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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
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| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Tue Nov 7th, 2006 10:31 pm |
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Many forum participants are aware of a new edition of the Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition of the bible, called the Second Catholic Edition, which was released by Ignatius Press this past spring. Several people have even asked me how it differs from the RSV-CE, and whether it is worth the purchase price. I now have my own copy of this work to report on.
The revision is basically an elimination of the topical “thees” and “thous” of the older version. A few other antiquated words have been updated and a few ambiguities resolved. For instance, in Genesis 2:24, which in the RSV-CE reads, “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife…,” the word “cleaves” has been changed to “clings.”Again, in Matthew 1:19, where the older version has “her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away,” the Second Catholic Edition has revised it to say “send her away quietly” as more accurately portraying the contextual intent of the original text.
Overall, the changes are miniscule and favor accuracy and comprehension. Most people who are familiar with the RSV in any form will hardly notice them. The original cross references are retained, and the notes have been very slightly revised and moved from the end of the book to footnotes. The three-stream footnotes are not extensive; they are composed of textual notes with alternate readings where they are significant, cross references, and an occasional brief exegetical observation. Like the original RSV-CE, this edition contains all the books in the Catholic canon in the traditional order.
I bought the hardback edition for $30. It is also available in paperback and leather bound presentations. The physical characteristics of the book are as follows: standard size, burgundy hardcover with gold stamping, sewn binding, off-white paper that actually lays flat so you don’t have to hold the pages apart to read. The smooth paper has some show-through. On the other hand, its almost beige color helps mask that showthrough while reducing glare — a fair trade-off. The text type is a generously large 14 point Caslon (famed for its beauty and legibility), with 3 points of added leading (line spacing) for legibility, and a compatible sans serif style for the headings, all newly typeset, so it looks spiffy. The superscript verse numbers don’t get in the way. The notes are a bit small at 6 points; “older” eyes will have difficulty reading them without a magnifying glass. Poetic lines are maintained as in the earlier version, with indented couplets and triplets according to the Hebrew versification. An eight-page color map section is included in the back. In typical Catholic fashion, the margins are skimpy, so you’ll have to supply your own paper for “marginal notes.”
The excellent binding and overall physical quality of this bible are a refreshing change from the flimsy work I am used to seeing in Catholic bibles. This, combined with the retention of standard English instead of the culturally popular but not always orthodox “genderless” language, keep the RSV timeless. I expect to be using it for a long time.
David
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CajunRick
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| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
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| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Tue Nov 7th, 2006 10:44 pm |
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David W. Emery wrote: I bought the hardback edition for $30. It is also available in paperback and leather bound presentations. The physical characteristics of the book are as follows: standard size, burgundy hardcover with gold stamping, sewn binding, off-white paper that actually lays flat so you don’t have to hold the pages apart to read. The smooth paper has some show-through. On the other hand, its almost beige color helps mask that showthrough while reducing glare — a fair trade-off. The text type is a generously large 14 point Caslon (famed for its beauty and legibility), with 3 points of added leading (line spacing) for legibility, and a compatible sans serif style for the headings, all newly typeset, so it looks spiffy. The superscript verse numbers don’t get in the way. The notes are a bit small at 6 points; “older” eyes will have difficulty reading them without a magnifying glass.
David, no one but you would include such useful details; just one more reason why I have grown to love you!
In typical Catholic fashion, the margins are skimpy, so you’ll have to supply your own paper for “marginal notes.”
But isn't that why God created Post-its? 
Question: Is the paper thick enough to handle a highlighter without bleed-through?
I just found a "lost" gift certificate that will just cover this purchase, so I expect I'll be ordering one immediately. Please give us the ISBN or a web site of the edition you have, and thank you for the excellent review.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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David W. Emery
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| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Tue Nov 7th, 2006 11:23 pm |
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Is the paper thick enough to handle a highlighter without bleed-through?
It’s “bible paper,” Rick, parchment thin, to keep a 1,000 page book down to a manageable size. I’m sure it would bleed. But as a devout Catholic, don’t you love and revere your holy bible so much that you wouldn’t want to deface it? 
The margins are skimpy.… But isn't that why God created Post-its?
I use holy cards as bookmarks in my holy bible. Somehow I can’t get excited about post-its as sacramentals.
As to my penchant for those “useful details,” remember that I’ve worked in the printing and publishing industry for over 30 years. It’s in my blood.
The publisher’s website is here. They have the ISBNs posted.
David
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CajunRick
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Posted: Tue Nov 7th, 2006 11:42 pm |
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David W. Emery wrote: Is the paper thick enough to handle a highlighter without bleed-through?
It’s “bible paper,” Rick, parchment thin, to keep a 1,000 page book down to a manageable size. I’m sure it would bleed. But as a devout Catholic, don’t you love and revere your holy bible so much that you wouldn’t want to deface it?
But I've always been secretly a little jealous of "bible thumpers" with their well-marked bibles. One of my most prized possessions is a KJV given to me by an ex-Catholic bible thumper who returned to the Church along with his fundamentalist wife and daughter through my RCIA program. He gave me his old bible, along with the duct tape that holds it together, as a sign of his permanent return to the Catholic Church.
The problem is that I have always held my Holy Bible in such reverence that I can't bring myself to mark it. But one day I'll find a cheap bible (other than KJV) that I can keep just to mark. I own 30 or 40 bibles; I should be able to spare one.
The margins are skimpy.… But isn't that why God created Post-its?
I use holy cards as bookmarks in my holy bible. Somehow I can’t get excited about post-its as sacramentals.
But my comment was in reference to the lack of margins for marginal notes. Holy cards aren't appropriate for marking either, so Post-its are the next best thing. You don't write on your holy cards, do you?
(I usually use memorial cards from funerals of friends, family, and patients as place-markers in my bibles. They remind me to pray for those I miss while I study scripture. Of course, every time I drop my bible I lose all my markers.)
As to my penchant for those “useful details,” remember that I’ve worked in the printing and publishing industry for over 30 years. It’s in my blood.
I know. That was the basis for my appreciation of your remarks.
All together now ... YAY DAVID! 
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Wed Nov 8th, 2006 12:19 am |
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Well now, Rick, I’ve already told you that if you start poking and scratching a bible with one of those pen things it’s gonna bleed… so how do you figure I’m going to write on a plastic holy card? I’d have to tattoo it, so it would probably die. (Are you old enough to remember the paper holy cards? I still have one of Our Lady of Grace, given me by a girlfriend when I was a teenager and still Protestant. Now you know the real reason why I converted.)
Actually, my secret is that I do all of my look-ups and note taking on the computer. The only time I use a pen is for signing checks when I’m paying my bills. I still do that the old fashioned way.
But seriously, Rick, even I don’t own that many bibles. How do you find time to read them all? And what will you do with one more?
David
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CajunRick
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Posted: Wed Nov 8th, 2006 12:52 am |
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David W. Emery wrote: Well now, Rick, I’ve already told you that if you start poking and scratching a bible with one of those pen things it’s gonna bleed… so how do you figure I’m going to write on a plastic holy card? I’d have to tattoo it, so it would probably die. (Are you old enough to remember the paper holy cards? I still have one of Our Lady of Grace, given me by a girlfriend when I was a teenager and still Protestant. Now you know the real reason why I converted.)
I'm old enough to remember the mass in Latin, and the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel at the end. I was a teenager when the unthinkable happened and we got to see the priest's face. I was a lector at the time that the priest was reading the readings in Latin at the altar while it was being read in English, and an altar server when the Roman Missal had to be moved from the Epistle side to the Gospel side. So yes, I'm old enough to remember paper holy cards. As a matter of fact, I still buy and use them (actually card stock). I carry a pack of St. Joseph holy cards to give to people due to his role as Patron of a Happy Death. Tiny little margins, though, so very little room to write.
Actually, my secret is that I do all of my look-ups and note taking on the computer. The only time I use a pen is for signing checks when I’m paying my bills. I still do that the old fashioned way.
I'm afraid I'm geekier than thou. I write about 6 checks a year, all at a little po-boy shop that doesn't take debit cards, and I wouldn't know how to pay a bill with a check! If they won't take 'em electronically, they don't get paid! I don't know if I could still balance my checking account, since my program does it automatically.
But seriously, Rick, even I don’t own that many bibles. How do you find time to read them all? And what will you do with one more?
I've been collecting them probably since you got that first holy card. I have never thrown a bible away. I still own the first Confraternity edition I bought in grade school, the RSV I read in high school, the hard-cover Jerusalem Bible in the cardboard case I bought when it was first released in 1966, the original edition of the NAB, several KJV's, several NAB's, NASB, NEB, NIV, Good News, Living Word, Revised NAB, NKJV, NRSV, NWT, and several others. I also have a Book of Mormon, Qur'an, and some others, as well as several editions on CDROM. I have a Catholic Youth Bible (NRSV-CE), Catholic Study Bible (NAB), Serendipity Bible (NAB) for self-guided group study, several volumes of the Little Rock Scripture Study series, and a copy of the Latin Vulgate.
Do I read them all? Frankly, no. I use them for comparative reference when I'm struggling with understanding a passage, or to "dazzle" someone who claims Catholics never read the bible. But the main problem is that I can't bring myself to discard God's word, and any time I find a bible that contains a nugget of information I didn't have before I have to buy it. Most recently I bought the Ignatius (RSV-CE) and the Catholic Answer Bible (NAB).
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Katy
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | DFW, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 78 |
| First Name: | Katy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Non-denom/Bible churches, Catholic since Easter 2005 |
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Posted: Thu Nov 9th, 2006 11:37 am |
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cajunrick wrote: Question: Is the paper thick enough to handle a highlighter without bleed-through?
Christian and/or Catholic bookstores usually have some version of a dry highlighting pencil that doesn't bleed through Bible pages, such as this one. They aren't as bright as regular highlighters, but they work pretty well. Last edited on Thu Nov 9th, 2006 11:38 am by Katy
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Lord, by Your cross and resurrection, You have set us free. You are the Savior of the World.
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CajunRick
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Posted: Thu Nov 9th, 2006 12:31 pm |
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Katy wrote: cajunrick wrote: Question: Is the paper thick enough to handle a highlighter without bleed-through?
Christian and/or Catholic bookstores usually have some version of a dry highlighting pencil that doesn't bleed through Bible pages, such as this one. They aren't as bright as regular highlighters, but they work pretty well.
I know. It was intended as a rather humorous exchange between David and I. He included every publishing detail one could think of (including typestyle) but overlooked the thickness of the paper, so I couldn't resist picking on him about it.
I actually found a wet highlighter that worked perfectly on study bibles with no bleed-through a few years ago, but I've never been able to find it again. (Study bibles tend to have a little bit thicker paper than "regular" readers' bibles.)
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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