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The Catholic Study Bible

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This landmark resource, the first fully-based on the authoritative NABRE translation, contains the trustworthy study notes, expanded essays, and informational sidebars which have guided and informed students and general readers for 25 years. In this new edition, which comes in a protective slipcase, one-third of the Reading Guide materials are new, and all of the other Guides have been reviewed and revised by their original authors.

The extensive Reading Guide, the focal point of this volume, leads the reader through the Scriptures, book by book. References and background information are clearly laid out to guide the reader to a fuller understanding of the Bible. New to this edition is a more extensive treatment of the biblical background, including history and archeology.

Other outstanding features a 15-page glossary of special terms and complete Sunday and weekday lectionary readings for the liturgical years of the Church. Thirty-two beautiful pages of full-color Oxford Bible Maps come with a place-name index for easy reference.

Perfect for both higher education and clergy, Bible study and general readers, The Catholic Study Bible is an essential resource for both experienced students and first-time readers.

The New American Bible Revised

The New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) brings to culmination the work of nearly 100 scholars, including translators, editors, and a subcommittee of Catholic bishops who provided extensive review of the biblical text over a period of many years. The NABRE is the first major amendment to the New American Bible translation since 1991. It

*The first update of the Old Testament since 1970, taking into account recent archaeological and textual discoveries.
*Complete revision of the Psalter.

2560 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1990

1165 people are currently reading
658 people want to read

About the author

Donald Senior

36 books6 followers
The late Fr. Donald Senior, C.P., was president emeritus and professor of New Testament at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He was a past president of the Catholic Biblical Association and of the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada. He served on the Pontifical Biblical Commission under three popes, most recently Pope Francis. He was one of the leading Catholic biblical scholars and teachers in the English language.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Aditya Tawde.
19 reviews
March 6, 2020
This would always be a 'Currently-Reading' since you can never read the Bible and toss it out.

This is a BIG book(more of a tool) and I will only review the aspects/features that I have used or found helpful on a personal level.

Now coming to the content, the Bible version used is NABRE; not the 'Holy Grail' of translations approved by the Roman Catholic Church, but used almost globally in Catholic public worship in the English speaking world(even in my country, India, where English is not the primary language, but most services in cities are in English along with the local vernacular). This makes it easier if you want one version for both scripture study and worship. No need for juggling between versions if you are not a theologian who indulges in apologetics and scripture study as part of their profession/career.

I was hunting for a Catholic version of Bible+Commentary(Study Bible) and honestly, there aren't many options as compared to Protestant Study Bibles. I used Amplified Bible with commentary by a famous non-denominational televangelist but found quite a lot of teachings to be off(Eucharistic real presence, Virgin Mary's perpetual virginity being the major theological differences). Finally, I found this and bought it on Amazon.in but the kindle version made my device crash(Amazon also had complaints about printing errors in the physical copy of this Bible but since I never got my hand on one, I can't really comment). Eventually, I found a different version to use on my kindle and now I am at peace :D. God's timing is great; the study Bible I needed was finally made available in Lent 2020.

The 'Reading Guide' is the BEST part of this Study Bible according to me. It preps a reader for each Biblical book, giving a foretaste and summary/essence of the particular book and that summary is relevant for the reader of today. The footnotes also help understand a particular text better.

What I'm going to say next might offend some traditional Catholics. The Sodom story of condemnation of homosexuality per se is revisited and handled sensitively in the 'Reading Guide'. I was mind-blown and never been more proud of how the Roman Catholic Church is showing empathy to everyone and not fanatically condemning people.
I take the liberty to quote that text here and shall delete if it is a violation of copyright:

“While some readers interpret the account of the men of Sodom as a condemnation of homosexuality, per se, three factors undercut such an interpretation. The sexual activity threatened by the men in the passage is violent rape. In the ancient patriarchal context, for a man to penetrate another man sexually could be understood as feminizing and so implicitly humiliating the man. The notion of sexual orientation as an enduring psychological reality was not understood.”

Excerpt From: Donald Senior, John Collins, Mary Ann Getty. “The Catholic Study Bible.” Apple Books.

This seems to be the best personal study Catholic Bible for me and I feel, for most people who want to hear from God, in the light and in accordance with the Catholic church's teaching. This would certainly help people grow in the Word.

But if you happen to be a theologian or a doctor of the Church, there are Ignatius Study Bible and more ancient Haydock Catholic Bible that would help in theology and/or apologetics.

Hope this was helpful! :D
Profile Image for Steven R. McEvoy.
3,783 reviews172 followers
March 16, 2020
I read this in parallel to reading the old testament using A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament, from Ignatius Press by Brant Pitre and John Bergsma. They are recommended with each other when you look them up. It was a bit of over kill. Even for someone who spend 20 years as an undergraduate in University. When I read this book again it will be just by itself and not in conjunction with another intense resource.

As mentioned, I spent the better part of 20 years in University. I hold a Religious studies degree with specialization in Roman Catholic Thought. This book would have been an amazing resource during my university career. I attended St Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo, there were three other Church collages and the Religious Studies and Theology Departments spanned the 4 collages and faculty at main campus. This book would have been great for some of my essays, especially for Professors from other denominations.

I do not fully agree with all the modern biblical scholarship. But enjoy reading about it. This is the third edition of the Catholic Study Bible and numerous scholars have contributed to this volume and the previous editions. The first section of the book is general articles and introductions. Then there is section on each of the areas of the bible. Followed by an overview article on each book, then a section by section breakdown of each book. And then we have the actual bible.

In this volume they have a section called ‘Biblical Novellas’, which is comprised of Tobit, Judith, Ester, First and Second Maccabees. I enjoyed this section immensely. Both in the history and overview and in the reading of the books themselves.

This is not my favorite study bible, but it is in the top 5. It is a very solid resource for academic work or personal study. I am glad to have read it, will read it again, and very happy to have it on my biblical studies shelf.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!
Profile Image for Francis Yanga.
9 reviews
May 26, 2019
One of the best study Bible in my opinion. I can't recommend this book enough. Lots of articles in the beginning that very useful background information. I love the "reading guides" of each book, which contains unbiase summary and scholarly information which helps you understand the context.
Profile Image for eleanor.
183 reviews3 followers
October 12, 2021
DWC- way better than what I expected and remembered from my childhood. Honestly kinda nice to reread those stories and be brought back to my times in methodist or catholic ccd/church. We read a few selections from Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Jeremiah, and Second Saul, Genesis and Exodus are the best.
Profile Image for Stuart.
690 reviews53 followers
September 19, 2016
It has been ten years since Oxford University Press released the Second Edition of their Catholic Study Bible. I never had a chance to peruse this one as my wife reminds me often that I have too many Bibles (Preposterous!), and that I don't need to buy anymore. Thankfully for me, Oxford University Press provided me a complimentary copy of their Catholic Study Bible: Third Edition. The first thing I noticed about this bible was that it used the New American Bible: Revised Edition (NABRE). I appreciate the use of this translation, because this is what we hear every time we attend Mass. The copy which I received is the hardcover edition. It is approximately 2500 pages, 6.25" x 9", and thumb cut indexing for the books of the Bible.

The Catholic Study Bible: Third Edition begins with a general introduction on the Bible and the literary forms in the Bible, and reading the Bible. We are then provided with backgrounds on Biblical texts and the different periods during Biblical times, going from the time of the Patriarchs (1850 BC) to the Roman Period (100 AD). There are then sections on using this particular Bible, the role of the Bible in the Catholic life, Biblical history and archaeology, Catholic interpretation, and the Bible in the Lectionary. There is then approximately 500 pages worth of essays on each book of the Bible. I would have preferred these be before each respective book, but a minor quibble. After all of these introductions and essays, we finally arrive at Genesis! However, before each book, there is a general introduction and outline of each book. Within each book of the Bible, one will find copious footnotes on each page. Sometimes, the footnotes are more than the actual text of Scripture. There are also many cross-references in these footnotes, which are vital when studying Scripture. After Revelation, there is a glossary, index, mini concordance, Lectionary. and maps.

Like all Bibles, I found myself wishing the pages were thicker in this edition. They bend a little too easy, would probably rip if handled too roughly, and highlighting is impossible (not that I highlight). However, at 2500+ pages, this would have made the Bible even thicker than it already was. At least, the font size was nice and easy to read without straining the eyes. I appreciated the translation used and am amazed at the amount of essays and introductions included in this Bible. I haven't had a chance to read all of them, but the ones I have were of high quality. If you don't own any type of Study Bible, then this is one of a few I would consider starting with. (The other is the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, but it's still only a New Testament.) The Bible won't be the last or only resource you need for deep Biblical study, but it will provide you a good jumping off point.
Profile Image for Alleluialu.
227 reviews11 followers
October 1, 2014
I started reading the Bible on September 29, 2009, and finished it today, December 31, 2010. Along the way I have developed a habit of reading the Bible every morning and I will do it for the rest of my life. This time, I merely read it -- no commentary or explanation. I knew I would not remember it all nor understand it all. So, my plan this next year or so, is to read it again with commentary. And I plan to continue reading it until the day I die because I couldn't possibly ever understand it all, but it has surely added to my life. I highly recommend finding a "read the Bible in a year" plan and implementing it. As you can see, it took me more than a year to complete the plan, but it was so worth it. If I had to skip a day or two, I just picked up the plan where I left off. Those days became fewer and fewer as my habit developed. I want to thank Becky from Operation Actually Read the Bible for inspiring me to do this.
Profile Image for Patricia .
268 reviews4 followers
June 22, 2020
A Bible will never reach its status as being read as a whole. However, for the extra entries added to this New American Bible (Revised Edition) I can say that I absolutely enjoy reading them. They really do help putting the Bible into the right perspective. Additionally, they provide a decent summary of what has to be researched throughout multiple books elsewhere. A highlight of this particular Bible are the attached maps (in color).
Profile Image for Adriana.
43 reviews7 followers
August 2, 2009
Moved from the bookshelf to the reading table. I forget how this arrived on my bookshelf, but I like the language, very prose-like for me (a good thing). Introductions to all the books, good footnotes and commentary. My understanding of what makes it 'Catholic' is which books it includes - some that would not be in a NIV, for instance. The good book for quiet hours.
Profile Image for Cathy.
73 reviews
February 14, 2023
This is a useful edition of the Bible with extensive notes. The maps are helpful for contextualizing the narrative sections. However, the translation is just awkward sometimes, and the notes reveal a strong historical-critical method of scholarship, which can undermine belief in the Scriptures as inspired.
Profile Image for Annie.
64 reviews
June 21, 2023
This is NOT a good iPad book, and any book that doesn’t work on the iPad is a thumbs down for me. Too much flipping back and forth between contextual explanations and the actual text. If you really feel the urge to read the Bible, I suggest a pocket version. Or a kids version. I fell asleep countless times trying to read just a few passages from this book, so I don’t think it would really be worth your while. It goes on and on and gets pretty contradictory sometimes. Skip!
246 reviews
October 21, 2019
Winter Bible study group: book of Hebrews.

Current at-home Bible study using Franklin Graham's Prayer Point suggestions for a 13 week ; program (March 24 - June 30). Reading on Fridays the book of Mark, chapters 3 to end, through May 5. Reading on Saturdays I Corinthians, chapters 7 through end, through April 2; then II Corinthians in its entirety through May 27; then all of Galatians and Ephesians. Reading on Sundays Psalms 37 - 77 through end of study. Reading on Mondays Genesis 48 - 50; all of Exodus; then Leviticus 1 - 9 through end of study. Reading on Tuesdays I Samuel 11 - end; then all of II Samuel; then all of I Kings through end of study. Reading on Wednesdays Job 27 - 42; then Proverbs 1 - 9 through end of study. Reading on Thursdays Jeremiah 7 - end; then Ezekiel 1 - 24 through end of study.

This is a pretty good survey of all the different types of books in the Bible!

Completed

Reading the Deuterocannon:

Tobith - completed
Judith - completed
Additions to Esther - completed
Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon; Book of Wisdom; Book of Solomon) - completed
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) - completed
Baruch, including the Letter of Jeremiah - completed
Additions to Daniel - completed
Maccabees I and II - completed

Also reading Esdras I and II, not part of the Catholic Bible....

Fall Bible study, starting after Labor Day, will be I and II Corinthians....

As of April 1, 2018, nearing completion of intensive study of Corinthians I and II. As with all Bible studies, also utilizing the Catechism of the Catholic Church pretty intensively....

Getting ready to listen to taped conversations on "Unbound" and read that book and related Bible references....

Reading Pope Francis' Gaudete et Exsultate

Listened to Unbound twice and read Lazano's book of that title....

2018-19 year long Bible study: the book of Mark.

2019 see reading list for religiously related books, such as The Bait of Satan; The Fourth Cup; Fulfillment of All Desire....

2019-20 year long Bible study: the book of Isaiah.
Profile Image for Bernie4444.
2,464 reviews12 followers
January 12, 2025
"I once was lost but now am found" is from the hymn "Amazing Grace"

Yes, bible study can be complex. But without it, you are lost. This is one of many views. But it is the view that makes this book valuable. Sometimes you need someone to tell you that your shoe is untied.

If you are not a reader, the Catholic Church covers the whole book in a two-year cycle, giving you time to think about it. However, to get a better handle on what you are reading in any genre, it is best to find an annotated version or a study guide.

The neat thing about this version is that I have tabs for the beginning of each book. It helps me look as if I know what I am doing.

There are many helpful sections and it would take a book just to describe them. A short list is:
How to Use This Study Guide
The New American Bible
The Reading Guides
The Reference Articles
The Glossary
Geography of the Biblical Lands and Maps
Teaching Resources

You cannot cram everything into the book, so there are extensive bibliographies and quite a few footnotes. I like to read them first and then come back to them to see what I missed.

The bottom line is that your theological library and head are incomplete without this book.
Profile Image for Brian Hutzell.
554 reviews17 followers
January 11, 2019
If you were to review the Bible as you would any other book, you would have call is a sprawling mess. Parts are intellectually stimulating, parts are bizarre, parts are beautiful, and parts are mind-numbingly boring.

The Bible is not just another book though; its place in and impact on history demand a separate category. So how does The Catholic Study Bible compare with other Bibles? Well, for starters, at 2400+ large densely-packed pages, it is easily the longest single-volume work I’ve ever read. There is, of course, the Bible text itself, plus a nearly 600 page reading guide, introductions to each individual book, and extensive—and I mean extensive!—footnotes. For anyone who wants to dig deeply into the text, this is a great Bible to have on the shelf.
Profile Image for Alexis.
234 reviews5 followers
April 5, 2013
CBS Year I - Complete (Genesis, Exodus, Levitcus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings)
CBS Year II - Complete (Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke, Acts of The Apostles, Pauline Letters, Gospel of John, Revelation.)
CBS Year III - begins in September 2011 (Book of Wisdom, Tobit, Judith, Esther, Sirach, Jeremiah, Daniel, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Gospel of Matthew, Catholic and Pastoral Letters, Hebrews)
CBS Year IV - Begins Fall 2012 (Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Exekiel, Ezra,Nehemiah, Chrnicles, Joel, Malachi & Psalms)

Almost Done - 4 weeks away from having read the whole Bible!


Profile Image for Chris Renneker.
97 reviews1 follower
April 28, 2024
This is a tremendous version of the Bible that is integral to understanding. Every book has a short and a long intro. Every page is heavily footnoted. There are maps, genealogies, and all sorts of background information on peoples and cultures etc that really help you understand the significance of every line of the Bible. It's slower going than other versions but you get immeasurably more out of it.
Profile Image for Nancy.
952 reviews66 followers
March 29, 2010
I love this version of the Bible. It includes extensive footnotes for help in understanding the text, essays on biblical history, maps and other useful resources for studying the Bible. Though not all editions have this, mine has useful index tabs to make finding specific books easier--an especially useful tool for people like me who can never remember their sequential order.
Profile Image for sch.
1,275 reviews23 followers
Read
July 3, 2025
Jan 2025. Teaching resource for Gospel of Matthew. Halfway through the footnotes; reminiscent of the Oxford Study Bible (NRSV) in terms of high-grade analysis and historical-critical presuppositions, but orthodox.
Profile Image for Jim Hering.
19 reviews
May 19, 2007
This is perhaps the best study Bible I have on my shelves. Comprehensive notes and articles. It uses the New American Bible translation, which I don't have in another form.
Profile Image for Allie.
150 reviews5 followers
Currently reading
May 14, 2010
Yes, really.
Profile Image for Timmy.
25 reviews8 followers
May 13, 2012
Whether you believe it or not, I dont know why you wouldnt read it.
4 reviews
January 1, 2013
This is the best partner for Bible Study. I just wish that there is a light weight but with a modern layout, fonts similar to those presented in Protestant bibles.
Profile Image for F Rachel.
10 reviews12 followers
December 28, 2016
I have used this book when teaching in Roman Catholic institutions. It is a good resource.
Profile Image for Janet Atkins.
20 reviews
April 13, 2020
This Bible is the absolute best for doing serious Bible study. The essays and notes are invaluable. So glad I purchased it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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