Guest Review: Little Rock Catholic Study Bible

I am happy to post this fine guest review of the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible from reader Eric.

         
            First, my disclaimer:  I am not a Bible scholar; just an average guy (who is probably a little bit OCD about his Bibles).  And, this is my first attempt at reviewing anything since I was a journalism major at the University of Alaska 16 years ago.  Also, as I’ve written it, I think I’ve strayed a bit from my original goal of providing a classic review.  So, please bear with me.

            Next, a perspective on my philosophy of Bible use:  I generally have a translation that I use exclusively, depending on what I am looking to get out of my Bible reading at any particular time.  If I’m looking for apologetics, I read the RSV-2^nd Catholic Edition; for devotional reading, I use the Douay; for inspirational-Knox, my study Bible is the original Jerusalem Bible, and my portable is a small Confraternity with psalms from the New Latin Psalter (I consider it my second choice for pretty much any of the uses above, except it doesn’t have the depth of commentary of the JB for study, but hey, it fits in my briefcase nicely…).  The one “hole” in my Bible shelf is the one that is used for religious education in our parishes; a New American Bible-Revised Edition.  I know my kids will eventually get one of their own, and I’ll want to be able to help them as they go through classes (and, if I’m needed as a sub for the program).

I’ve got the NABRE on a couple different apps on my iPhone, but wanted to go with a paper copy.  Getting feedback from various places like the Catholic Answers forums and Tim’s blog, I had two decisions to make: whether to get a regular print or a study version, and then, which one.  After some soul-searching, I decided to go with a study Bible, as I hoped the extra commentary would offset some of the concerning footnotes.  And, others have described the footnotes as faith-challenging, which isn’t always a bad thing – some things like faith need to be tried by fire once in awhile.  I was able to check out a couple different editions through my library, but the one I wasn’t able to test drive was the Little Rock Study Bible.  Well, I was able to get a copy from Tim, and he asked me if I would write a review (subject to my disclaimers above), and I told him I’d be happy to.

So, first, from my experience with the older NAB translations, as well as what I’ve read on my apps, I’m not the biggest fan of the NAB(RE).  I’m one of those who is suspicious of the notes – I understand where they’re coming from and that they don’t cross the boundaries of orthodoxy, but I definitely understand (and agree) with their detractors that they’re not good for the average user.  I was seeking a NABRE under some protest from myself – I wanted to get it not because I genuinely wanted to get one, but because I feel I had to have one.

So, the Little Rock has been here a couple weeks, and I’ve discovered something very odd; I actually WANT to read it.  It’s not for the translation itself, and certainly not the footnotes, but the additional study materials included in the Little Rock far made up any deficiency in the text.  I love having the little extras right on the page with the text they refer to, and the format is wonderful (best layout of any Bible I have, period-I like it better than the Harper NABRE I tried, and that was also superior compared to the other boring NAB layouts I’ve seen).  Having the cross references in side columns and the footnotes on the bottom draws the eye naturally to what you’re looking for; rather than having to hunt a little bit.  I dare say it’s like the Jerusalem Bible, but with a fresh and modern layout.  It doesn’t have quite the depth of commentary that the JB does, but the extra inserts are relevant and offer nice insights into the characters, places, and cultures.  I also do like the prayer starters scattered throughout the text; when I get to one while reading, I do take a minute or two of contemplation on them.  The notes that compare Catholic and Protestant views on justification and the end times were good at getting the points of comparison and promote the Catholic view, although I would have rather had a bit more depth.

I know Tim and others have reviewed the Little Rock Study Bible on this blog, and generally I agree with what they’ve previously said.  I know a while back Tim had an article on what was more important; translation or edition.  And, when I read it, I wasn’t convinced that edition was more important than translation.  Well, after spending a few weeks with the Little Rock, I now understand what he was trying to get at, and I’ve come to agree.

The NABRE will never become my preferred translation, as the ones I mentioned in the beginning are still better suited to their individual uses for me.  But, if you have reservations about the NABRE, do take a look anyways at the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible.  It serves reasonably well as a study Bible, helps guide contemplative prayer, reads reasonably well, addresses some of the major doctrinal controversies, and of course, it’s the closest thing those of us in the USA have to the lectionary.  It’s taken the same place in my Bible library as the Confraternity; a good #2 for most of my uses (and better for study than my edition of the Confraternity, though much less portable).  I’ve gone from getting a NABRE under some level of protest, to actually being happy to have one.  I will be sharing my copy with our parish priest and DRE, with the hopes that our parishes will not just get the low end paperback NABRE for the religious ed students, but might actually spend a bit more money to get them a reasonably good all-around Bible.  A good all-around Bible – I never thought I’d say that about any NABRE.  But, I guess now I have.

Sunday Knox: Romans 5:12-19

Knox:

"It was through one man that guilt came into the world; and, since death came owing to guilt, death was handed on to all mankind by one man. (All alike were guilty men;[2] there was guilt in the world before ever the law of Moses was given. Now, it is only where there is a law to transgress that guilt is imputed,[3]  and yet we see death reigning in the world from Adam’s time to the time of Moses, over men who were not themselves guilty of transgressing a law, as Adam was.) In this, Adam was the type of him who was to come. Only, the grace which came to us was out of all proportion to the fault. If this one man’s fault brought death on a whole multitude, all the more lavish was God’s grace, shewn to a whole multitude, that free gift he made us in the grace brought by one man, Jesus Christ.  The extent of the gift is not as if it followed a single guilty act; the sentence which brought us condemnation arose out of one man’s action, whereas the pardon that brings us acquittal arises out of a multitude of faults.  And if death began its reign through one man, owing to one man’s fault, more fruitful still is the grace, the gift of justification, which bids men enjoy a reign of life through one man, Jesus Christ.  Well then, one man commits a fault, and it brings condemnation upon all; one man makes amends, and it brings to all justification, that is, life.  A multitude will become acceptable to God through one man’s obedience, just as a multitude, through one man’s disobedience, became guilty."

Knox Notes:

[2] ‘All alike were guilty’; some would translate ‘In him (Adam) all had sinned’.

[3] The sense seems to be, that those who lived between Adam’s time and that of Moses, whatever their sins were, incurred no guilt of disobedience, there being no (revealed) law to disobey. Death is the penalty of disobedience; and the fact that death came to Adam’s immediate descendants must therefore be attributed to Adam’s disobedience, not to their own. St Paul must not be understood as meaning that men are not responsible for their actions where they have no revealed law to guide them; cf. 2.15 above.

NAB Lectionary:

"Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the transgression.  For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.  And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned.  For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous."

Fr. Donald Senior: "The Word of God: Source and Power of Preaching"

Ash Wednesday

"We are ambassadors for Christ,

as if God were appealing through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ,

be reconciled to God.

For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, 

so that we might become the righteousness of God in him."

CEB Study Bible Sale

Available Monday, March 3 through Wednesday, March 5 only, we're offering the Bonded Brown Leather edition of the new CEB Study Bible at 50% off. This exclusive sale is available only through Cokesbury. To receive this discount—which is eligible for FREE standard shipping—enter promotion code CEB50 during check out. While supplies last.

This is the edition without the Deuterocanonical books.  I do miss the local Cokesbury store that closed in my area a few years ago.  

Lenten Journey with Verbum

This Lent, Verbum is giving away a free book along with daily Gospel reflections delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up to study the Gospel readings each day, then read and share reflections with others.

For more information, go here.

This looks pretty fantastic, plus it is completely free.

Sunday Knox: Isaiah 49:14-15

Knox:

"Did Sion complain, the Lord has forsaken me, my own Master gives me never a thought?  What, can a woman forget her child that is still unweaned, pity no longer the son she bore in her womb? Let her forget; I will not be forgetful of thee. "

NAB:

"Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me; my LORD has forgotten me.'  Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you."