The Douay Rheims Bible
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The Douay-Rheims Bible, also known as the Rheims-Douai or Douai Bible is a translation of the Latin Vulgate into English. The D-R was published in two waves. The first, the New Testament, was published in 1582. The Old Testament followed in 1609. One thing that sets this volume apart from other English translations was the inclusion of commentary and notes. This was an effort by Church leaders to counter the margin notes and commentaries being included in the various unauthorized translations beginning to appear from the pens of Protestant revolutionaries. The translation was revised in 1752 by Bishop Charles Challoner. This "Challoner Version" was used widely by English speaking Christians well into the 20th century. It still remains a favorite among many Christians today, which is part of our reasoning for sharing it here with you.
Our goal here is simple, to put the words of Sacred Scripture in your hands, on your computer, and, most importantly, into your heart. We welcome you to spend some quality time each day by reading God the Father's love letter to you, revealing His Son and Our Lord, Jesus Christ, as the fullness of His divine revelation and the fulfillment of the law for our salvation.
Looking for a traditional Catholic Bible in English? The Douay-Rheims Bible is a great choice!
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The Douay-Rheims Bible is an English translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible, a version universally used in the Church for over 1500 years, itself meticulously translated from the original Hebrew and Greek by St. Jerome (A.D. 340-420).
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In 1546, the Council of Trent declared the Latin Vulgate Bible as authentic, and declared that “No one (may) dare or presume under any pretext whatsoever to reject it” (4th Session, April 8, 1546).
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In 1943, Pope Pius XII stated that the continuous use of the Vulgate Bible in the Church for many centuries showed that it was “free from any error whatsoever in matters of faith and morals” (Divino Afflante Spiritu (1943), paragraph 21).
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In 1749-1752, Bishop Challoner, knowing that many English Catholics were reading distorted Protestant versions of the Bible such as the King James Version (KJV), made major revisions to the Douay-Rheims version, to improve its readability without diminishing its accuracy.
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The revised Douay-Rheims Bible has been approved by the Church many times over.
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For over 300 years, the Douay Rheims Bible was the only Catholic English translation of Scripture used. It continues to be used officially in Catholic churches today.
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Many anti-Catholics accuse the Church of having hidden Scripture from the faithful by refusing to translate it into the vernacular tongue. The Douay-Rheims was completed in 1609, and is therefore older than the King James Version, the oldest Protestant translation still in use, which was published in 1611. The Rheims New Testament was published nearly thirty years earlier, in 1582.
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Further, the translators of the KJV make specific reference to the Douay version in their translators’ preface. It is commonly acknowledged that, in preparing the KJV, the translators made use of the Rheims New Testament and adopted many of its readings in preference to those of other English editions.
We present this faithful English edition of the Sacred Scriptures for your devotional reading, without having made any modifications or alterations to this text. May God bless you as you study and meditate on His holy Word.
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