01_DouayRheims

Bible Study - Catholic Bibles / 01_DouayRheims

01_DouayRheims.jpg ISBN: 1-930278-24-1
Loreto Publications
P.O. Box 603
Fitzwillaim, NH 03447
www.LoretoPubs.org

Below are some examples showing why I also like the Douay-Rheims translation of the Bible:

1. The Gospel of St Luke 1:28

And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Father George Leo Haydock's commentaries on this verse are very helpful. Please take a look at a sample of his work in the Haydock Bible

By the way, even Martin Luther in his sermon "On the Day of the Conception of Mary, the Mother of God" (December 1527) says this:
It is a sweet and pious belief that the infusion of Mary's soul of her soul she was also purified from Original Sin; so that in the very infusion of her soul she was also purified from Original Sin and adorned with God's gifts, receiving a pure soul infused by God; thus from the first moment she began to live, she was free from all sin.[1]

Isn't that a vibrant homage to Mary, full of grace?

2. The Gospel of St Matthew 16:18-19

And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.

Other Catholic Bibles translate "the gates of hell" as: the gates of Hades, the gates of the netherworld, the jaws of death, the powers of death, etc. Hades could be translated as the place (state) of departed souls , or grave, or hell. I think, and this is just my opinion, that gates of hell is clearer when those verses are read in Sunday Mass. Not many people would know what Hades is.

3. The Gospel of St John 7:16-17

Douay-Rheims:
Jesus answered them, and said: My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man do the will of him; he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

New American Bible:
Jesus answered them and said, "My teaching is not my own but is from the one who sent me. Whoever chooses to do his will shall know whether my teaching is from God or whether I speak on my own.

Revised Standard Version - Second Catholic Edition:
So Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me; if any man's will is to do his will, he shall know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority."

Notice the use of the word doctrine has been replaced by teaching in the last two modern translations. In my opinion, the word doctrine weights more when we consider the fact that doctrines of the Catholic faith ought to be passed down faithfully to future generations without alterations. In the whole context of John 7:16-17, we can see that even Jesus repeatedly said that "my doctrine is not mine ...". Jesus, the Second Divine Person of the Holy Trinity, is made man to pass down to us the doctrine of God the Father.

A drawback of the Douay-Rheims Bible: it's difficult to read

Here's an example of old English that makes the Douay-Rheims difficult to understand.

1 Cor 10:13: (Douay-Rheims)
Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human. And God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it.

When I first read this verse, I could not understand it. I showed it to one of my friend, whose American English is his mother tongue. He could not understand it either. I came to realize that the Douay-Rheims is not necessarily good for first time readers. The difficulty of old English could discourage them from reading Holy Scripture definitively. Having a good Bible translation is nice, but if that translation is not accessible to a wide audience then what is the point? Now let's compare the above verse with the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition and the New American Bible.

1 Cor 10:13: (Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition)
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

1 Cor 10:13: (New American Bible)
No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.

The latter two translations are easier to the average reader like me to understand.

For more examples of translations comparisons, please check my section on Bible Translations Comparison

Summary

First-time readers of the Bible would probably not notice the differences that each word could weight in in the understanding of the Scripture. Therefore, starting with the Revised Standard Version - Second Catholic Edition would be the best suggestion in my opinion. The Douay-Rheims Bible could be too discouraging for first-time readers.

For folks who are interested in studying, praying and meditating the Word of God, they will realize that everytime they read or hear the same Scripture passage, they will learn something new. So the more literal translation like the Douay-Rheims will allow them to dive deeper in the Word of God, due to the use of stronger words in the latter, in my opinion.

If possible, I would definitively recommend readers to have many Bible translations in order to compare. We are very lucky to live in an era where Bibles are relatively cheap. If your wallet allows it, it would be a mistake not to buy yourselves a few Bible translations. Finally and most importantly, spend time so you can be infused with the Word of God. That will never be a waste of time :-)

[1]. A Biblical Defense of Catholicism, Dave Armstrong, page 205.

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