Roman Catholic Bible Versions

Although I am a Protestant, I thought it would be good to include some information on Roman Catholic versions and scholarship on this site also. This page will serve as the index for the pages related to Roman Catholic Bibles.

Introductions

The history of the treatment of the Bible in the Roman Catholic Church is a subject upon which conservative Protestants and Catholics disagree sharply. In the interest of fairness and balance, I have provided two different general introductions:

• Roman Catholic Bible Versions by Michael Marlowe, from a Protestant viewpoint.
• The Bible and the Catholic Church by Greg Youell, from a Catholic viewpoint.

In addition to these general introductions we have also a survey of the recent conflict over inclusive language in the Roman Catholic Church.

Specific versions produced or edited by Roman Catholics

• The Latin Vulgate (390-405).
• The Douay-Rheims Version (1582-1610).
• The Challoner-Rheims Version (1749-1777).
• The Westminster Version of the Sacred Scriptures (1935). unofficial
• The New Testament ... with Explanatory Notes (1954). unofficial
• The Confraternity Version of the New Testament (1941).
• The Knox Translation (1955).
• The Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (1965).
• The Jerusalem Bible (1966).
• The New American Bible (1970-1983).
• The New Jerusalem Bible (1985).
• The Inclusive New Testament (1994). unofficial

Criticism of Catholic Versions:

• Bible Babel, by Richard John Neuhaus.

Some Important Catholic Documents related to Biblical Studies:

• Decrees of the Council of Trent (1546) "Concerning the Canonical Scriptures" and "Concerning the Edition and the Use of the Sacred Books."
• Divino Afflante Spiritu. 1943 Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on Biblical studies. While seeming to affirm the conservative Providentissimus Deus encyclical of Leo XIII, this encyclical allowed room for a redefinition of the concept of inerrancy and so opened the door to historical criticism. It also gave Roman Catholics permission to depart from the Vulgate as the basis of their versions.
• Letter to the Bishops Conferences on The Name of God, June 2008. Prohibits the use of “Yahweh” in Catholic liturgy.

Links to information on Catholic Bibles on other sites