The Jerusalem Bible: Reader's Edition

As one who greatly dislikes the inclusive language of The New Jerusalem Bible, I have been searching for a "Like New" used copy of The Jerusalem Bible (©1966) for quite some time. I recently found a copy here on Amazon that met my criteria. In my excitement at the time I placed my order, I clearly hadn't read the description thoroughly, and was under the erroneous impression that I had ordered a standard hardcover/cloth edition. Upon receiving my package I was utterly delighted to find a beautiful near-perfect, black, flexible leather-bound, Jerusalem Bible with completely clean copy (no notation marks, no highlights, etc.) ...and for just $19.96!!! What a treasure! What a blessing! The leather binding was a bit dull and slightly dehydrated upon receipt (it IS fifty years old, after all!). A few applications of a leather conditioning creme was all it took to restore suppleness and a lovely sheen (please see my photo). The 1966 Standard edition Jerusalem Bible translation is my absolute favorite for its clarity, faithfulness to original sources, use of traditional language, and it's excellent footnotes (see photo), and study resources. In particular, I very much like the individual book introductions. The translation itself, for those unfamiliar with The Jerusalem Bible, reads similarly to the Revised Standard Version (RSV-2CE). It is so much more scholarly in flavor than the "simplistic" New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). So while I own other newer beautiful leather-bound Bibles, this "used", half-century old treasure is now my "go-to" Bible. I use it for my daily Lectio Divina. It's the one I carry to and from church. And it's the Bible that I use to teach from in my Adult Religiious Education classes and Bible Study groups. I'm so thankful for this timeless treasure --quietly sitting on a shelf somewhere-- just awaiting my order. Truly a blessing and one of my most-prized possessions. Thank you for reading, -CC, Amazon Prime Member-Reviewer. +JMJ+

The Jerusalem Bible - derives its name and its character from an earlier French version, called La Bible de Jerusalem. The French version (published in 1956, and revised 1961) was prepared by the Dominican Biblical School in Jerusalem, on the basis of the Hebrew and Greek. The idea of the English Jerusalem Bible was to turn the French version, together with all of its annotations, into English, with constant reference to the Hebrew and Greek. And so the translation is based upon the Hebrew and Greek as interpreted by the French version. Although it was prepared by Roman Catholics, the version does not serve to promote traditional Roman Catholic doctrine. It is notable as being the first English version to be done by Roman Catholics on the basis of Greek and Hebrew texts rather than upon the Latin Vulgate. In 1943 Pope Pious XII issued an encyclical letter on Biblical studies called Divino Afflante Spiritu in which he gave permission for this departure from the Roman Catholic tradition. This version printed in 1966 was prepared by Roman Catholic scholars in Great Britain, under the general editorship of Alexander Jones of Christ’s College, Liverpool, assisted by twenty-seven colleagues. Among the English stylists who worked with the translators was J. R. R. Tolkien, the famous English novelist and literary critic. Since this version is out of print, it is hard to obtain. The pages are soft, thin, and have gilt sides, which adds to its beauty. It does not have the poetic stance of the King James Bible, but it has a cadence of its own that makes it inviting to read. It is not like the revised versions today of the bible, which sounds like you are reading a plain book. The divine name "Lord" is represented in the text as Yahweh, but it still mentions God throughout the book, so I don't feel that it takes any harmony away from it. An Index of Biblical Themes has been published in this edition. It is not a luxury or an afterthought; it is a key to a treasure, for the use of the serious reader or preachers. It is for those who are not studying one single book or passage but wish to find out what the Bible as a whole has to say on a particular theological idea. The format of this edition has been chosen to make intelligent reading easier, and the single column arrangement has for this reason been adopted. The division of the text by bold-type section headings should enable the reader to see at a glance what is the subject-matter of the pages before him/her. The poetic passages are printed as verse and the lines with fewer stresses in the Hebrew are indented. Very occasionally there is a word-distribution that does not correspond to the lines in the Hebrew: this has been done deliberately, though reluctantly, for the sake of clearer English. As for the work of the publishers, it is here for all to see, and the writer of the Foreword fully shows appreciation for their devotion to it. Even if you do not have much experience in reading the King James Bible, please do not be afraid to buy and read this version. I just love this Bible and it is so beautiful in numerous ways. I especially enjoy the ability to have the many annotations at my disposal, as it has assisted me in understanding the scriptures and history even further.

This still my favorite version of the Judeo-Christian Bible. It is a wonderful and insightful translation which was fairly controversial. I had the wonderful privilege of speaking with J.R.R. Tolkien about his participation in the translation/editing process and the controversy that followed. The Catholic Church objected to the use of many of the names of God which appear within its covers. The Church also objected to restated phrases such as "the Kingdom of God is in your midst" instead of "the Kingdom of God is within". Tolkien told me he had pushed for an even more radical/literal translation but that finally he had agreed to compromise on several details.( He felt, for example, that, "you are in The Midst of the Kingdom of God" would have been even closer but other voices felt that it would be confusing for too many people. Even so, many people freaked out about the changes and the Second Jerusalem Bible was published. It is a more sanitized version and I really think they wounded the message with their second attempt. At any rate, I highly recommend that anyone who loves this book gets this version for as long as you can. It is beautiful.

When I got this used copy of the Jerusalem Bible, illustrated by Dali, I wasn't expecting the art to be so very impactful. If you like books, if you like bibles, if you like art, get this bible. Yes J.R.R. Tolken did a little work on the translation. I can't even explain how this bible makes me feel when I pick it up and flip open the pages. It's amazing.

Most important and beloved acquisition of my life. This helps me with my soul's salvation and hopefully allows me to be a tool for other's as well.

Easy to read and understand, it's a lovely Bible.

Razoável.

This is an easy to read and understand Bible version that is used by other Christian churches. Only problem is the small print. E' una versione della bibbia facile da leggere e capire, usata nelle altre chiese, non solo quella cattolica. L'unico problema e' lo stampo piccolo.

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