Thanatos's Theological Treatise #1

Here it is, my first ever theology review! Please read it all the way through!

So What Is Going To Happen?

What this means is that I'll be reviewing a Christian product, giving you the ins and outs, pros and cons of a product. In this way, not only do I hope to provide a nice service for all of you out there who are interested in searching for good Christian fare on God's green earth, but to help you further along the Christian path as well.

As this is my first review, I thought that there'd be no better place, and more fitting, than to start with a review of a Bible.

A Bible? But We All Have Bibles - Why This One?

Yes, we all have Bibles, all with different types of nice covers and features and whatnot, but bear with me a while, and read the entire product review before you say anything.

What Is The Name Of This Bible?

This Bible is the Catholic Treasures Douay Rheims Edition of The Holy Catholic Bible, with Rev. George Leo Haydock's notes.

The ISBN number for this Bible is 1-885692-11-0.

What's The Difference Between A "Regular" Bible And A Catholic Bible?

Now, for all of you who aren't Christian, or are Protestant, I'll first proceed to explain what a Catholic Bible means. The Orthodox have no need of any explanation - we share the same Bible.

You must understand that the Bible was the way it was after the numerous councils finally solidified the order of both books for the Bible. However, when Luther came along, he threw out a number of Old Testament books, which is now known to Protestants as the Apocrypha. Luther threw out a number of New Testament books as well, including Apocalypse/Revelations, but his followers later put them back in.

Therefore, a Catholic Bible is one that includes the Apocrypha. However, believe me, that there is nothing that is heretical of the books of the Apocrypha. I myself read them when I was still an Evangelical Protestant, and I could find nothing with them then, and I still find nothing wrong with them now.

Even if you are an atheist, or a Protestant, or a member of another religion, and are already heavily set against this Bible because it is Catholic, I merely humbly ask that you patiently bear with me until the end. You never know - you may change your mind.

Is There Any Special Edition Or Particular Detail Of The Publishing Of This Book You Would Like Us To Know About?

Yes. A very important thing to note is that the Bible's edition is the 1854 edition, which is meticulously preserved by Catholic Treasures, a Christian company that specializes, amongst other things, preserving wonderful texts written by great doctors of the Church.

You're Starting To Bore Me With the Explanations! Let's Get Started With The Review Already!

Yes, yes! I want to get started as much as you do! Now that all of the tedious, but very necessary explanation has been taken care of, let's get started!

The Cover

First off, like any book, let's just take a look at the cover:



Beautiful, yes? Catholic Treasures certainly takes pride in making very beautiful Bibles, not only on the outside, but on the inside as well.

Let's take a closer look at the bottom of the cross:



If you can't tell, the cross consists of various scenes from the Passion and later Crucifixion of the Christ, with Virgin Mary and child Jesus at the bottom, acting as foundation for the entire front cover.

The Title Page

Here's the artistic title page of the Bible. Every illustration is in this type and style of beautiful art: Once in a while, you'll have an insert between pages of the Bible with a picture such as this, relevant to the verses that are around it:




The Title Page Continued

This is the second title page of the Bible. Pretty much says everything that needs to be said:



A Translation of the Declaration of the Council of Trent

After the two title pages, readers will come across an English translation of the Council of Trent, which explains why and how they organized the books, or chose them, respectively:




For The Historically Inclined - A Timetable of the Bible

This little table is a sketch, based on those at the Council, of the major historical events in the Bible, and how they relate to one another:



So Who's The Interpreter? Is It Just This Rev. Haydock Guy?

By no means whatsoever. The reason Haydock is mentioned on the front cover was that he assembled all the commentary together. However, he does little to no interpretation at all on the Bible verses themselves. Instead, he decides to leave it up to the people who are best inclined to such stuff - the saints and famous doctors of the Church.

Here is a list of all the people whom you will have speak on the verses throughout the Bible:



Full extensive view:



A very nice effect of this is that you will have one saint/doctor say something, on a verse, only to have another saint either comment on that (due to the fact that he was born later), or make his own individual comment on the verse. When you read the interpretation, it's very much like you are sitting at a meeting between all the saints and great doctors of the Church, all gathered around a table, commenting on nearly every verse in the Bible. Much better than any old joe schmoe with his own interpretation on what something means in your average podunk Bible.

So What Does An Average Page Look Like?

Glad you guys asked. Here are some pages, taken from St. Matthew and the Book of the Apocalypse/Revelations. Go ahead and take note of the Verse-to-Interpretation ratio as well:




What Sources Are The Bible Verses Derived From?

Excellent question. Any serious Bible theologist would ask as such. As for this Bible, it is derived from, Greek and Latin primarily. However, there are times when sentences are a bit vague, or could be interpreted in differing ways.

In such cases, the saints in their interpretations speak on how they personally translated the verse, often quoting the Greek or Latin statement as well. In this way, the saints' discourse enables the reader to make his own judgement in this case:

Here is Greek:





And Latin:




The Dictionary

This particular edition of the Douay-Rheims Bible, with Rev. Haydock's notes includes a full-length dictionary, on almost every subject imaginable, with many beautiful pictures as supplements to help the reader or avid scholar understand history that much better:








Final Thoughts

I've gone through many Bibles, and I must say that this is by far the best. The only possible bad point this Bible could have is the very tiny print - those with difficulty reading might need magnifying glasses or lens, but it shouldn't be too bad.

Let me recap the positive points of the Bible:

- Beautifully made to last. It is sturdy, and can withstand abuse (not that I've tried, mind you)
- Beautiful artwork interspersed throughout the book.
- Thorough introduction to the Bible, with Preface and Introduction, supplemented by the official declaration of the Council of Trent.
- Extensive dictionary on almost everything in the Bible, supplemented by beautiful artwork.
- Truly meticulous interpretation on nearly every verse in the Bible, not by some random person nobody knows, but by a collegiate of saints and famous doctors of the Church, all to give the reader that much better of an understanding of the mysteries of God, Christ, and Holy Spirit.

The only one problem is that it's pricey. But hey, you get what you pay for, right? And what's money compared to the treasures stored in heaven?

I sincerely hope you've enjoyed my review of the 1854 edition of the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible.

I have high resolution versions of the pictures in case anybody is interested.

Until next time,

Thanatos

Here you go Setanta. (Yay! You changed yourself back to my favorite avatar of you!)

http://www.catholictreasures.com/cartdescrip/11341.html

I personally find myself preferring the interpretations by the saints at the bottom of each page more and more, because anyone can read the verses, but it takes real understanding to understand the interpretations.

The words are meaningless without the meaning behind them, yes? The saints and doctors interpret the meaning to the fullest extent!

S. Chrysostom and S. Augustine are personal favorites of mine. They seem to have done an interpretation on nearly every verse!

Oh, okay, it is their interpretation of what the verse means, rather than why they translated the verse the way they did.

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

Glad to be of service.

Maybe I'll do some more very soon...

I pay at least $5 for my illegals, so enoch and I need to speak.

Thanatos, that is a beautiful Bible.

Thanks. It was a gift from my father during my second semester in senior year in high school.

He said that it was high time I got a real Bible.

I got a Bible for my 1st Communion, but not near as purdy as yours.

Well, you get what you pay for, let me tell you that!

I never knew how much my Bible cost for my dad until I went to the website...

Now I'm even more grateful.

Thats a beautiful looking bible. Seems very "annotated" - which I like.

And lots of pics, inlays, and diagrams. Mine seems bare bones by comparison. Such is life, I suppose.

Well, an excellent review for a splendid edition of the Bible. Unfortunately the Orthodox don't have an equivalent just yet. They recently produced the New Testament section of the Orthodox Study Bible, but it met with some quite poor reviews from Orthodox scholars. Nonetheless, they're forging ahead and will soon produce the Old Testament section as well.

Still, I'll have to see if I can get hold of a copy of the Douay-Rheims Bible to give it a look over.

Originally Posted by Zenith Darksea

Well, an excellent review for a splendid edition of the Bible. Unfortunately the Orthodox don't have an equivalent just yet. They recently produced the New Testament section of the Orthodox Study Bible, but it met with some quite poor reviews from Orthodox scholars. Nonetheless, they're forging ahead and will soon produce the Old Testament section as well.

Still, I'll have to see if I can get hold of a copy of the Douay-Rheims Bible to give it a look over.

Hmm... One would think that the Orthodox and the Catholics would share the same Bible? After all, it's not like the Orthodox or the Catholics decided to gut the Bible after the Great Schism, like the Protestants did with Luther... :hmmm:

"Your good-hearted and well intentioned efforts will deserve an eternal reward and will place you finally in the communion of saints,where sitting amidst the love of God and enlightened by the Holy Spirit,ever they discuss and enjoy the sublime satisfaction of the purest and cleverest in Christ that doesn't have an end " ...
Joking ,I am awaiting your next thread .BTW the way you formed all this is aweasome .You may become a scholar .

woah I'll check this out thinks thanatos

I am SO getting one!

Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I had no idea that so many people would want it, even with the price tag...

Well, of course Catholics and Orthodox have the same Bible canon, we just don't have the same publications.

Originally Posted by Zenith Darksea

Well, of course Catholics and Orthodox have the same Bible canon, we just don't have the same publications.

By publications you mean...?

Excellent, I have a darn good Bible but as I become more and more "traditional" I am looking for improvements. I have contemplated investing in one but you have convinced me. I will certainly get myself a copy.

On another note, I am just starting to do the Daily Office (morning and evening, shortened) which is superb, if a bit daunting at first. It really makes you feel you are in communion with the rest of the living Church... the closest thing I can liken it to is like putting your head to your mothers chest as a child and hearing her breath and her heart beat...

That Bible is in English! HERETIC!

The infallible Holy Fathers of the Middle Ages decreed that it was heresy to print or own a Bible in a modern tongue!Confess your sins and plead for forgiveness - but not before you BURN THAT ABOMINATION!