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The Holy Bible: Douay-Rheims Version [New Catholic Edition]
Everyone should be familiar with the great heroes and stories of the Bible. From the beginning of Creation to the Last Judgement, from Noah and the Flood to the Exodus from Egypt, from the Annunciation of the Lord to His glorious Ressurection,
The New Catholic Illustrated Bible
tells the story of salvation in a way that will engage and inspire readers of every age.
With over 100 beautiful full-color illustrations, and a faithful re-telling of Scripture by acclaimed author Amy Welborn, here is a Bible story book that you and your loved ones will turn to often, now and for years to come.
Open its pages and discover why The New Catholic Illustrated Bible is a treasure that belongs in every Catholic home.
Plus: Easy-to-read lay-flat binding and gold-foil details.
With over 100 beautiful full-color illustrations, and a faithful re-telling of Scripture by acclaimed author Amy Welborn, here is a Bible story book that you and your loved ones will turn to often, now and for years to come.
Open its pages and discover why The New Catholic Illustrated Bible is a treasure that belongs in every Catholic home.
Plus: Easy-to-read lay-flat binding and gold-foil details.
383 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1611
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
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April 25, 2008I was born and "raised" Catholic but basically fell away from the faith. Later I became a Protestant and to make a long story short, I ended up right back over the Tiber.
One of the habits I picked up from my old Protestant days was a love and devotion to Scripture. When I had started I had picked up a New American Bible and for the most part that was okay but even before I realized how heretical the translator's notes were I had problems with their rejection of Apostolic authorship of the Gospels, some of St. Paul's epistles, and especially of Hebrews.
Then I found out about the Douay-Rheims, Challoner Revision and I have to say it was love from the first day. This is a beautifully rendered translation with notes in conformance with the Magisterium. I use the Douay Rheims for my spiritual study and especially for memorization. Its classic language carries with it a profound and poetic authority that conveys entirely that this word, is not the word of men only, but the Word of God.
One of the habits I picked up from my old Protestant days was a love and devotion to Scripture. When I had started I had picked up a New American Bible and for the most part that was okay but even before I realized how heretical the translator's notes were I had problems with their rejection of Apostolic authorship of the Gospels, some of St. Paul's epistles, and especially of Hebrews.
Then I found out about the Douay-Rheims, Challoner Revision and I have to say it was love from the first day. This is a beautifully rendered translation with notes in conformance with the Magisterium. I use the Douay Rheims for my spiritual study and especially for memorization. Its classic language carries with it a profound and poetic authority that conveys entirely that this word, is not the word of men only, but the Word of God.
April 2, 2019
(This is the last of my unread Bibles *phew*)
This Bible version was publsihed between 1582-1610, and was revised by Challoner in 1749-52. For 200 years this was the only Catholic translation. And this is my only Bible with Jesus' words in red. :)
The name comes from the first publishing places with an English college; Douay in 1609 (OT) and Rheims in 1582 (NT). The cover has the back of St Benedict's medal in the middle.
At the beginning are personal family documentation pages, and an 1899 edition preface. Each book starts with a comment, each chapter describes the contents, and there are notes often at the end of the page. The book title are sometimes slightly or completely different from what the usually are; some people's names are also different. At the end are historical and chronological indexes for both parts (like sometimes in notes, the years are not what we know today, nor are the orders of events or theories necessarily what the really were, so take this in mind when you read the text), essential Catholic prayers, a list of popes up to Benedict XVI, a couple of paintings, and a few maps (Jesus-time Palestine, Paul's journeys) that are not the best I've read, but sufficient.
Some interesting things in notes and elsewhere, like now I notice that Noah curses not Shem but one of his sons, Chanaan. That the Egyptians were fleeing already when the walls of water started coming down. That the spies who went to check on the Promised Land brought not only grapes, but also figs and pomegranates. Where's Moses' blessing for the tribe of Simeon?
Some words have aged, but there's still a lot less to guess, unlike the original KJV which was tough (for example: frumenty, emerods, pease (peas), screak (creak?)). Each psalms comes with a Latin title, and none have the 'selah' thing. Esther's apocryphal stuff is put at the end, not among the main text. More effort in notes to see texts about Christ in the OT prophets' texts. Also in Ephesos, the text names the goddess Diana, not Artemis.
A decent version of a Catholic Bible, but I still prefer NABRE the most, and recommend that more. Some interesting facts, and a view into a time of how the history of Biblical times was once seen, make this still a worthy experience.
This Bible version was publsihed between 1582-1610, and was revised by Challoner in 1749-52. For 200 years this was the only Catholic translation. And this is my only Bible with Jesus' words in red. :)
The name comes from the first publishing places with an English college; Douay in 1609 (OT) and Rheims in 1582 (NT). The cover has the back of St Benedict's medal in the middle.
At the beginning are personal family documentation pages, and an 1899 edition preface. Each book starts with a comment, each chapter describes the contents, and there are notes often at the end of the page. The book title are sometimes slightly or completely different from what the usually are; some people's names are also different. At the end are historical and chronological indexes for both parts (like sometimes in notes, the years are not what we know today, nor are the orders of events or theories necessarily what the really were, so take this in mind when you read the text), essential Catholic prayers, a list of popes up to Benedict XVI, a couple of paintings, and a few maps (Jesus-time Palestine, Paul's journeys) that are not the best I've read, but sufficient.
Some interesting things in notes and elsewhere, like now I notice that Noah curses not Shem but one of his sons, Chanaan. That the Egyptians were fleeing already when the walls of water started coming down. That the spies who went to check on the Promised Land brought not only grapes, but also figs and pomegranates. Where's Moses' blessing for the tribe of Simeon?
Some words have aged, but there's still a lot less to guess, unlike the original KJV which was tough (for example: frumenty, emerods, pease (peas), screak (creak?)). Each psalms comes with a Latin title, and none have the 'selah' thing. Esther's apocryphal stuff is put at the end, not among the main text. More effort in notes to see texts about Christ in the OT prophets' texts. Also in Ephesos, the text names the goddess Diana, not Artemis.
A decent version of a Catholic Bible, but I still prefer NABRE the most, and recommend that more. Some interesting facts, and a view into a time of how the history of Biblical times was once seen, make this still a worthy experience.
September 5, 2011
The Douay-Rheims translation into English of the Christian Holy Bible, essentially a Catholic compilation of separate scrolls by various ancient Jewish and Christian authors (not Anonymous), is probably the best and most accurate of the classic translations into English that is available.
Although the competing King James Version is perhaps better known in the English speaking world, the Douay-Rheims version is a more valuable guide in the English language, short of translating every word yourself out of the original Hebrew and Greek, which although now possible with the Internet as a resource available to all, yet as a compiled work, the Douay-Rheims is a nice bound companion.
The King James Version is also missing several "books" (sections) which are contained within the Douay-Rheims. These missing sections tell us the following which is not available from the KJV --
- Who is the arch-angel Rafael of the trio of arch-angels including Michael and Gabriel?
- What happened to the Ark of the Covenant and who took it away from Jerusalem?
- Who are the Spartans and where did they originate?
- What is the history between the times of Malachi and John The Baptist?
If you cannot yet answer these questions then you really should read the Douay-Rheims translation.
Although the competing King James Version is perhaps better known in the English speaking world, the Douay-Rheims version is a more valuable guide in the English language, short of translating every word yourself out of the original Hebrew and Greek, which although now possible with the Internet as a resource available to all, yet as a compiled work, the Douay-Rheims is a nice bound companion.
The King James Version is also missing several "books" (sections) which are contained within the Douay-Rheims. These missing sections tell us the following which is not available from the KJV --
- Who is the arch-angel Rafael of the trio of arch-angels including Michael and Gabriel?
- What happened to the Ark of the Covenant and who took it away from Jerusalem?
- Who are the Spartans and where did they originate?
- What is the history between the times of Malachi and John The Baptist?
If you cannot yet answer these questions then you really should read the Douay-Rheims translation.
April 26, 2007
The Douay-Rheims Version. Accept no substitutes. When you absolutely, positively have to read every last motherfucking word of God.
August 3, 2011
Well, not the large print version, but I still own it. The Word of God. Can I give it less than five stars? It changed my life.
December 27, 2015
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.
9 That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name.
13 Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.
9 That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name.
13 Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
March 23, 2019
I'll be honest, I do not know why Catholics love this Bible translation so much. I have found it very difficult to use in prayer due to the archaic language, and know that it is not a translation from the original scripture texts, but rather of St Jerome's Vulgate, which is the authoritative Latin translation for liturgical use in the Latin church, but is not, itself, the original scriptures.
August 11, 2020
By far the greatest translation of the Holy Scriptures into the vernacular!
November 27, 2023
Bible in a Year plan finished! A very rewarding experience. This edition was nice too, the notes were heavier in the prophetical books that gave some help to intermediate readers but didn’t bog down parables and other basics with commentaries. The chronologies and treasury of prayers at the back is great too!
February 13, 2013
Love this translation. Grew up with it as a kid and now I try to find copies wherever I can. It might not be the most accurate translation ever, and the footnotes definitely show their age, but this is a great bible for me.
September 13, 2025
It’s been several years since my last Bible read through and being as that it takes as long and is as big of a commitment as it is it will likely be several more years until my next read through. I will likely look for a more contemporary, yet faithful, translation for whenever my next read through will be but it’s always good to read a classic such as this as well.
March 24, 2011
Of all of the modern revisions of the Bible that are now available in the whole of the English-speaking world, The Holy Catholic Douay-Rheims Version is the most accurate and safest version ever produced; it is also the only authoritative Catholic Bible that nourished generations of English-speaking Catholics!
The Old and New Testaments are from the 1899 edition published by the John Murphy Company in Baltimore, Maryland (these texts were wholly revised and diligently compared with the Latin Vulgate and annotated by Bishop Richard Challoner). The Old and New Testaments, and Historical and Chronological Indexes have been beautifully re-typeset, faithfully to reproduce the original 1899 Gibbons edition. The text has been re-typed line by line to represent exactly the original edition. The Family Register pages have also been digitally typeset and redrawn.
This is the only edition of the traditional Catholic Douay-Rheims Version with the words of Our Lord in red!
With explanatory notes by the Servant of God, Bishop Richard Challoner, cross-references, and a table of Catholic Truths referenced to their pertinent Scriptural passages.
Sale: $45 @ http://webstore.com/~StJosephTreasury
The Old and New Testaments are from the 1899 edition published by the John Murphy Company in Baltimore, Maryland (these texts were wholly revised and diligently compared with the Latin Vulgate and annotated by Bishop Richard Challoner). The Old and New Testaments, and Historical and Chronological Indexes have been beautifully re-typeset, faithfully to reproduce the original 1899 Gibbons edition. The text has been re-typed line by line to represent exactly the original edition. The Family Register pages have also been digitally typeset and redrawn.
This is the only edition of the traditional Catholic Douay-Rheims Version with the words of Our Lord in red!
With explanatory notes by the Servant of God, Bishop Richard Challoner, cross-references, and a table of Catholic Truths referenced to their pertinent Scriptural passages.
Sale: $45 @ http://webstore.com/~StJosephTreasury
October 25, 2009
lots of footnotes. not for meditation, but great for understanding scriptural origins.
September 7, 2012
Not free of mistakes and let-downs completely - but among the very best and with language that soars
January 8, 2014
Really good inspiring read! Always wanted to read it from beginning to end. Was always on my "bucket list" of things to do!
July 12, 2020
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
January 13, 2022
I read the bible between the Challoner Douay and between the RSV-CE.
Of course, it's an amazing book, so I'll speak about the version here.
I like the Douay, although it can be cumbersome in wording. It's thoroughly unapologetically catholic, whereas the RSV-CE has a tendency to be more ecumenical.
The RSVCE is undoubtedly the better version from a manuscript perspective, but I prefer reading the Douay.
Of course, it's an amazing book, so I'll speak about the version here.
I like the Douay, although it can be cumbersome in wording. It's thoroughly unapologetically catholic, whereas the RSV-CE has a tendency to be more ecumenical.
The RSVCE is undoubtedly the better version from a manuscript perspective, but I prefer reading the Douay.
February 18, 2021
This was the Holy Bible, by God. (DRV - Challoner).
So this is the shortest amount of time I've read it in and it still took nearly 6 months (though largely concentrated in the last two months).
One of the things I find most fascinating is the enormous distance between what people take from it and what it is. Not that it's for me to tell people how to read it but it's such a peculiar collection of laws, parables, metaphors, dreams (which are sometimes allowed to be interpreted), geneology, poetry. And a whole Heap of hopelessly corrupted interpretation.
Like the hot button subjects. There's almost nothing explicitly anti-gay. The Christians are way more anti-women than the Jews by this book (and that's not to say that Talmudic Judaism is spot on but Judith is pretty banging).
Because it's kind of excruciating to read it all gets a bit hallucinatory. The new testament telling the same story in different ways is odd. Paul and Peter's alleged conversation, split between gentiles and Jews, strikes a weird balance of violence.
Also it's worth mentioning how boring it is. Like if a book ever needed an editor it's this one.
Still. There's plenty of Jesus here and all your favourite old dudes so for that reason it's 10/10 from me.
So this is the shortest amount of time I've read it in and it still took nearly 6 months (though largely concentrated in the last two months).
One of the things I find most fascinating is the enormous distance between what people take from it and what it is. Not that it's for me to tell people how to read it but it's such a peculiar collection of laws, parables, metaphors, dreams (which are sometimes allowed to be interpreted), geneology, poetry. And a whole Heap of hopelessly corrupted interpretation.
Like the hot button subjects. There's almost nothing explicitly anti-gay. The Christians are way more anti-women than the Jews by this book (and that's not to say that Talmudic Judaism is spot on but Judith is pretty banging).
Because it's kind of excruciating to read it all gets a bit hallucinatory. The new testament telling the same story in different ways is odd. Paul and Peter's alleged conversation, split between gentiles and Jews, strikes a weird balance of violence.
Also it's worth mentioning how boring it is. Like if a book ever needed an editor it's this one.
Still. There's plenty of Jesus here and all your favourite old dudes so for that reason it's 10/10 from me.
August 3, 2012
I have read all of the new testament in this and parts of the old testament.Classic catholic cultural literature or sacred writing? I believe in Jesus so its sacred writing to me.Right now
Im a quaker who uses roman catholic, eastern-orthodox, coptic writing, and the writing of the early
church writers along with quaker writings. I believe "faith without works is dead"!I may convert
to catholicism, orthodoxy, or the coptic church once Ive gone to all 3 of their initiation classes.
Liberal quakers use any bible they wish and this is one of mine. Im a lapsed roman catholic and
I thought the poetry of this bible was beautiful.Its a gorgeous gospel for the erudite scholar.Yes,
if you only study one roman catholic bible and are well read then I recommend this one.
Im a quaker who uses roman catholic, eastern-orthodox, coptic writing, and the writing of the early
church writers along with quaker writings. I believe "faith without works is dead"!I may convert
to catholicism, orthodoxy, or the coptic church once Ive gone to all 3 of their initiation classes.
Liberal quakers use any bible they wish and this is one of mine. Im a lapsed roman catholic and
I thought the poetry of this bible was beautiful.Its a gorgeous gospel for the erudite scholar.Yes,
if you only study one roman catholic bible and are well read then I recommend this one.
May 14, 2017
There are two excellent English translations of the Bible, each representing one of the two main strands of documentary history. One is The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version (1977). It is the clearest and most comprehensive revision of the King James Version, which was compiled and translated from all sources available in 1611. The other is a 2003 Baronius edition of the 1899 Gibbons edition based on the 1749-1752 Challoner revision of the 1610 Douay-Rheims Bible, an English translation of the Latin Vulgate, itself compiled and translated c.400 AD from Greek and Hebrew sources. Taken together in terms of scholarship, legibility and style, these two books encompass the best representation of the Bible in the English language.
May 18, 2013
The foundational text for Christianity, a historical and philosophical connection to the early church and to Judaism, and a great work of literature. I first read it in its entirety during a "Through the Bible in a Year" program in high school. Whether one is seeking the basis for Christianity, masterpiece storytelling, or a classic Great Book, the Bible merits its 5 stars.
June 20, 2008
This Bible was revised in (the last revision) A.D.1749-1752 and compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner.
Bible is ALIVE with the work of God, its vibrant and includes all the hidden Books. To me its the closest hing to the origional books that I will ever get.
Bible is ALIVE with the work of God, its vibrant and includes all the hidden Books. To me its the closest hing to the origional books that I will ever get.
November 7, 2009
The first complete translation of the Alexandrine Canon into English taken directly form the Latin Vulgate. Still employs archaic language (such as "thee" and "thou"), which can seem forbidding to young students or first-time readers. Makes a great "coffee-table" or "wedding" Bible.
December 13, 2010
Always reading...
Read
July 25, 2010William H.McClellan.
August 15, 2013
What can I say? It's the good book.
February 26, 2012
(Rating is for the translation.)
September 29, 2012
The Old Testament (Exodus and Job) is our second piece of literature we'll focus on in HUM 101: Western Traditions I.
September 17, 2013
I liked it
August 9, 2011
Classic English Catholic Bible.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews