Douay-Rheims & Clementina Vulgata (English and Latin Edition) Bonded Leather – October 1, 2013

I've only recently in life had a calling to the faith, and am still in the process of discovering what that means. In short I'm still a catechumen and so I unfortunately cannot offer as in depth of a review as some others here can and have done. What I can say though, is that my process of discovery is so greatly and beautifully informed by this Douay-Rheims version of the Holy Bible. I am so glad I've decided to make it my first Bible.I've studied Latin years ago and I can't stress enough how striking it is to me to be able to have the Clementina Vulgata right next to the English translation - the formatting is absolutely perfect in aligning the texts. There have been times where I was reading a passage in English and noticed a curious phrasing, prompting me to want to know if this was Bishop Challoner's prose or not. I could quickly scan to the right and find that indeed the Latin verbiage was just as poetic. There have also been times where context simply could not be translated to English, and I found myself smiling in joy after reading a section of Latin that otherwise would have been completely missing or left flat. Even if you have no interest in reading the Bible in Latin, having the text that so many millions of Christians were taught by from the 300s to 1500s adds such an enormous weight to what you hold in your hands that even if you are still skeptical about God, you can't help but feel His impact.As others have posted here, the Bible itself is stunning in it's beauty. I was so taken aback by it's richly detailed binding and golden, tea-soaked pages that I felt compelled to build a bookstand for it, which is where it now sits today. As great a setpiece as the Bible itself makes however, I frequently find myself taking it off it's stand to bring outdoors to a lake, or a park, to read and contemplate. It is certainly not very portable however and I suggest either finding a folder for it, or do as I did and retain the cardboard box it is shipped in to protect it while in the car, or in your purse/backpack.This Bible will be in my family for generations, God willing. It's been changing my life for the better, and while I know not many would look to this largely out of use, slightly obscure, Latin-laden version of the Bible as their first choice for their first Bible, to anyone out there who finds themselves in that boat I highly suggest you pick this up. It may not fit in your pocket, it may make you re-read and really think about what it is you just read, it may be an investment that is hard to justify monetarily. But the Word of God is not meant to be easy. The hard path brings us into His light always, and I hope you find this path for yourself. This version will certainly point you in the right direction, as it has me.

Though I have only had this magnificent Book in my keeping for several weeks; I now consider to it to be one of my most valued and important possessions. It's the most exquisitely constructed and compiled Bible I have ever witnessed and I would recommend it to anyone, both Catholic and Protestant who desire to come to a greater understanding of the Word of God. Between its meticulously crafted covers is contained manifold delights, revelations, truths and is the doorway into the Kingdom of Heaven and the Mind of God. The aureate pages gently guide the reader's hand over the greatest book ever written, and the finest story ever told. People from different walks of life, religions, creeds and beliefs and even those with historical interests can glean joy from the inherent beauty of its pages - there is something for all: the lives and persecutions of the prophets and the saints, the laborious struggles of the Israelites, the sorrowful ecstasy of the Psalms of David, the golden truths of the Proverbs seep from the gilded pages into the eyes of the reader, the exhortation and absolute reign of Charity in the inspired words of St. Paul, and of course the Way, the Truth and the Life itself - the Word Incarnate Jesus Christ.This Book is a study par excellence of the actual translation of Biblical Scripture from the Clementina Vulgata, written by St. Jerome and completed in 405 AD. It enables those with even a rudimentary knowledge of Latin to determine that the translation by the college of Douai is one of the most exact and precise translations in circulation today; which is of critical significance in the consideration of divided opinions between different schools of thought in the translation of Scripture and the often furious debates that they incite. Anyone with a working historical knowledge of the development of the Vulgate, the genius of Saint Jerome, the academia of the colleges at Douai and Rheims and the preservation of canonical text in the face of the Reformation will lead to an appreciation that the Douay-Rheims Bible is potentially the most accurate translation of Holy Scripture.If you have even the slightest of interests in purchasing any Holy Scripture for multifarious purposes and enjoy ownership of beautiful objects and pieces of literature, whether you are a collector, religious, historiographic or philosophical, this Bible is a must have for anyone with a keen interest in expanding their knowledge of truth, in all its forms.