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Why Does The Catholic Version Of The Bible Have More Books Than The Protestant Version
To appreciate this question and its answer, one must first remember that almighty God never handed anyone a complete Bible and said, Here it is. Rather, over the centuries of salvation history, the Holy Spirit inspired the authors of Sacred Scripture to write down Gods revelation to us. As time went on, the Church compiled these books to form a Canon an authoritative set of Sacred Scripture and declared it Gods Word.
Meanwhile, the writing of the New Testament books occurred between the time of our Lords death and the end of the first century. . After the legalization of Christianity in 313, we find the Church striving to formalize what writings of the New Testament were truly considered inspired and authentic to the teachings of our Lord. St. Athanasius in his Paschal Epistle presented the complete list of 27 books of the New Testament saying, These are the sources of salvation, for the thirsty may drink deeply of the words to be found here. In these alone is the doctrine of piety recorded. Let no one add to them or take anything away from them. This list of 27 books along with the 46 books of the Old Testament was affirmed as the official canon of Sacred Scripture for the Catholic Church by the synods of Hippo , and Carthage I & II . The letter of Pope St. Innocent I in 405 also officially listed these books.
Will The Translation Sound Familiar Or Foreign
If you have ever read the King James Bible or its twentieth-century update, the Revised Standard Version, the ESV will sound familiar. As an intentional update of the RSV, the ESV removes archaic-sounding words and phrases, while trying to improve on the translation and changing about 60,000 words in all. It is close enough to the RSV to sound familiar, but different enough to feel fresh.
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A Readers Guide To Choosing A Catholic Bible
Based on their covers alone, its easy to see that Catholic Bibles come in a wide variety. However, open each one up, and youre likely to find an even greater number of differences that could change the way you enjoy your Bible altogether.
If youre not quite sure how to choose the best Catholic Bible, here are a few things you should keep in mind.
- Bible Translation. When the Bible was first written, it was in Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic. To make it universally understandable, it was translated into English. Because translation can be subjective at times, many different translated versions were created.
The Roman Catholic Bible comes in 19 different English versions. While they all aim to teach essentially the same concepts, minor differences in these translations can make them easier or harder to understand depending on the reader.
For instance, some Bible translations use Shakespearean English. These can be much more difficult for some users to appreciate, especially because of the outdated word usage.
Some Bible translations are approved only for devotional and personal use, which means theyre not used for celebrating the Eucharist. That said, if you want a Bible that translates similarly to the gospel you hear in church, you should choose one that is approved for use in the celebration of mass.
What Is King James Bible
The King James Bible is the translation of the Christian Bible to the English Language. It is the authorized version of the Holy Book which was published in the year 1611 AD.
The task of translation began in the year 1604 under the order of King James I. This version of the Bible misses out on the 7 books on Apocrypha which must be present between the Old and the New Testament. King James Version of the Bible is the third English translation of the Christian Bible. The earlier versions were the Great Bible and the Bishops Bible.
These two versions had certain problems which were raised by the Puritans.
Puritans: They were the people belonged to the 16th century. They were Protestants and they wanted to clear all the problems with Catholic influence from Church of England.
With this effect, King James I called for a Hampton Court Conference in the year 1604. The decision of making another English version of the Christian Bible was made.
The translation was done by a total of 47 people. They were divided into 6 panels for the task to be carried out effectively.
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Difference Between The Catholic Bible And The King James Bible
First, its good to know that the original bible was written in Hebrew, and the new testament was written in Greek. Consequently, there are a variety of interpretations of the true meaning of the text. Unfortunately, currently, there arent any original scriptures available, so were going entirely off of what was interpreted through the years.
Just like there were many breakaways from the original Christian religion of Catholicism, there were also many new and updated versions of the bible.
The Catholic Bible is nothing more than the original bible. It includes both the old and new testament, along with some of the 5th century Latin Vulgate which are impossible to find in the newer versions.
Some versions have received editing work from Catholic organizations to help them better represent the original version, but thats the only difference.
According to Christian teachings, the KJV was completed around the year 1611. It was considered one of the earliest English translations of the Catholic bible. However, English translators knowledge of the Hebrew language was rather shaky, and thats why there are so many new versions of the KJV.
Could this be the main reason the Catholic church doesnt recognize the King James version as the text of God? It could be, but to date, there is no evidence to support this hypothesis.
Differences From Catholic Lectionaries
Lectionaries for use in the liturgy differ somewhat in text from the Bible versions on which they are based. Many liturgies, including the Roman, omit some verses in the biblical readings that they use.
Another difference concerns the usage of the Tetragrammaton. Yahweh appears in some Bible translations such as the Jerusalem Bible throughout the Old Testament. Long-standing Jewish and Christian tradition holds that the name is not to be spoken in worship or printed in liturgical texts out of reverence. A 2008 letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments explicitly forbids the use of the name in worship texts, stating: “For the translation of the biblical text in modern languages, intended for the liturgical usage of the Church, what is already prescribed by n. 41 of the Instruction Liturgiam authenticam is to be followed that is, the divine tetragrammaton is to be rendered by the equivalent of Adonai/Kyrios Lord, Signore, Seigneur, Herr, Señor, etc.”
Currently, there is only one lectionary reported to be in use corresponding exactly to an in-print Catholic Bible translation: the Ignatius Press lectionary based on the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition approved for liturgical use in the Antilles and by former Anglicans in the personal ordinariates.
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Development Of The Christian Canons
Development of the Old Testament canonDevelopment of the New Testament canonSt. Jerome in his StudyJeromeLatinVulgate
The Old Testament canon entered into Christian use in the Greek Septuagint translations and original books, and their differing lists of texts. In addition to the Septuagint, Christianity subsequently added various writings that would become the New Testament. Somewhat different lists of accepted works continued to develop in antiquity. In the 4th century a series of synods produced a list of texts equal to the 39, 46, 51, or 54-book canon of the Old Testament and to the 27-book canon of the New Testament that would be subsequently used to today, most notably the Synod of Hippo in 393 CE. Also c. 400, Jerome produced a definitive Latin edition of the Bible , the canon of which, at the insistence of the Pope, was in accord with the earlier Synods. With the benefit of hindsight, it can be said that this process effectively set the New Testament canon, although there are examples of other canonical lists in use after this time.
The New Testament writers assumed the inspiration of the Old Testament, probably earliest stated in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”.
Some denominations have additional canonical holy scriptures beyond the Bible, including the standard works of the Latter Day Saints movement and Divine Principle in the Unification Church.
Ethiopian Orthodox canon
Why Doesnt The Catholic Church Recognize The Kjv
As mentioned, the Catholic faith doesnt reject any version of the bible, but youll notice that there are many different variations. Why so many versions of the same text?
Some books like the New King James Version seem to merely change the wording. Instead of using thee and thy, they changed the phrasing to meet the modern language standards. Other versions of the bible change entire sentences completely. If you walk into a bookstore, youll notice that there are different sections in the store selling the many versions of the bible.
One of the reasons why Catholics may reject the King James version is because the translators assigned to translate Hebrew into English were told by King James I to ensure that the translation fits the theology and teachings of the Church of England. That could lead to controversy.
Regardless, the KJV was the standard English version of the bible for nearly 400 years. This version still uses a lot of old speech, which could be one reason why scholars have continued to update the book and change it since then.
Another significant issue that Catholics have with this version is the absence of the Deuterocanonical books of the old testament. If you read newer translations like the New International Version , you wont find these books. The only bible that contains them is the original Catholic version. The books include:
- Tobit
- Baruch
- Maccabees
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Why Is The Catholic Bible Different
The difference between Catholic Bible and Christian Bible is that the Catholic Bible comprises all 73 books of the old testament and new testament recognized by the Catholic Church, whereas the Christian Bible, also known as the holy bible, is a sacred book for Christian. A Catholic Bible follows catholic canon law.
Why Did Martin Luther Remove 7 Books From The Bible
Several reasons are proposed for the omission of these books from the canon. One is the support for Catholic doctrines such as Purgatory and Prayer for the dead found in 2 Maccabees. Another is that the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1646, during the English Civil War, actually excluded them from the canon.
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Differences From Other Christian Bibles
Bibles used by Catholics differ in the number and order of books from those typically found in bibles used by Protestants, as Catholic bibles retain in their canon seven books that are regarded as non-canonical in Protestanism . As such, its canon of Old Testament texts is somewhat larger than that in translations used by Protestants, which are typically based exclusively on the shorter Hebrew and AramaicMasoretic Text. On the other hand, its canon, which does not accept all the books that are included in the Septuagint, is shorter than that of some churches of Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, which recognize other books as sacred scripture. According to the Greek Orthodox Church, “The translation of the Seventy was for the Church the Apostolic Bible, to which both the Lord and His disciples refer. It enjoys divine authority and prestige as the Bible of the indivisible Church of the first eight centuries. It constitutes the Old Testament, the official text of our Orthodox Church and remains the authentic text by which the official translations of the Old Testament of the other sister Orthodox Churches were made it was the divine instrument of pre-Christ evangelism and was the basis of Orthodox Theology.”
Which Came First Catholic Or Orthodox
The two were once one so originally there was no separation, and originally it was just the Christian Church. The Orthodox church is considered the original church now because they follow more of the old traditions than Roman Catholics do more changes happened in the Catholic church after the east west schism than
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What Is The Translation Philosophy Of The Esv Catholic Edition
The ESV® Catholic Edition is a translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each biblical writer. As such, its emphasis is on a word-for-word correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus, it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.Some Bible versions have followed a thought-for-thought rather than word-for-word translation philosophy, emphasizing âdynamic equivalenceâ rather than the precise meaning of the original. A thought-for-thought translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive views of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture. In contrast, the ESV® Catholic Editionfollows aword-for-wordtranslation philosophy, offering the most precise and up-to-date translation available.Every translation is at many points a trade-off between precision and readability, between âformal equivalenceâ in expression and âfunctional equivalenceâ in communicationâand the ESV® Catholic Edition is no exception. Within this framework, we have sought to be as precise as possible, while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence.
Archaeological And Historical Research
Biblical archaeology is the archaeology that relates to and sheds light upon the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Greek Scriptures . It is used to help determine the lifestyle and practices of people living in biblical times. There are a wide range of interpretations in the field of biblical archaeology. One broad division includes biblical maximalism which generally takes the view that most of the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible is based on history although it is presented through the religious viewpoint of its time. It is considered to be the opposite of biblical minimalism which considers the Bible to be a purely post-exilic composition. Even among those scholars who adhere to biblical minimalism, the Bible is a historical document containing first-hand information on the Hellenistic and Roman eras, and there is universal scholarly consensus that the events of the 6th century BCE Babylonian captivity have a basis in history.
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Do Orthodox Christians Use The King James Bible
No, the Greek Orthodox Bible contains several other books in the Old Testament which they believe are inspired and belong in the Bible, which Protestants do not. Many use as English translation the New King James Version, but they add others similar to the ones in the Catholic Bibles, and some add even more than those.
Do Catholics Use The King James Bible
December 9, 2020 | Tanya Media
Its unlikely for the church to forbid Catholics from using any version of the bible in particular. In fact, the church doesnt denounce the King James Version of the Bible, but it uses different versions during mass.
Having the correct version of scripture will help you learn more and be able to pass the information on to children that might attend church with you.
There are certain reasons why Catholics dont use the King James Version . In this article, were looking at the differences between Bible versions, why there are variations, and which bibles the church recognizes.
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Are Catholics Allowed To Read The Niv Translation
I know this is kind of an odd question. However, there is a question that has popped into my mind while considering these quality standards that we’ve been starting to implement.
My thoughts are that the Catholic Bible includes books that are not part of the Protestant canon. Furthermore, I know the translations aren’t identical between the translation used in Protestant churches and those used in Catholic churches.
So, do Catholics consider the NIV as “Protestant” translations? If so, is there any doctrine or tradition that excludes Catholics from reading these translations?
That’s a very tricky question which deserves some bullet points.
The scripture used during Mass and liturgical events and prayers should always come from the Vulgate Bible. In the United States we use the older New American Bible, with the revised edition waiting in the wings to be implemented at some future date
Dei Verbum ) printed at the beginning of many Catholic Bibles says this:
And should the opportunity arise and the Church authorities approve, if these translations are produced in cooperation with the separated brethren as well, all Christians will be able to use them.
So, there’s a Catholic edition of all sorts of Protestant Bibles. I’ve got a “The Way” Catholic Edition and a “Good News” Catholic Edition and an Oxford Study Bible .
And the explanation is the eternal unchanged explanation, in the context of the entirety of scripture and in line with the consistent teaching of the Bishops.