies as the blue Ignatius Bible. Ignatius Press came out with a new RSV "Second Ed." Bible that is a higher quality product. However, after reading the Amazon.com reviews, I was deterred from buying it. Amazon.com reviewers say that while the new, second edition leather Bible is of high material quality, the minor changes that constitute the "second edition" are not an improvement upon the original and there are some sloppy typographical errors. Further, some reviewers who seem to have a lot more knowledge about Bible translation than me claim that there are some problems with accuracy of some of the English word choices (evidently the translators were priests but not scholars, per se, at least according to one reviewer). I held off on buying the Ignatius RSV "second ed." I was thus thrilled when Oxford University Press and Ignatius press teamed up to publish this beautiful "RSV Catholic Bible: Reader's Ed." in Dec 06. It features very high quality leather, gilded pages, indexing, readable type, easily read paragraphs and sections, and there are no margin problems or typos. Further, the list price on the Bible itself that arrived in the mail said $89.00. I paid $34 on Amazon.com and got free shipping to boot. It's rare these days when the quality of a retail product is higher than the price tag, but this Bible on Amazon is a steal. It's a magnificent product and I am tremendously pleased with it.

This is a lovely bible. The genuine leather cover is a pleasure to see and to touch. The size is just right, neither too large nor too small. The font size, however, seems a little smaller than necessary (but is crisp and dark). Thumb indexed, making it easier to go to the passage you want.

Because it is the Revised Standard Version, this bible is comfortable for us moderns to read, without strange unfamiliar words, yet it still maintains much of the dignified rhythm of the King James Bible. This, of course, is a Catholic Edition of the RSV, with the deuterocanonical texts blended into the Old Testament. Many Catholics, especially conservatives, favor the Revised Standard Version. The translation of the New American Bible is too awkward for them, while the New Jerusalem Bible never really caught on in America (the NJB is the Catholic Bible of choice in most English speaking countries outside the USA). Ironically, the RSV was considered too liberal by conservative Protestants back in the 1950s when it burst on the scene. Now, the lack of gender neutral language apparently makes it less than liberal. For that, people should seek out a New Revised Standard Version, but to my knowledge none of the Catholic editions of the NRSV are available in a leather cover.

Includes a presentation page in the front, plus baptism record, confirmation, first communion, marriage and family section for anyone who likes those things in their Bible. The layout of the bible text is excellent, with no annotations and no cross references. It does, however, have discreet little dividing lines to let you know where each section begins and ends. It does not tell you what that section is about nor provide any sort of commentary, just a short dividing line to indicate that a new topic is beginning. A nice touch I think. Just simple text with a bit of help. Remember, this is not a study bible. It is simply a nice, excellently translated, well made Catholic Bible.

Anyone who has spent time shopping for both Catholic and Protestant versions of the Bible knows that the variety of quality Catholic Bibles pales in comparison to that available in Protestant versions. For some time I have wanted to purchase a nice edition of the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, that was bound in Genuine Leather and had easily readable type. Finally, I found this edition. It is published by Oxford University Press, in partnership with Ignatius Press, so all of the features of the Ignatius Bible are included, specifically the notes, but the type is much more readable and the binding is far superior.

This Bible also includes a collection of Catholic prayers and devotions, which is very handy to have included in a Bible one reads from regularly.

The only fault I find with this edition is that it is thumb-indexed, which I have never liked in a Bible. But, that is a minor fault in a very nice version of the Scriptures.

This bible exceeded my expectations. I was worried that the thumb index would annoy me, but I actually enjoy it. I need to note that it took a lot of research to finally land on this particular bible, and still I went out on a limb considering I couldn't find an example of how the text was laid out/formatted.

The "breaks" that are included in this particular bible are fantastic. It's something I have not found in any other bible, and it is very much appreciated. I find that I almost always agree with these "breaks" as they seem to clearly identify the beginning and ending of any one thought/story in here. For myself, this helps me focus on the meaning of each part individually (while not taking away the aggregate meaning). I have an old 1952 RSV which is wonderful, but the text just runs on and on, which becomes fatiguing. This particular bible takes away this particular distraction, which really helps when reading.

Also, I like this version's notes, which have consistently seemed fair and honest. The notes section is kept to an absolute minimum, which is something I very much wanted as well. The notes that are there are along the lines of "other ancient authorities omit XXXX" or "other ancient authorities include XXXXX." I find this to be a very nice way to enlighten the reader with other ways to interpret the text.

The catholic "additions" in this edition are a nice reminder of the catholic heritage, but I strongly recommend that if you do not identify yourself as Catholic that you not be turned away by this. The additional prayers/Dei Verbum are easily skipped if that is a turn off for you. I personally found this a nice add, and appreciate the value inherent.

Also, I checked some of the text in this book against my 1952 RSV and have not found disctinctions yet. I assume they are in here, but since I am not reading them in parallel I am assuming I will more than likely not find significant differences. I can say that my understanding of the bible is unchanged, and I read the engrained truth as much in this version as what I read in the original RSV, as well as the NIV and NRSV.

All in all, this is a fantastic bible. My only gripe is that I wish the pages were just a touch thicker, though I do need to point out that text from back pages do NOT bleed through (which I have found in many other bibles, and is distracting to me). I really cannot say enough about the way this bible is formatted. If you're looking for an RSV (which I find to be the most modern/poetic version available) with fantastic formatting, you will not go wrong with this.

What is the RSV? The RSV or Revised Standard Version is an American English translation of the 1611 King James Bible. Since the King James Bible was archaic, Protestant churches decided to make revised versions of it in modern American English. The American Standard Bible, the RSV, and the New King James Bible were created as modern revisions of the 1611 King James Bible.

However, the Revised Standard Version: Catholic Edition is a Bible translation that was collaborated by Roman Catholic and Protestant scholars. During the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, the Catholic Biblical Association in England asked the American Protestant churches to make a Catholic version of the Revised Standard Version. The translation process and approval was stalled partly due to the unexpected death of the Archbishop of Westminster in 1956. The RSV: Catholic Edition was finally completed during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI in 1965.

In accordance with Pope Paul VI's Constitution called Dei Verbum, the RSV: Catholic edition was translated by Roman Catholic and Protestant Bible scholars. Though collaborated ecumenically, the RSV's translation was made similar to the Douay Rheims. The footnotes and commentaries in the RSV: Catholic edition are directly from the Douay Rheims Bible and not Modernist theologians.

Unlike the New American Bible, the RSV was translated CORRECTLY by the Protestants scholars. For example, in the RSV, St. Luke 1:28 reads, "Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you". The NAB and the Jersualem Bible reads, "Hail favored one, the Lord is with you".

In akin to the RSV, the New American Bible was ecumenically translated by Roman Catholic and Protestant scholars. The Jerusalem Bible however was made by Roman Catholic scholars only.

Unlike the Douay Rheims Bible, the RSV was directly translated from the 12th century Greek and Hebrew manuscripts rather than from St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate (c. 7th century). Hence, the Book of Ecclesiasticus (Book of Sirach) is quite shorter in the RSV: Catholic edition than the Douay Rheims Bible. This is also the case with previous Catholic Bibles that weren't translated from the Latin Vulgate such as the Westminster Version and the 1941 Confraternity Version---both of which were approved under Pope Pius XII.


The RSV possess a simple yet conservative literal translation of the Bible unlike the New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and New Revised Standard Version. It is officially used in the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome when the Bible is being studied in Greek and English. The RSV also is officially used by the Vatican when they quote the Bible in English. It is also used by Opus Dei and it was the former lectionary of the hybrid 1965 Tridentine Mass until 1969. The RSV: Catholic Edition's revision and translation was great that even Pope Paul VI awarded a Bible scholar for correcting St. Luke 1:28, which had been deviously distorted by Protestant scholars.

I recommend Catholics to read this Bible. This Bible becomes handy when the Douay Rheims Bible at times can be an obstacle in its late, 16th century Shakesperean English. The RSV is also handy as a reference when you read the Douay Rheims Bible because you are able to see the big differences with the former due to its direct translation from the Greek and Hebrew only as opposed to the Latin Vulgate. The Latin Vulgate is the Latin Bible based on the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Chadaic manuscripts. Quality and quantity do matter in Bible reading, comparison, and reading.

This RSV publication by Oxford University Press contains Pope Paul VI's Dogmatic Constitution: Dei Verbum, Bible Weights and Measures, An Appendix. Sadly it doesn't have any maps whatsoever. The pages are great because it has gold edges. The quality of the paper seems that it won't turn brown over the years.

This is an excellent Bible! I made the decision to read "the Bible" something less than a year ago, and then immediately got into the issue of "which Bible?" I vaguely knew there were multiple translations around, but didn't really have an appreciation for just how complex that question is until recently.

The Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) is a good choice of translations to read. It retains some of the classical language that many people find familiar from the King James Version (KJV), but loses some of the very difficult idiomatic phrasing from the KJV that dates back to the time of Shakespeare.

The RSV-CE edition, completed in the 1960s, updates information based on more recent biblical scholarship than the 400 year old KJV. It does not, however, include even more recent biblical scholarship that is available in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). However, the language in the NRSV may not feel "quite right" to those who expect to hear or read well-known Bible passages and have them "sound" like they have sounded before.

The fine points of why all of these differences exist are best left for Theologians, Bible Scholars, and Evangelists to debate (which they often do). And of course, being a Catholic Edition, the RSV-CE contains the Deutrocanonical Books that the current KJV does not, for those who are interested in that.

But the point is that the RSV-CE is a comfortable read, the passages have the classic feel, but without the complexities of trying to figure out the Old English of the KJV.

The material quality of this Reader's Version of the RSV-CE is excellent! In my search through the various Bible translations, I now own more than a dozen Bibles. Type-size and paper thinness are always issues. The type size of this Reader's Version is better than average, though not in the category of "Giant" or "Large" print. But it is acceptable for my 50-year old eyes.

The paper is thin, but not too thin. The cover is soft and the binding is such that the book lays open easily. It "feels" like a very high quality Bible. It's size is a fairly typical average size for Bibles these days. It's not a very large Bible, but certainly much larger than the many pocket sized versions around.

So, I highly recommend purchasing this Bible. It is among the top quality Bibles available.

This Bible is awesome! I don't mind the tabs and will probably get to like them in time. The leather is gorgeous, the details are beautiful, and the print is a decent size even for my middle-aged, bi-focaled eyes. I LOVE the size of the margins! There is plenty of room to write notes.

If you are looking for a good basic RSV Catholic Bible that will last for decades of use, this is a beauty, at a good price to boot.

Now I'm not a bible scholar so this review is written from a layman's perspective...

As someone who's making his way back to the church after being absent since childhood I began looking for a bible (I've never owned one before), after reading many reviews I decided on the revised standard version, the choice then turned to which edition, buying a bible was an important decision for me - like most people I want one bible and I'd like it to last for the rest of my life, I decided against the blue Ignatius bible after reading the reviews (which were critical of the presentation which is important in a bible which is actually going to be read) and decided I'd like something a little better, I began looking at the family bibles offered by Stampley which retail for about 50 dollars on amazon, whilst very nice I think at this stage in my life I don't really need a family bible; and they are quite large so as someone who will probably be taking my bible to study class I decided that they wouldn't really be ideal or practical, then I saw this edition; the "readers edition", the name caught my eye... a bible made for reading - that's exactly what I need so I purchased this one.

I like it, the first thing I noticed was that this bible does actually have prepared spaces at the beginning for recording dates of weddings, first communion etc which was a real bonus as I had assumed that I would have had to have bought a more expensive family bible to get that.

It also has a prayer section at the back which is great as I have long since forgotten every single one of them.

I have to say I like the cover too... plain black leather with gold lettering really is in my opinion the most elegant form for the bible, and I've warmed to the idea of a leather-bound book - a paperback would be easily damaged and dog eared and a hardback is somewhat unwieldy, leather binding makes the cover more durable than a paperback yet supple and beautiful, perfect when you need to travel with it.

My only criticisms are (and this is just me) that I wish the font was a touch larger and the pages a little thicker, but having said that they are both adequate in their current form.

So I'm very happy with my choice, it definitely deserves the title "readers edition" especially with the thumb index's but with the pages for recording important dates included it should also fill my needs for a family bible (one day).

This is a beautifully bound leather covered bible. I however had to return it because the type was just too small to read. I have bifocals and for a readers edition it just didn't cut it. I ordered the LARGE print version and i love that one. They both are the 1965/66 edition. I can't really say what the differences between the 1965 and the 1971 editions are. The LARGE print version is only 3$ more than this edition. If you have sight problems at all go with the LARGE print edition which is available in leather thumb indexed too.

I just received this bible and it is very beautiful, and I recommend it.

Because I also have the compact RSV bible from Oxford, I have some comparisons to make with it.

First, the typesetting appears to be identical (which is a good thing), and just larger.

Second, the binding is better than my compact format, as is the overall quality of the leather and gilding.

Third, this text appears to be based on the 1965 edition of the RSV, and not on the 1971 second edition as is the compact format. This is a little odd since this bible was published after the compact. See for example, Romans 5:6 or II Cor 5:19 or Lk 22:43-44 (footnote), that differ across the two editions. Based on some of the footnotes, it appears that the text was converted from the 1971 to the 1965 edition. This is relatively minor, but I would have preferred the 1971 second edition along with the Catholic editions.

Let me not end on that, however, as it truly is a beautiful bible.