The Navarre Bible: New Testament in the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate

The Navarre Bible New Testament Expanded Edition (2008) probably has the best and most comprehensive annotations and explanatory notes. One would truly feel enlightened and deeply informed upon reading this Bible. It uses the RSV for the English text of the Bible. It also has the Latin Text of the Vulgate. Most impressively , it has a very thorough explanatory notes citing the works of the Fathers of the Church (like St. Augustine, St. Ignatius of Antioch, etc.), Doctors of the Church (St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Teresa of Avila, etc.), ancient writers (Tertullian, Origen, etc.) and even contemporary Spiritual writers (Blessed John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, etc.). A publication of the University of Navarre, expectedly, it also quotes heavily the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva. I read this Bible--especially the explanatory notes--in one continuous sweep, from cover to cover ; I skipped the Latin text though as I do not understand Latin. I've read the New Testament in full before 9plus other occasional readings) and only now can I say that I have a better understanding of it and a deeper appreciation of the Catholic Church. One great advantage of a Bible with such extensive commentary is that one need do anymore his own research. Most relevant resources are already provided; one just has to read the notes as the quotations are fairly long. If one wants to read the original sources, the Navarre Bible makes it easy for him tofind the texts he is looking for. The works of the Fathers of the Church and other ancient writers can be very long and difficult to read, so better for him to just read the Navarre commentaries. In the process of reading the commentary, one gets to review (or learn) at the same time apologetics, Church history, and Christian philosophy and theology. Other Bible commentaries tend to too historical-critical in their approaches. Instead of enlightening readers, they tend to lead the readers to cast doubt on their Catholic faith. They tend to have prolonged discussion of what the problem is with texts and its sources that end up confusing the reader. There are matters of scholarly debate that would not help the reader in any way. Although it contains some historical-critical analysis, the Navarre Bible minimizes such discussions. Instead, it focuses its discussions and quotations that would deepen the reader's understanding of not only the Bible itself but also of his Catholic Faith. The Navarre Bible is one truly Catholic Bible.

I thought the asking price was rather high. But when I finally held it in my hands, I had to admit it looked awesome! Not many other bibles have this depth of clear and strong Catholic commentaries generously backed by the authoritative teachings from the Church (official Vatican documents, Papal Encyclicals and Exhortations like Dei Verbum, Lumen Gentium, etc.), the Fathers, Saints, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). It even takes quotes from Saint (Sir) Thomas More and Thomas a Kempis! The only real "competitor" of this bible is the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament RSV-2CE. That said, I think the book could be better: 1. I thought the Latin text is a little too small. Increasing it one size bigger would make it more readable. I really wanted to read the Latin and not simply treat it like some kind of novelty. The commentaries could be made one size smaller in order to accomodate the bigger Latin text, without losing its legibility. 2. My copy has 6 pages with printing errors in the form of text ghosting, all found in Saint Luke. They looked as if you're seeing double. I can still read them, though with some effort. But six pages seem a lot for mechanical printing errors for a book of this price level and quality. I wrote Scepter about it. I hope this was just an isolated case, seeing as I seem to be the only one with such issue. If you can only get one, this or the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament RSV-2CE, I would go with the Ignatius, but that's just me. I would choose the Ignatius because it is a study bible with more study data and interesting background information on the verse being commented. Just as well-built but way cheaper than the Navarre, the Ignatius also contains Church documents, teachings from the Saints and the CCC in its commentaries. If you have the Ignatius already and wonder whether to get the Navarre or not, I suggest to get it, as well. The Navarre's commentaries complement the Ignatius's just fine. This isn't one of those bibles with highly critical, liberal or technical commentaries. This is for those who just long for a bible with very strong and dependable Catholic commentaries. Don't let the above issues discourage you from getting it. Highly Recommended!

This New Testament Bible Commentary is fantastic. First of all, it is well put together. The binding is solid and it feels well constructed. That is important to me as I intend to be using it for years to come. Secondly, and even more importantly, the content is excellent. It is faithful to the tradition of the Church, rich, and detailed. It is very comparable in terms of scholarship to the Ignatius Study Bible for those who are familiar with that excellent text. Anyone who is looking for a good and faithful New Testament Commentary should definitely pick this up. You will not be disappointed. I was quite happy to see that an updated version from the hardbound series published several years earlier had come out. We have seen a virtual explosion in the last 15 years in great Cathlolic Bible scholarship, and it is wonderful that they have incorporated some of that into this newer version. In addition, while I like St. Josemaria Escriva, I appreciate a bit of a greater variety in their quotations in the text of the commentary itself. If anything, I believe this version to also rely a bit more on the Church Fathers than the previous one which is very nice as well. Along with a renewed interest in Sacred Scripture we seem to be experiencing a bit of a renaissance in Patristic Scholarship as well. Get this book, you will be glad you did.

I learned about the Navarre bibles just a few months ago at the same time I began looking into affordable bible commentaries which are suitable for Catholics. I like that the commentary in this bible uses documents from the Church Fathers, the Catechism as well as encyclicals and other Church documents as sources. It really does a good job connecting all of Catholic theology in one place with such a wide variety of sources. Though this bible only includes the New Testament it is a great tool for Catholics who want to delve deeper into Scripture and read more commentary than what the NABRE bible offers. A nice feature also is that the Latin translation is included below the English text, though I do not know Latin it is nice to be able to have the Latin translation in the same volume. This bible is beautiful, affordable and extremely useful.

The contents of this bible are the New Testament, and some really great introductions to all the sections. From the size of it, you would think that it contains both the New and Old Testaments, but keep in mind that this is only the New Testament. A typical page breaks down like this: About a 3rd of the page is devoted to the bible text. The same passage is then show in the Latin translation in a smaller font. This takes up only about 1/6 of the page. The remaining part of the page is the section with all the footnote descriptions which are so very nice and helpful in gaining a better understanding of the passage. This takes up approximately half the page. As someone who is not extremely well versed in biblical history, bible comparisons, or some of the deep faith issues in which other reviewers go in depth, I find this bible both pleasurable to read and very informative through the fairly lengthy footnotes. I would not hesitate to recommend this bible.

I have many Bibles. The Navarre Bible New Testament is a great addition as it has even more commentary than the New American Bible. The Navarre Bible uses RSV--not my favorite, I like NAB much better. Because it was created to give expansive commentary, materials not included in other study Bibles is found here; for example, quote and commentary from Church documents; the Catechism; expanded commentary on the words in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic; Church fathers; saints; and even more sources. In this Bible you can discover why the Catholic church expresses its belief in reading a Bible contextually--not in isolated verses without any understanding of cross-references, native language and custom of the writers, world setting, etc. In my earlier life I read verse-by-verse for the most part; consequently, I found it hard to get the big picture which would lead to deeper understanding. Protestant and Catholic alike should make this Bible a part of their library and read it! I wish I had bought this Bible a long, long time ago!

A fantastic study bible that's clearly laid out and offers insightful maps and commentary from the CCC, St. Josemaria Escriva, St. Augustine and others. I would highly recommend especially if the cost and commitment to the entire set of volumes of the Navarre Bible is out of reach. Before purchasing, I could not clearly tell what was the difference between this edition and the multi-volume set. This is not the same collection of commentary nor does it offer the same depth as the multi-volume set. This is described in the preface which I included as an image.

It’s a used item, only the cover was slightly with defects but the inside pages were still good

Very happy with the quality of the book. Price was very good compared to what other stores charge.

Just what I was looking for. It contains commentaries and explanations for each passage you read.

Easy to read and informative