Roman Catholic Biblical Studies

Links updated October 2007

Bible Versions

•  LOCAL  Roman Catholic Versions. By Michael Marlowe. Full descriptions and histories of several Roman Catholic versions, and some related documents.
• Choosing a Bible Translation. By James Akin. Article from This Rock magazine, April 1994. A short but informative discussion of modern versions. Akin recommends the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, recently reissued by Ignatius Press under the title The Ignatius Bible. The article is also reproduced without its footnotes under the title "Bible Translations Guide" here and here.

Douay-Rheims

• The Real Rheims New Testament. By William von Peters. At this site you can buy a CD or download the entire Rheims New Testament of 1582 in a PDF file, complete with prefaces and marginal notes, in modern spelling. Very useful for seeing details of how Roman Catholics interpreted the Bible at the time of the Reformation.
• Douay-Rheims Bible Online. The full text of the Challoner-Rheims (a substantial revision of the Douay-Reims done in 1764), with a search utility. Includes notes from the edition approved by Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore. The same text with notes is here, without search utility. The same text without the notes is available with some special concordance features here.
• Douay Bible article from the Catholic Encyclopedia. Also here.
• The History of the Text of the Rheims and Douay Version of Holy Scripture. By John Henry Newman. From Tracts Theological and Ecclesiastical. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1908
• Douay-Rheims: A Story of Faith. By Sidney K. Ohlhausen, from Catholic Heritage May/June 1999. A brief history of the version, its revisions and editions. Also here.
• Uncomfortable Facts About The Douay-Rheims. By James Akin. A look at the origins, strengths and weaknesses of the Douay-Rheims and Challoner-Rheims Bible. Akin, though Catholic, is especially concerned to debunk traditionalists claims that this is the only "pure" and "official" translation of the Catholic church.
• The Douay-Rheims Version: The English Version of the Catholic Church. A page from the Dr. Gene Scott Bible Collection tour.
• The Douay Rheims Bible: The Achilles Heel of Papal Infallibility. By Michael Scheifler. A discussion of the importance of the Douay-Rheims translation of Genesis 3:15, "she shall crush thy head." (For a Catholic response to this criticism, see The Apparent "He" or "She" contradiction of Gen.3:15 in the Catholic Bibles, by "Charles the Hammer.")

New American Bible

• The New American Bible. Full text of the official Roman Catholic version, courtesy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• The Revision of the New Testament of the New American Bible. By the Rev. Francis T. Gignac, chairman of the board of editors for the revision. This article, besides giving a detailed account of the NAB revision of 1986, includes a brief and interesting review of the early history of the English Bible, in which the author is very gracious towards the Protestant translators. Also here.
• Report on the New American Bible Revised New Testament as an Inclusive Language Translation. By Rev. Francis T. Gignac, chairman of the board of editors for the revision. Also here.
• Bible Babel. By Richard John Neuhaus, First Things 113 (May 2001), p. 67. Some scathing remarks here about the New American Bible: "It is, not to put too fine a point on it, a wretched translation. It succeeds in being, at the same time, loose, stilted, breezy, vulgar, opaque, and relentlessly averse to literary grace." Neuhaus also describes the confusion caused by endless revisions of the version, and the feud between the Vatican and American Bishops over its use in the liturgy.
• More on Bible Babel. By Richard John Neuhaus, from First Things, January 2006. "The NAB introduces unwarranted novelties that not only further erode what remains of a common biblical vocabulary but are often blithely indifferent to the Church's tradition of theological reflection." Also here.
• The Catholic Biblical Association of America. The association responsible for the Confraternity version and the New American Bible.
• The New American Bible: Is It Good for Catholics? By Ben Douglass. A detailed critique of the NAB marginal notes by a traditional Catholic. "The commentary in the NAB is spiritually dangerous to read. It is a near occasion for sin. Like Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, the only Catholics who should read the footnotes of the NAB are apologists who need something against which to polemicize. Like the Cathar's French translation, the NAB deserves to be on the Index of Forbidden books." Also here, and in wordpad format here.

Knox

• The Problem of Monsignor Ronald Knox: A Painful Post-Mortem. From The Point, July, 1958. Represents a conservative reaction to Knox's translation of the Bible. Also here.

Hermeneutics

• Interpretation: Issues and Principles. A good collection of documents and links compiled by Dr. Scott Hahn and others at The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology (Franciscan University of Steubenville).
• Revelation and the Word of God. A collection of articles on the nature of Scripture and its interpretation, compiled by Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio at the Crossroads Initiative site.
• The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. 1993 report of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, presented to Pope John Paul II. Describes and recommends various approaches of modern historical criticism and opposes the "fundamentalist" doctrine of inerrancy.
• Interpreting the Bible: Three Views. By Paul M. Blowers, Jon D. Levenson, and Robert L. Wilken. An article from First Things 45 (August/September 1994) in which the authors analyze the 1993 report of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.
• Roman Theological Forum Study Program. By Msgr. John F. McCarthy. An introduction to traditional Catholic interpretation of the Bible, promoting what the editor calls a "neo-Patristic approach to the interpretation of Sacred Scripture." The modern historical-critical method is rejected as rationalistic.
• Destroying the Bible By John Young. A critical review of the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, published in 1989.
• Catholicism and the Bible: An Interview with Albert Vanhoye. By Peter Williamson, First Things 74 (June/July 1997). Catholic writer Peter Williamson talks with Father Albert Vanhoye, Secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, about key issues in Catholic interpretation of Scripture.
• Thomas Ward's ‘Errata to the Protestant Bible’ — Errata to the Protestant Bible, or, The Truth of their English Translations Examined: in a Treatise Shewing some of the Errors that are to be Found in the Protestant English translations of the Sacred Scripture, by Thomas Ward (1807).

General Biblical Studies

• Gigot's Introduction to the Old Testament — Francis E. Gigot, S.S., Special Introduction to the Study of the Old Testament, 2 vols. (New York: Benziger Bros., 1901): vol. 1; vol. 2.
• Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary. Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary (New York: Edward Dunigan and Brother, 1859). A Catholic Bible commentary compiled by the late Rev. Fr. George Leo Haydock, following the Douay-Rheims Bible.
• The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. By Dr. Scott Hahn and others at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. A good overall resource site for conservative Catholics. See the Resource Library for links to articles on Scripture, Liturgy, Catholic Tradition, and Apologetics.
• Crossroads Initiative. A library of helpful Bible study resources for Roman Catholics, edited by Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio, senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.
• Decrees of the Council of Trent (1546) "Concerning the Canonical Scriptures" and "Concerning the Edition and the Use of the Sacred Books." For a complete English translation of the Tridentine decrees see the online edition at the Hanover Historical Texts Project or the Intratext Digital Library.
• "Inclusive Language": Is It Necessary? By Kenneth D. Whitehead (New Oxford Review, March 1997). Whitehead responds to arguments for gender-neutral language in the Roman Catholic Church.
• Adoremus Bulletin on Biblical and Liturgical Translation. A large collection of articles on the "inclusive language" controversy in the Roman Catholic church, provided by the Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy.
• Liturgy Watch. An interesting collection of articles posted by members of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, protesting the Vatican's recent crackdown on their "inclusive language" excesses.
• Liturgiam Authenticam. On the Use of Vernacular Languages in the Publication of the Books of the Roman Liturgy. A very interesting document issued in March 2001 by the Vatican's advisory agency for liturgical matters (the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments) that gives guidelines for the translation of the mass and of the Scriptures. The guidelines specifically disapprove of "inclusive language" translations. Also here. For a good explanation of the document see the article by Fr. Stephen Somerville in Catholic Insight, November 2001.
• Nova Vulgata: Bibliorum Sacrorum Editio. The "New Vulgate," Latin translation based upon the UBS Greek New Testament (1966).
• The Catholic Approach to Biblical Studies. By Rev. Francis T. Gignac, chairman of the Department of Biblical Studies of the Catholic University of America. A very frank explanation of the modernistic approach taken by most recent Roman Catholic scholars. Also here.
• Biblical Scholarship at The Catholic University of America.
• Electronic New Testament Educational Resources. By Prof. Felix Just, S.J. - Loyola Marymount University.
• Pontifical Biblical Institute. The chief advisory agency for Biblical studies in the Roman Catholic Church.
• Providentissimus Deus. 1893 Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Biblical studies. Set forth the traditional doctrine of inerrancy, and prohibited modern criticism that undermines this doctrine.
• Spiritus Paraclitus. 1920 Encyclical Letter of Pope Benedict XV commemorating St. Jerome and laying down some norms for exegetes along the same conservative lines as Leo XIII's Providentissimus Deus.
• Divino Afflante Spiritu. 1943 Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on Biblical studies. While seeming to affirm the 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.
• Dei Verbum. 1965 document of the Second Vatican Council. An authoritative statement of the modern Catholic doctrines concerning Scripture. Affirms the Divino Afflante Spiritu encyclical of Pius XII, encourages Roman Catholic scholars to provide more vernacular versions, and encourages laymen to read the Bible.
• Sacred Scripture. A Roman Catholic guide to Internet resources, by Jerry Darring.
• Catholic Church Documents related to Biblical Studies. Compiled by Prof. Felix Just, S.J., Loyola Marymount University.
• Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. By Dave Armstrong. A large collection of links to articles from a Roman Catholic perspective.
• Henry Wansbrough's home page. Wansbrough is a notable Roman Catholic scholar, a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and the chief editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. There are many interesting essays and introductions available on his site (some of these require a network password, but most are public). I especially note the Introduction to the Psalms, an excellent book-length introduction to form criticism of the Psalms and Hebrew poetry in general. Unfortunately the approach is somewhat 'liberal' in places, but those who read with discretion will learn much.

Theology and Apologetics

• Revolution in the Church. By Thomas Sheehan, in The New York Review of Books (June 14, 1984). Describes the modern "dismantling of traditional Roman Catholic theology, by Catholics themselves."
• The Holy See. Official website of the Vatican.

Miscellaneous Catholic

• Catholic Educator's Resource Center. Many good articles from a conservative perspective.
• Being Catholic. An anonymous page on "how to be a Traditional Catholic," as opposed to "neo-Catholic." Explains and promotes many traditional Catholic attitudes and customs. Also here.
• History of the Catholic Church from the Renaissance to the French Revolution. By Rev. James MacCaffrey.
• National Catholic Reporter Online. Roman Catholic News, from a liberal perspective.
• Catholic Pages. Web directory of Roman Catholic sites.
• Goodbye Good Men. By Michael S. Rose. Gives details of how Catholicism in America is being destroyed by homosexual priests, feminist nuns and theological liberals in control of the Catholic seminaries.
• Catholic.net. A gateway to conservative Catholic magazines and newspaper articles.
• The Jewish People and their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible. A book-length document developed by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, published in May 2002. The document strongly implies that Jews have no need of Jesus Christ. David Brickner, executive director of Jews for Jesus, says, "This document demonstrates that those who have in one sense given up evangelism and replaced it with dialogue ultimately end up compromising the essence of the gospel itself."