The Psalms: New Catholic Version

by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

New translation of the Book of Psalms of the Old Testament, which is often termed the "Gospel of the Holy Spirit." It is printed in large, easy-to-read type with copious informative notes and cross-references. Also includes introductory material on how to pray the Psalms with the mind of the Church.

Genres: Reference

400 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (USCC), it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic hierarchy (i.e., diocesan, coadjutor, and auxiliary bishops and the ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter) in the United States and the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the bishops in the six dioceses form their own episcopal conference, the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference (Spanish, Conferencia Episcopal Puertorriqueña). The bishops in U.S. insular areas in the Pacific Ocean – the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Territory of American Samoa, and the Territory of Guam – are members of the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (Latin, Conferentia Episcopalis Pacifici).

The USCCB adopted its current name in July 2001. The organization is a registered corporation based in Washington, D.C. As with all bishops' conferences, certain decisions and acts of the USCCB must receive the recognitio, or approval of the Roman dicasteries, which are subject to the immediate and absolute authority of the Pope.

Reviews

[Angel7]

Absolutely the best Catholic version of the Psalms I've ever read. I've studied the Bible for decades, and Psalms is my favorite book. I have many versions. This one is a pure delight for any fan of the Psalms. 399 pages of wonderfulness!! Why? Because more than half of each page is filled with historical footnotes on each psalm and how it relates to the New Testament. Quite amazing!! If you pray the Psalms like I do, you'll also love the 4-week Appendix in the back for praying the Psalms in your morning and evening prayers. Best of all, this book is purse/pocket size, easy to carry with you wherever you go. I gave this book 5 stars, but it deserves 10. Truly!!

[Amicizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Psalms have been described as the "prayerbook of the Church", which indeed they are, for praying the psalms is a fundamental element of Catholic liturgical prayer, both at Mass and at the Liturgy of the Hours. The Psalms are equally valuable for personal prayer, for they contain the whole gamut of human attitudes and sentiments with which people can and should address the Almighty: praise, adoration, petition, contrition, thanksgiving, and emotional expressions ranging from intense joy to heartfelt anger and grief. This particular edition of the Psalms is a new translation prepared by the Catholic Book Publishing Company for private devotion. While not meant for liturgical use, the translation is very accurate and quite edifying. However, in my opinion, the best aspect of this small book is the footnotes. The scholars who prepared these notes did an excellent job of explaining what the psalms meant both in their original context in the life of ancient Israel and also what they mean for Christians praying these psalms today. Taking the traditional Catholic view that "the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old is made manifest in the New" (Augustine), the preparers of this volume attempt to show how many of the psalms attain their fullest meaning in relation to the life of Christ and his Church. This is a great resource for anyone who wants to know more about the Psalms...a description which should apply to ANY Catholic who is serious about his or her prayer life!

[Holy Spirit]

223 CAT

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful little prayer companion, in an easy to appreciate translation.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the comments and cross references are very helpful. These features add a great deal to a deeper appreciation of each psalm.

The final sentence of the rescript on page 4, just before the table of contents, caused me some concern. I quote;

“This translation of the Psalms is intended for private use and study only and may never be used for liturgical purposes.”

The use of the words only and never, used by the bishops, clearly alerts the reader that parts of the translation have not been approved by the church. I don’t know what the differences are and don’t have the inclination to do a line by line comparison. I question why the Psalms from an approved text could not have been used with the comments and cross references.

I will still use this book but with less enthusiasm.

[Andrea McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great small travel size. The notations are helpful and informative