The Word of God was given to us so that we know how to live. It is read from during every Mass and we are encouraged to read and study it on our own. It is our comfort when we struggle and given us strength when we fail. But what if you haven’t fully embraced the way it was meant to be read? This is what Sophia Institute Press sets out to solve with the Catholic Reader’s Bible, The Four Gospels and Acts of the Apostles and The Epistles and Revelation, Confraternity Edition. Let’s find out why this version is the way it is meant to be.
Read, study, understand
Although Holy Scripture is read during Mass, we are also encouraged to read and study scripture on our own. The more we study and pray with scripture, the more we will come to love God and comprehend his love for us.
Can’t be corrupted
Society will try to twist the truth to fit whatever narrative fits it’s agenda. When we read Holy Scripture on our own, we know when we hear something that isn’t true and will feel confident to stand for what is right according to God’s Word.
True, biblical translation
In 1560 the Catholic Church and the practice of the Faith was outlawed in England, and the English versions were altered from the true meaning of Scripture. This was when the “Rheims and Douay Version” was written and printed in 1582 (New Testament) and 1609-10 (Old Testament). Bishop Challoner produced a new English translation using this version in 1750. It has been challenged and remained largely in language and substance as an approved Catholic translation.
Chapter and verse numbering removed
The chapter and verse divisions were placed in early Bible translations as a way to quickly reference a specific events or miracles. They are not required as part of the text and sometimes break apart events making it difficult to understand how they tie together. The divisions are removed in these books to remove the distraction of the extra characters and provides for much smoother reading, although they are listed in the headings for reference.
New hope
These books were published with the hope to “awaken new interest in the World of God, and that it may bring to God’s children the manifold blessing of His Letter to them.”
If you find reading the Bible difficult because of the distracting language or chapter/verse numbering, this version will make it much easier to understand and study. It has been updated with modern language that does not take away from the true meaning of the original Vulgate, the Latin translation from St. Jerome. It reads more like a novel, with the Gospels laying out the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, and the Acts of the Apostles outlining the growth of the new Church. The Epistles edition shares a brief history of the life of St. Paul and his conversion to be a faithful disciple of Jesus, and each letter has an introduction sharing the general meaning and intended audience. Revelation reveals to us “the things that were, are, and will be”. While reading the Bible cannot be described as ‘easy’, The Catholic Readers’ Bible, Confraternity Edition, The Four Gospels and Acts of the Apostles and The Epistles and Revelation, sets out to present the New Testament in a new and fresh way to read and study the Holy Word of God.
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