Douay Rheims Catholic Bible

 

Before diving into Scripture, take a moment to explore how the Bible came to be. The full list of books (with links) is waiting for you at the bottom.

 

How Did We Get the Bible?

The Bible was compiled, preserved, and passed down by the Catholic Church through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The early Christians did not have a single, complete Bible as we know it today. While the writings of the apostles and prophets were circulated and cherished, it was the Catholic Church that discerned which books were truly inspired by God.

 

When Was the Bible Formed?

The canon of Scripture—the official list of inspired books—was first established by the Catholic Church in the fourth century.

In 382 AD, at the Council of Rome, under the leadership of Pope Damasus I, the Church officially listed the books of both the Old and New Testaments.[1]

This canon was then reaffirmed at:

  • The Council of Hippo in 393 AD[2]
  • The Council of Carthage in 397 AD[3]
  • The Council of Florence in 1442 AD[4]
  • And definitively at the Council of Trent in 1546 AD[5], especially in response to the Protestant reformers who removed books from the Bible.

This is the same canon of Scripture the Catholic Church uses today, including the seven Deuterocanonical books (sometimes called the “Apocrypha” by Protestants) that were part of the Bible from the beginning.

 

What About the English Bible?

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. In the fourth century, St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin—the Latin Vulgate—which became the standard Bible of the Catholic Church for over a thousand years.[6]

During the Protestant Reformation, many reformers removed seven books from the Old Testament. In response, English Catholic scholars in exile produced the first full Catholic Bible in English: the Douay-Rheims Bible.

  • The New Testament was published in 1582 (Rheims).
  • The Old Testament and complete Bible were finished in 1610 (Douai).[7]

This translation was based on the Latin Vulgate and preserved the full canon upheld by the Catholic Church.

Today, there are several faithful Catholic Bible translations that are widely used and approved, including the Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition (RSV-CE), the New American Bible (NAB), the Jerusalem Bible, and the New Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE). These modern translations are excellent for study, prayer, and liturgy while remaining faithful to the Church’s teaching and the full canon of Scripture.

 

The Bottom Line

The Catholic Church gave the world the Bible. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Church preserved, protected, and passed on the Scriptures from generation to generation.

The canon of Scripture was not dropped from heaven—it was prayerfully discerned, compiled, and safeguarded by the Catholic Church. The Bible is, without question, a Catholic book, entrusted to the Church Christ Himself founded.

Without the Catholic Church, the Bible as we know it today would not exist.

 

Footnotes

  1. Decree of Damasus (382 AD) — Found within the Gelasian Decree, which preserves this list. ↩
  2. Council of Hippo (393 AD) — Canon 36, referenced in Codex Canonum Ecclesiae Africanae, listing the same 73 books. ↩
  3. Council of Carthage (397 AD) — Canon 36, reaffirming the canon of Scripture defined earlier. ↩
  4. Council of Florence (1442 AD) — Document Cantate Domino, which defined the canon for the universal Church. ↩
  5. Council of Trent (1546 AD) — Decree Concerning the Canonical Scriptures, Session 4, April 8, 1546. This was the formal closure of the canon in response to Protestant challenges. ↩
  6. St. Jerome, Preface to the Books of Kings — Part of his Latin Vulgate translation commissioned by Pope Damasus. ↩
  7. Preface to the Douay-Rheims Bible (1582 NT, 1610 OT) — Explains the purpose and origin of the English Catholic Bible created by scholars of the English College at Douai and Rheims. ↩

 

Recommended Reading

  • The Bible is a Catholic Book — Jimmy Akin, Catholic Answers Press
  • Where We Got the Bible: Our Debt to the Catholic Church — Henry G. Graham
  • Introduction to the Bible — Fr. John Laux, TAN Books
  • Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger — Gary Michuta

 

Challenor Douay Rheims Version
Douay Rheims version revised by Bishop Challoner during the 18th century
Old Testament Books
New Testament Books
Genesis Jeremiah Matthew
Exodus Lamentations Mark
Leviticus Baruch Luke
Numbers Ezekiel John
Deuteronomy Daniel Acts
Joshua Hosea Romans
Judges Joel 1 Corinthians
Ruth Amos 2 Corinthians
1 Samuel Obadiah Galatians
2 Samuel Jonah Ephesians
1 Kings Micah Philippians
2 Kings Nahum Colossians
1 Chronicles Habakkuk 1 Thessalonians
2 Chronicles Zephaniah 2 Thessalonians
Ezra Haggai 1 Timothy
Nehemiah Zechariah 2 Timothy
Tobit Malachi Titus
Judith 1 Maccabees Philemon
Esther 2 Maccabees Hebrews
Job
James
Psalms
1 Peter
Proverbs
2 Peter
Ecclesiastes
1 John
Song of Solomon
2 John
Wisdom
3 John
Sirach
Jude
Isaiah
Revelation