Reviews on great Christian Books
I've broken these into three categories:
I would love to hear about the books you love & the books that have moulded you! Write to me.
(03) Bibles & Bible Aids
"Catholic Women's Devotional Bible" [Zondervan Publication]
NRSV Translation BIBLE
(This is at present my Primary Bible)
+ve Points:
- 260 daily meditations by various well know women authors on a variety of relative Biblical topics
- 52 weekend devotions, focusing on women in the Bible- their character, strengths, weaknesses, how to pray with them etc.
- 50 'Tradition' articles linking Scripture with Catholic faith teachings.
- A 6-year reading guide to the Catholic Lectionary
- Lots of other stuff like, brief biographies of well-known laywomen and women saints, indexes, study-helps etc.
-ve Points:
- No cross-referencing
"Christian Community Bible" [Catholic Pastoral Edition]
CCB Translation BIBLE
+ve Points:
- Includes an inbuilt commentary for almost every passage in the bible.
- Cross Referenced
- Internal Tabbing - Initial users will find this very useful for turning from one book to another quickly. I personally no longer find this as useful as I once did.
- A few color maps
-ve Points:
- The CCB Translation leaves a lot wanting. I recommend this not as a primary Bible but only as a supplementary scriptural study Bible.
- The Books are ordered differently from the usual ordering.
- The Psalm numbering is different from the regular numbering and the regular numbering is given in brackets e.g. Psalm 22 (21) and also the verses in the Psalms sometimes start with the #2 instead of #1 . All this makes it a bit confusing when studying quotations. (For quotation study, use either a NJB or NRSV translation
"The Amplified Bible" [Zondervan Publication]
Amp OT and Amp NT Translation BIBLE
This is the Bible almost every Christian Pastor (read Christian and not Catholic) uses.
+ve Points:
- An easily understood text, with Parentheses ( ) signifying additional phases of meaning included in the original word, phrase or clause of the original language
- Brackets [ ] which contain justifies clarifying words or comments as well as definitions of Hebrew and Greek names.
- References are also included in brackets e.g.: Foretold in. or Fulfilled in.
- A concordance developed exclusively for use with the Amplified Bible based on Key words as well as some of the Amplifications.
- A glossary showing how words are usually amplified. This helps in studying with other translations as well.
-ve Points:
- The Major -ve point is the Missing 7 Deuterocanonical Books. I do NOT suggest you use a Christian Bible as a primary Bible as it is important that your primary Bible contains all the books. I do Highly recommend this Bible to all Catholics who are serious about their Word Study and Interpretation. Also a must for every preacher.
"An Introduction to the New Testament" [Raymond E. Brown]
New Testament Commentary
+ve Points:
Too many positive points to write down for this down. Perfect for Bible beginners, this almost 900 page whopper book is easy to read and full of all kinds of interesting information which is excellent for those serious about Bible study and also for those just wanting a little bit more info. about any particular NT book.
-ve Points:
My only problem with this book is that is only for the NT. I also own the Entire Collegeville Commentary Set of 74 books, but it doesn't quite live up to Raymond E. Brown.
"Catechism of the Catholic Church"
Known as the 'CCC'
Not something you can just read, this book is mainly meant for clarification of the Catholic Church's viewpoint on different issues.
A good alternative to this book is getting the CD Rom, which will allow for quick access to required topics of reference as the book is not as user friendly (esp. for beginners) as the CD Rom.
A must for every Catholic Household when it comes to understanding your faith.
"A Catholic Guide to the Bible" [Fr. Oscar Lukefahr, C.M.]
To quote from the back cover: As students of the piano must first learn to read notes in order to play beautiful music, so students of the Bible must learn the basics of biblical scholarship in order to read the Bible with ease and understanding.
This book does just that. But be warned, it requires time & effort to go through this. It is not reading material - it's study and only the serious ones will appreciate this book.
