The Jerusalem Bible (Catholic)

The form and nature of this edition have been determined by two of the principal dangers facing the Christian religion today. The first is the reduction of Christianity to the state of a relic – affectionately regarded, but considered irrelevant to our times. The second is its rejection as a mythology, born and cherished in emotion with nothing at all to say to the mind.

Now for Christian thinking in the twentieth century two slogans have been wisely adopted: aggiornamento, or keeping abreast of the times, and approfondimento, or deepening of theological thought. Its first part can be carried out by translating into the language we use today, its second part by providing notes which are neither sectarian nor superficial.

In 1956, a one-volume edition, which came to be known popularly as La Bible de Jérusalem, appeared. This was prepared by the Dominican Biblical School in Jerusalem. The edition being described here is the English equivalent of that. Parts of the English edition were translated from the French, then carefully compared with the Hebrew or Aramaic texts. However, more parts were translated from the Hebrew or Greek and compared with the French. The Psalms presented a special problem because they are a collection of verse not only to be read but also to be sung or chanted.

The format of this edition has been chosen to make intelligent reading easier. Thus, the single column arrangement is used. The text is divided by bold-type section headings so that the reader can see at a glance what is ahead. The poetic passages are printed as verse. An introduction is located at the beginning of a book or group of books. There are numerous other characteristics to help the reader.

Genesis 1: 1, 2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water.

Wisdom 1: 1
Love virtue, you who are judges on earth,
let honesty prompt your thinking about the Lord,
seek him in simplicity of heart;

John 1: 1 – 3
In the beginning was the Word:
the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through him.

The following comparative studies include this version:

1. Authenticity of the Second Epistle of Peter
2. Bishops, Overseers, Presbyters, and Elders
3. From Eternity or From Ancient Times?
4. Fringe on the Borders of a Garment
5. Horses from Egypt and Kue
6. Jude’s Advice About Saving People
7. Lord Is My Shepherd: An Anthology
8. Offering Sacrifices to the He-Goat
9. Reference to the Trinity
10. Scripture Inspired by God
11. Sides of the Court of the Tabernacle
12. Speech Problem of Moses
13. Those Who Work Iniquity
14. Tragedy at Beth-Shemesh
15. Words with Heathen Origins in the Scriptures