Catholic and Protestant Bibles: What is the Difference?

Catholic Exchange.com ^ | 02-06-07 | Mary Harwell Sayler

[Mad Dawg]

For just under 3 years I was a reserve deputy in my county AND, at the sheriff's request (and with my church's approval) a lay chaplain for the Sheriff's office. The way Virginia works the COs are a different group from the deputies, and while in our county a lot of Law Enforcement is ceded to the County PD, we still had LEO duties, though our main emphasis was courtroom security, prisoner transport, like that.

It was SO FUN for me! Such a new world, such interesting people, such a longing for the Lord - even though it was sometimes manipulative and immature.

[Alamo-Girl]

me: Who do you believe?

you: Who is who?

quod erat demonstrandum

("which was to be demonstrated" or to paraphrase, "it has been proven.")

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank God for you, Kitty Mittens!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you for the engaging insights!

It has been said that the four Gospels reveal Jesus from four different aspects:

Matthew - Jesus as King

Mark - Jesus as Servant

Luke - Jesus as Man

John - Jesus as God

John is my most beloved Gospel and Apostle.

[Alamo-Girl]

Ditto here, sweet Marysecretary. Thank you for your testimony!

[kosta50]

But I've never been a great speller and often just don't bother about such details much at all. My fault

My keyboard has sticky keys, so I mispell all sorts of things. I wasn't sure if pancrease was a typo or not. No offense was meant.

[kosta50]

case in point I even 'mispelled' misspell! :)

[Quix]

No offense taken, then!

My software was somehow causing a keyboard problem. May have fixed it by changing the priority of more than 50 programs running. Sheesh! Most of them Microsoft and anti virus etc. stuff.

Have you tried taking the keytops off and vacuuming etc. cleaning your keyboard?

[annalex]

Completely innatural reading altogether. The plain meaning of it is that the work of santification makes election sure, not makes the memory of ir sure. Also, the reference to forgetting is to the "past sins". The implication is clear that should one called to Christ fail to do all these works AFTER the past sins have been cleansed, he will not be among the elect.

[kosta50]

Have you tried taking the keytops off and vacuuming etc. cleaning your keyboard?

Of course. But we are all multitasking and never find any time for anything so practical. :)

[Quix]

I know how that goes.

Thx for your kind reply.

[kosta50]

Thx for your kind reply

Ditto. :)

[Marysecretary]

Wow, I hope they can do something to help people with diabetes. That would be an amazing discovery. Actually, I think it was Kim Clemente who prophesied that there would be a cure for diabetes and other chronic diseases in the next year. Hmmm. Interesting indeed.

[Forest Keeper]

Some of the cooler prisoners that I have transported could play with movies and cultural icons of prisoners and cops. We could crack each other up.

It's surprising but good to hear that some of them could keep a sense of humor about such things. I'm sure you've had to deal with your share of difficult prisoners, but it's good to hear they were not all like that.

[Mad Dawg]

For at least a few, it was the wake-up call they needed. Of course, it's easy to stay off drugs and to come to Jesus when there isn't anything else going on, so you never knew how long the "conversion" or the insight would last past their incarceration. But you could hope at least.

What blew my alleged mind was the guys for whom prison was where they were going to spend most of their lives, and it was pretty clear they had no idea how to avoid that and, in a way, no idea that it was the shame and sorrow that it would appear to us to be.

Another thing that I really liked was the courtesy and kindness of most of the deputies. There's a real protocol (especially after Atlanta) in searching and "hooking up" (shackles, cuffs, belly chain - mostly as a way to keep the hands near the waist) a prisoner. The fact is that if somebody wanted to break bad, a belly chain or pair of shackles would be a heck of a way to inflict some wounds before the inevitable take-down. And we searched with a pretty fair degree of invasiveness.

So the problem is, how do you do this without aggravating the sense that the prisoner has of being a piece of suspect meat?

"Sir, please open your mouth. Now I need to you to lift your tongue so I can see under it. Thank you." "Ma'am, I want you to know I"m a happily married man AND I am using the back or the edge of my hands to pat you down." And this could lead to some humor -- or not. But I was touched by the courtesy and humor.

I had my whole stewardess routine as we unloaded the van in the courthouse area: "We'd like to welcome you to Charlottesville General District Court. The temperature outside is a sunny 55 degrees today. We hope you enjoy your stay and that you'll be flying with us again in the near future." Which usually cracked up a few people.

Oh, I have some stories ...

[Forest Keeper]

"For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Clearly, he is associating the works with receiving a "rich welcome" into Christ's kingdom. The conditional nature of his statement is clearly marked with the word if. Yes, we have been cleansed, but if we do things that will make us forget about God, neglect our cleanliness, we should not expect "rich welcome."

But if we read it that way then only people who never fall (sin) go to Heaven, and we know that isn't right. I don't see this passage as a proffer of exchange, "if you do this then you get that", because no one can live up to it perfectly. I see it as telling us clearly what to shoot for, or better yet, where God intends to take His children. It is about perseverance, and God tells us elsewhere that He is in charge of that, not us. We just do not trade deeds for salvation. That's what it sounds like you are saying.

[kosta50]

But if we read it that way then only people who never fall (sin) go to Heaven, and we know that isn't right.

That is not orthodox (lower case "o") understanding of what's required. We are imperfect, so expecting perfection is a folly. What is important is to honestly try even if one honestly fails. Honest attempts are the expression of faith working within us. Without them, the faith is dead, as +James reminds us. The people who will go to heaven are those who, based on their deeds, will be judged acceptable to God and restored to their pre-Fall state. The conditional "if you do these things..." is clear. God wants our honest cooperation with His will, even if we are capable of cooperating only imperfectly.

We must forgive in order to be forgiven. "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." [Mat 6:14] and "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" [Mat 6:15].

Notice the conditional statements by our Lord. In Matthew Chapter 18, He narrates a story on forgiveness, which ends in an unforgiving man, who himself received forgiveness from his lord, being thrown into a dungeon until he has repaid his debt to righteousness.

And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." [Mat 18:34-35]

Again, here we have both requirements, "if" (condition) and "from your heart" (honestly).

The Gospels clearly teach that Grace is not unconditionally granted, but only unconditionally offered.

[Salvation]

Studying the Study Bible

Mary Harwell Sayler	Other Articles by Mary Harwell Sayler Printer Friendly Version
Studying the Study Bible

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March 20, 2007

Question: Do you have a favorite study Bible, or is there one you recommend?

Answer: Any study edition with "Imprimatur" on the copyright page or somewhere in the front matter of the book immediately assures you that a Roman Catholic Bishop or Archbishop has found the study notes, commentaries, footnotes, and other additions in harmony with Church teaching. Bible study courses or workbooks often recommend specific translations and editions, too. If so, you'll usually find that information toward the front of the book in a foreword or greeting to Bible students.

Although I have some study editions I use more than others, I value different aspects of each one. For instance, The HarperCollins Study Bible offers thorough footnotes with information for helping readers better understand the surrounding situation, culture, or times. It does not have an Imprimatur on the copyright page, but it does have unbiased notes and contains all of the books found in a Catholic Old Testament. At the back of the book, you'll find such resources as "Quotations Of The Jewish Scriptures In The New Testament" and color maps. However, this particular edition only comes in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) produced by the National Council of Churches. That translation modernized the more popular RSV by making the text gender inclusive, which means that "man" becomes "human kind" or "mortals." For example, I Corinthians 13:1 reads, "If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." In RSV, the same verse says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." As a poet, I prefer the latter, whereas the newer version seems to thud. Although the NRSV is the more accurate translation, I appreciate the poetic flow of RSV and like that particular translation in The New Oxford Annotated Bible With The Apocrypha Expanded Edition.

If you prefer the New American Bible (NAB) translation that's most often used in the Mass, I highly recommend The Saint Joseph Edition and The Catholic Study Bible, the latter of which includes the same footnotes but also has a wealth of articles and reading guides in the front of the book. In the back of The Catholic Study Bible, you'll find reference articles on the lectionary as well as information about biblical archaeology and the geography of Bible lands. For yet another translation and edition that received Church approval, The New Jerusalem Bible includes thorough footnotes throughout the pages with supplements of maps and a "Chronological Table" of events located at the back.

I keep all of the above within easy reach for comparative study with other translations and study editions, but, no, I don't have a special favorite. However, Bible Talk readers apparently do. In responding to an earlier article, some of you expressed a preference for The Navarre Bible, while others mentioned The New Catholic Answer Bible, which includes excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and lists commonly asked questions then refers you to the pages where you'll find scriptural answers or references. Both of those editions sound good and I want them all. If you would like to expand your own Bible collection, check out what is available at the Catholic Exchange online store.

© Copyright 2007 Catholic Exchange

Mary Sayler has studied the Bible since early childhood and leads discussion groups in her local parish. In addition to being a poet, freelancer, and assignment writer for the religious markets, she works with other writers and poets through her website http://www.catholicpoetsandwriters.com/.

[pissant]

I like reading the bible unadulterated by other folks insights. But reading the written works and arguments of St. Augustine, Aquinas and others is a joy as well.

[annalex]

I agree with Kosta.

In addition, even without reference to any other scripture, the opening passage in 2 Peter 1 teaches that while salvation of those who fail in the work of sanctification is possible, the salvation of those who achieve sanctity, and no longer sin, is assured.

This is the primary reason to venerate saints: so that we may do what they did in a similar predicament, and grow in virtue.