The new Jerusalem Bible Book

The Jerusalem Bible was the first English bible I actually read from cover to cover while taking the introductory courses in Hebrew and Christian scriptures at Grinnell College. The reason for selecting it had nothing to do with its identification as the newest Catholic bible. It had everything to do with the fact that the scholar's edition purchased had better notes and marginalia than the Oxford Revised Standard or the New English texts also recommended for class.

Unlike other Catholic bibles I've referred to, the Jerusalem is intellectually honest. They may have the trinitarian texts which appear in such editions, but they always include notes indicating that such texts are only found in very late manuscript traditions.

Unlike the Oxford Revised Standard, the Jerusalem is free of the compulsion to copy, as much as honestly possible, the traditional formulations of the Authorized (or "King James") Version. This was a plus for me as all my previous serious study had been either with the RSV or AV. I wanted a fresh look and something that wasn't tied to Protestant traditions. There is, however, substantial reliance on the translations of the original French edition.

The only great weakness of the Jerusalem is that it is not as complete as the Oxford R.S.V., not including all canons of all Christian sects as their scholarly edition does.

In 1985 I went out and purchased this edition of The New Jerusalem Bible for classes with Loyola University's Institute of Pastoral Studies, giving my old edition away to someone who lacked a decent text. This newer version is a bit more literal than its predecessor.