The Didache Bible with Commentaries Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Chur: Ignatius Edition

by James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum

The Didache Bible presents extensive commentaries, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, for each of the books of the Holy Bible. It also includes numerous apologetical inserts to assist the reader in understanding the Church's teachings on current issues.

It uses the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition translation of the complete text of Sacred Scriptures, Old and New Testaments. This Bible version is considered by many Catholic leaders and authors, including Peter Kreeft and Scott Hahn, as the most beautiful English translation of the Bible today.

The Didache Bible is a valuable resource for students and those participating in Scripture studies. Ideal for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith and intended to be accessible by all Catholics in its level of scriptural scholarship.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Twenty-seven full-color biblical maps, including the journeys of Jesus Christ.
More than 100 apologetical explanations that help to answer common questions about the faith
Comprehensive, forty-three page glossary and a topical index.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Christianity, Reference, Theology, Nonfiction, Spirituality

4925 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Rev. James Socias, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei, was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1939. He received a doctorate in naval engineering from the University of Madrid.

After having worked as an engineer for thirteen years, he was ordained a priest in Spain in 1978 and obtained his doctorate in canon law from the University of Navarre. As a priest, he has developed his pastoral work among professionals, university faculty, campus ministry, seminarians, and priests.

Reviews

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catholics get a bad reputation for not reading the Bible, and while it isn't entirely untrue, we Catholics could do a better job of reading, knowing, and studying the Bible. One of mine, and many other Catholics favorite Bibles has been the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. It is a great gift to the English speaking Church, but unfortunately, it is only the New Testament. Old Testament books are being churned out (slower than some of us would like), but until the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible's completion, people like myself have been using editions like the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) for their Old Testament readings and study. That was until the release of The Didache Bible! For the same price as the hardcover Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, you can get The Didache Bible, which contains both Old and New Testament. But what else makes this Bible special? I'm glad you asked!

The Didache Bible begins with an introduction of what Sacred Scripture is and how to read the Bible. It then provides a brief summary of each of the books of the Bible. For example, Genesis is summarized as such: Creation and origin of mankind (1-11); Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (12-36); and Joseph in Egypt (37-50). There is then a chronology of both the Old Testament and New Testament. Here, the beginning student of the Bible learns that the Old Testament books are not arranged chronologically. Lastly, before we get to the text of Scripture, there are several lists Scripture passages for personal meditation. The lists are "The Birth and Hidden Life of Christ," "The Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ," "The Parables of Christ," "The Miracles of Christ," and "Passages About the Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary."

Each book of the Bible begins with an introductory page, which contains information on the author, date of composition, intended audience the book was written for, and main themes in the book of the Bible. Looking at the Gospel of Matthew in The Didache Bible and comparing it to the Gospel of Matthew in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, one can see that the Scriptural cross-references are consistent. For example Matthew 1:1-17 cross-references to Luke 3:23-38. The footnotes however are different, in a good way. Footnotes from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible focus a lot on word-meaning and the original Greek and Aramaic that Matthew wrote in, as well as more Scriptural cross-references. The Didache Bible's footnotes, however, focus on what the text actually means, why it is important, and cross-references to the Catechism. This is the biggest difference between the two Bibles and is what makes The Didache Bible what it is. The commentaries at the bottom are all based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In fact, the Bible's cover even looks like the Catechism. On some pages, like at the bottom of pages 92-93 (Exodus 23-25), there are bits of the Catechism discussed, like "the obligation to speak the truth."

Other great features in The Didache Bible include full page apologetical explanations on topics such as Baptism, Mortal and Venial Sin, and Apostolic Succession, just to name a few. There is a brief glossary (if you consider 43 pages brief) and topical index at the end of the Bible, and there are also 27 full-color Biblical maps which include Old Testament maps (like The Journeys of Abraham) and New Testament maps (like Christ's Journey to Jerusalem). The size of the Bible is 6" x 9", with a font of 9.5 points. Both of these are smaller than the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, but the font was not a strain on my eyes to read. It is approximately 2000 pages, and the margins are very tiny, so don't expect to make many notes in this Bible. That's not a deal-breaker for me, as I do not make notes in my Bible. Lastly, there are not one, but two ribbon markers. I assume for both testaments, but if not that is how I plan to use mine.

Overall, I am greatly impressed with this edition of the Bible. Normally, if a book is that impressive, I would say that it deserves a place on your bookshelf. The Didache Bible, however, deserves a spot on your desk, dining room table, coffee table, or wherever you read your Bible. It will not be replacing my Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, but I will be using the two in conjunction. This is the complete Catholic Study Bible that Catholics have been awaiting for at least a decade. The only thing I found odd about it was that 1st and 2nd Maccabees were at the end of the Old Testament, instead of between the books of Esther and Job. So either pick up a copy of the hardcover now, or if you insist on leather, wait a little bit longer for that one to be released.

[booklady]

March 15, 2021: Setting this on the backburner for now as I want to focus entirely on Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels. Will return to this after I finish with that.

October 27, 2019: Discovered it was due to 'operator error' that I was unable to return to the text after looking something up in the Glossary. I just needed to tap on the page, let it reduce, and look for the mini-page symbol which reads, "Go back to ___" and click on that. Just a different way than I am used to. Several other features I am still sorting out. Trying to read a little each day. Wonderful thing about Holy Scripture ... no matter how many times you read/hear it, always something NEW!

October 25, 2019: On the downside, the links which take you to the Glossary only work one way, i.e., they do not return you to your original place in the text. VERY discouraging! You have to decide ahead of time and ask yourself, do I REALLY want to use this link? If so, make note of where you are, go there, read the meaning of what you looked up, and find your way back to the original text (not so easy w/kindle as no such thing as finger holding your place), and then apply meaning to reading, which hopefully you still recall.

On the upside, there is a Biblical Chronology which is extremely helpful and each Book of the Bible contains an Introduction which includes an AUTHOR AND DATE, MAIN THEMES and AUDIENCE.

October 14, 2019: Got the kindle version since I take my kindle anyway to Adoration and now will have a good Bible w/Commentary. Still prefer REAL book, but there are features with e-books...

[Tom Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: I am a little less impressed with the commentary on this Bible than I was originally. Having read from Genesis to I Kings in the last few weeks, it gets a little wearisome. But I suppose that isn't exactly its point. The end result is that I'm doing my actual reading now from the Navarre Bible commentary, and doing my notations in this volume.
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I am astonished that no Catholic Bible like this seems to have been published before 2014. This study Bible truly is a must-have for any student of Sacred Scripture who wants to read the Bible within its proper context, that is, the Church. It is delightful to read the Old Testament and glance down at the footnotes to see actual references to Jesus Christ! After all, he's the reason why the OT is in the Christian Bible to begin with.

I am also fascinated by the additional materials included in the Bible, essential tools and helpful guides to approaching scripture. Before you get to Genesis 1:1 you will find: A brief essay on how to read the Bible (2 pages); a 'Brief Summary of Sacred Scripture' covering each book individually (6 pages); a chronological timeline of the Bible giving approximate dates for the historical events and works (5 pages); 'Scripture Passages for Personal Meditation' arranged by subject and taken only from the NT (5 pages). These are all ideal additions to a Catholic Bible - there are no pointless lists, like the list of Popes found in the NAB.

Each book of the Bible begins with a short introduction discussing the book's authorship, date, audience, and main themes. I have found that the footnotes throughout the text have proved incredibly useful when using the book while teaching a class, since I can, at a glance, be reminded of the language employed in the Catechism to explain relevant ideas.

Throughout the book are sprinkled, apparently at random, brief, single-paged 'apologetical explanations' for various subjects of Catholic doctrine. These are abbreviated Catechism articles, and conclude with references to the corresponding paragraphs in the actual Catechism. While useful, they seem somewhat out of place in the text the way they are. There are indices of these articles by title and topic in the back of the bible, where you will also find a surprising number of maps as well as a glossary of terms and an index of subjects.

A very useful Bible for anyone who wants to experience Sacred Scripture the way it should be read, through the lens of Faith and tradition. [The Didache Bible is available with the RSV-CE and NABRE translations. Choose RSV-CE every time.]

[Richard Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compact. Complete.

[Robert Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewing the Bible seems like a bit of a foolish endeavor. To religious people, it would probably seem blasphemous. To non-religious, it would seem at least useless. However, without venturing to review the Bible itself, it does seem worthwhile to review this particular edition of the Bible, and that's what I'm setting out to do here, however briefly.

This edition makes use of the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition translation, which is a well-respected Catholic translation of the Bible. Overall, I think that's the best translation to balance elegance of language with readability in modern English. Admittedly, I sometimes prefer to read some of the more poetic passages in an older translation like the King James Version purely for the linguistic aesthetics, but I think this translation does an excellent job of balancing the various needs of the text.

More importantly with regard to this specific edition, the annotations and cross references throughout are extremely useful. Each book is introduced with a one-page note regarding its authorship, contents, and intended audience. The text, then, is well-annotated with notes on almost every page that help the reader understand the subtleties of translation, references to other books or historic events, and so forth. Reading the Bible is all well and good, but surely the goal of reading any text is to understand its meaning, and given the complexity of a text like the Bible, I found these notes quite useful.

[Taymaz Azimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a useful commentary/study Bible when it comes to the relationship between the post-Vatican II doctrine of the Catholic Church and the scripture. The commentaries are rich with references to the Catechism of The Catholic church and some sermons and writings of Pope John Paul II. So, quite useful as I said.

But if you are interested in Biblical Studies from a more critical angle this book always underwhelms. The claims made in commentaries are often very bland. There is nothing particularly interesting about how the footnotes approach a certain verse. And of course the underlying theology of the book makes it impossible for the commentaries to search and seek beyond the standard Catholic reading of the scripture. The book also contains sections called "Apologetical Explanations" which are sometimes infuriatingly simplistic and uncritical - these are perhaps what I most dislike about this book.

So, to me (an atheist who's obsessed with Biblical Studies) this book has very little to offer (other than references to parts and paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, of course).

[Dick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read 95% as part of the 4 year Catholic Biblical School program from the Lay Division of the St. John Vianney seminary in Denver, Colorado. Awesome. I would never have mined so much from the Bible without the superb instructors. The Bible, I found, has an infinite number of layers of meaning and wisdom. Now I'll start reading it again. What a life changer! As a former atheist, it was easy to find fault with it. But once I started believing, I found meaning, not faults.

[delbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up Catholic, I have not read the Bible from front to cover until this time - I wanted to know what the Bible is about and what story it tells. If it would not have been the Didache Bible and its commentaries, I would have been lost. Reading the Bible and the stories it tell makes sense to me thanks to the CCC-based accompaniment and explanation provided.

[Common Ground · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this translation. Very beautiful.

[Mary Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lifetime goal accomplished. Some hard parts to go through but some parts full of inspiration and understanding of the human experience

[Derek S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will begin with a general first day, unpacking from the box review of 'The Didache Bible' which will be a companion to 'The New Jerusalem Bible - Standard Edition' that I have.

To begin with, there are two leather edition Bibles that have the same ISBN [I am not aware on how the ISBN is obtained]; one is the green colour bonded leather padded soft cover that is available on Amazon's web portal and the other is the burgundy coloured, bonded leather soft cover. The ISBN [Ignatius] 978-1-58617-972-4 is the same for both the editions. The one on Amazon.in cost me Rs. 3940.00 [printed in Italy and shipped from the USA], whereas the burgundy colour cover Bible cost me Rs. 1200.00 [printed in India and bought at a local Catholic book store].

The green cover edition uses white colour paper, whereas the burgundy cover edition uses off white paper.

Pros:
1. Both Bibles are good to hold; while the burgundy soft cover Bible enables easier handling while turning to locate any particular book.
2. The print quality is good and the font size for both the main text and footnotes are practical and the Bible can be easily read.
3. The cross references, the footnotes, the apologetical explanations and the commentaries based on the catechism of the Catholic Church are all interesting and good to have in a single book.

Cons:
1. Both the Bibles do not have a thumb index. I wish all Catholic Bibles' publishers and printers would provide this; it would make locating a book much more convenient and easy.
2. Top and bottom margins and also first line spacing from pages vii to xxxiv not consistent. For example: 'FOREWORD' [vii], 'PREFACE' [ix], 'INTRODUCTION' [xi], 'HOW TO READ THE BIBLE' [xiv], 'BRIEF SUMMARY OF SACRED SCRIPTURE' [xix] and many others. There are instances of this in the Glossary as well - this is for both the Bibles.
3. Text alignment in the glossary, index of subjects including Biblical names, which look 'justified', should have had auto hyphenation to avoid the extra spacing between words ' this is for both the Bibles.
4. Wasted top and bottom space on many pages - this is for both the Bibles.
5. The top and bottom border lines for the cross references are light and 'almost' invisible on some pages in the burgundy cover edition. Is this only on the Bible that I have? I didn't notice this on the Bible I bought from Amazon.
6. There is the apologetical explanation of the Rosary, which mentions the four mysteries. It would have beneficial to mention the days on which the respective mysteries are to be said - this is for both the Bibles.
7. Font size has been reduced for the introduction to many books in the Bible [it looks like the publisher wanted to fit everything on one page - it does not look good!] - this is for both the Bibles.

The publisher and printer 'must' maintain consistent printing and typesetting quality throughout. Let us Catholics have a quality Holy Bible better than what the Protestants publish [as I have read on many Bible reviews]. I hope the above cons can be rectified before the next reprint.

All said and done, owning 'The Didache Bible' is highly recommended.

Update [18.4.2016]:

I noticed two disparities in spellings.

1. Genesis 4:17 - E'Noch and Enoch.
2. 1 Samuel 17:50, 57 - Philis'tine and Philistine.

I wrote to Ignatius press and the response I got was:
Quote
"Yes, the Ignatius Bible (Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition) has an accent on the first occurrence within a verse of many words."
Unquote

Update [21.4.2016]:

1. Job 15 header: Typo - Eiphaz [Should read as Eliphaz].

Has anyone come across more spelling errors, disparities?

The Bible with all the cross references, footnotes is great to read; however, the publishers should rectify the disparities and errors in typesetting and spelling mistakes, which are distracting while reading the Scriptures. I hope the publisher reads the reviews.

Update [19.5.2016]:

I have come across another misspelling, which causes a distraction when reading the Bible.

I will continue reading this one, until I can get the other Didache Bible - NABRE version.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very best study Bible I've ever seen.
Absolutely essential.
All of the Commentaries and interpretations are based strictly on the Sacred Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, that is, the culture and Sacred Tradition from which the New Testament and the Canon of Scripture originated.

The first edition contains a few minor typos that are easy to deal with if you have another decent bible lying around or even just access to the internet. I imagine this will be resolved in subsequent editions.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's literally the Good Book, so it's the best book.

This version is also cool because the footnotes reference the Catechism. Which is why it took me so long to read it.

[Pattie Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz!