The Douay-Rheims Study Bible The REAL Douay-Rheims
Study Bible
WELCOME TO THE HOME OF THE REAL DOUAY-RHEIMS STUDY BIBLE.
WHAT IS THE REAL DOUAY-RHEIMS STUDY BIBLE?
SOME BIBLE HISTORY
Let's start at the beginning.
St. Jerome at work on the Vulgate IN AD 382 POPE ST. DAMASUS
COMMISSIONED ST. JEROME (HIERONYMOUS), THE LEADING BIBLICAL SCHOLAR OF
HIS DAY, TO PRODUCE A TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE TO REPLACE THE OLD
LATIN BIBLE, WHICH HAD BECOME CORRUPTED THROUGH COPYISTS' ERRORS.
A MAN WHO IS WELL GROUNDED IN THE TESTIMONIES OF THE SCRIPTURE IS
THE BULWARK OF THE CHURCH.
St. Jerome
St. Jerome applying himself to the task by papal warrant had access
to the best extant manuscripts -- which were much closer to the
original manuscripts in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic than anything still
existing today. In many cases the New Testament scriptural texts were
within a few generations of the original manuscripts penned by the
Apostles.
THE LATIN VULGATE
Finally completing his work in AD 405, St. Jerome gave the Catholic
Church the Latin Vulgate. The Vulgate was solemnly proclaimed the
Church's official Bible by the Council of Trent; which also declared
that St. Jerome's Vulgate was the only authentic Latin text of the
Scriptures.
The word Vulgate itself means the "vulgar" --- that is the common
Latin language in usage throughout the lands of the Roman Empire by
the common people.
The Vulgate was everywhere accepted, the majority of whom became
the Greek Orthodox. The Greek bishops, because their texts had become
so corrupted as to not be reliable, translated the Vulgate back into
the "original Greek" for their use; which was the "Greek Text" in use
at the time of the Reformation.
The Vulgate was in use everywhere for 1,100 years as the standard
Bible of all Christians; until various other Bibles began to appear
during the Protestant Reformation.
Cover of the Latin Vulgate Bible These either claimed to be
translations of the Vulgate, or to be "diligently compared with the
original Hebrew and original Greek manuscripts".
In point of fact, well before the Protestant Reformation, there
were no "original Hebrew and original Greek manuscripts" in existence,
except in their claims --- neither have any original manuscripts been
discovered to this day.
THE CATHOLIC VIEW
From 1534 when Luther completed his corrupted Bible, which was
followed by that of Wycliffe, Coverdale, etc., these partisan
translations multiplied.
English Church Scholars under the direction of William (later
Cardinal) Allen, in answer to these inaccurate translations of the
Bible so as to protect the Faith of the people, undertook to prepare
an accurate English version of the Vulgate. And so the English College
at Rheims undertook to translate the Vulgate in the common man's
English
And so the English College at Rheims undertook the translation of
the Vulgate into the common man's English so that everyone could
understand God's Holy Word arightly.
THE RHEIMS NEW TESTAMENT
The result was the Rheims New Testament (1582) and, after the move
to Douai, the Douay Old Testament (1609). This Douay-Rheims Bible
became the gold standard --- the authentic translation --- of the
Bible for English speaking Catholics and all who valued scriptural
integrity.
The title page of the REAL Rheims New Testament _\"NOW SINCE
LUTHER'S REVOLT ALSO,\" SAYS THE PREFACE TO THE REAL RHEIMS NEW
TESTAMENT OF 1582, \"DIVERSE LEARNED CATHOLICS, FOR THE MORE SPEEDY
ABOLISHING OF A NUMBER OF FALSE AND IMPIOUS TRANSLATIONS PUT FORTH BY
SUNDRY SECTS, AND FOR THE BETTER PRESERVATION OR RECLAIM OF MANY GOOD
SOULS ENDANGERED THEREBY, HAVE PUBLISHED THE BIBLE IN THE SEVERAL
LANGUAGES OF ALMOST ALL THE PRINCIPAL PROVINCES OF THE LATIN CHURCH,
NO OTHER BOOKS IN THE WORLD BEING SO PERNICIOUS AS HERETICAL
TRANSLATIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES, POISONING THE PEOPLE UNDER COLOR OF
DIVINE AUTHORITY, AND NOT MANY OTHER REMEDIES _
_being more sovereign against the same (if it be used in order,
discretion, and humility) than the true, faithful, and sincere
interpretation opposed thereunto ... We, therefore, having compassion
to see our beloved countrymen, with extreme danger of their souls, to
use only such profane translations and erroneous men's mere fantasies,
for the pure and blessed word of truth, much also moved thereunto by
the desires of many devout persons, have set forth for you, benign
readers, the New Testament to begin withal, trusting that it may give
occasion to you, after diligent perusal thereof, to lay away at least
such their impure versions as hitherto you have been forced to
occupy."_
The preface to the entire Douay-Rheims Bible speaks to the same
effect:
_"Now since Luther and his followers have pretended that the
Catholic Roman faith and doctrine should be contrary to God's written
word, and that the Scriptures were not suffered in vulgar languages,
lest the people should see the truth, and withal these new masters
corruptly turning the Scriptures into diverse tongues, as might best
serve their own opinions, against this false suggestion and practice,
Catholic pastors have, for one especial remedy, set forth true and
sincere translations in most languages of the Latin Church."_
NOT A TYPICAL TRANSLATION OR \"VERSION\"
It must be noted that the Douay-Rheims is NOT a typical translation
where the translator rearranges the words and meanings, but a
"slavish", i.e., an exact translation without liberties from the Latin
into English. The reader thereby has an exact understanding of what
the original Latin says, rather than interpretations and
interpolations.
HISTORY OF THE DOUAY RHEIMS BIBLE
The year 1558 A.D. marks the beginning of increasing hardships and
persecution in England for followers of the Vulgate. Some were forced
to flee to the European mainland for safety. Some went to Douai,
France, where a college had been founded for the training of
missionaries to return to England; of which many were martyred. It was
there, ten years later, that Gregory Martin began to translate the
Latin Vulgate into English.
As noted, the Rheims New Testament was published in 1582 A.D. in a
single volume. For want of finances, the Old Testament was not
published until the first volume appeared in 1609 A. D., and the
second volume completing the Old Testament in 1610 A.D.
THE KING JAMES VERSION
One year later, in 1611 A.D., the Protestant King James Version,
also known as the Authorized Version, was issued; but the Catholic
Douay-Rheims was not allowed legal entry until the 18th century. The
King James Version was virtually a translation from Luther's German to
English, and NOT "diligently compared with original Hebrew and Greek"
as it claimed --- there being no complete original Hebrew or Greek
manuscripts in existence either then or now.
The Douay-Rheims Bible was specifically created for distribution in
England. However the stringent Protestant Penal Laws in England
forbade the entrance and ownership of this, God's Word.
In fact, ownership of the Douay-Rheims by an Englishman was
considered inimical to the English government and highly treasonable,
for which one could be put to death. -- An interesting contretemps
from those who claimed to be setting God's Word free.
In "Where We Got the Bible, the Rt. Rev. Henry Graham states:
Needless to say, the appearance of this New Testament, with its
annotations, at once aroused the fiercest opposition. Queen Elizabeth
ordered the searches to seek out and confiscate every copy they could
find. If a priest was found in possession of it, he was forthwith
imprisoned. Torture by rack was applied to those who circulated it....
All these measures, be it noted, kind reader, were taken by parties
who advocated loudly the unlimited right of private judgment. The
King James Version was thus permitted to stand without competition and
comparison with the Latin Vulgate or the English Douay-Rheims.
Since the King James Version of 1611 A.D., it was as though
Luther's "Bible" was the Bible of 1,100 years, and not the Latin
Vulgate.
DISCERNING THE WORD OF GOD
If one's salvation depends upon the proper acceptance and
application of Christ's teachings in one's life; then it is evident
that the right understanding of the Word of God must be attained.
But what if the Bible were to be cut and pasted, edited,
re-interpreted, and otherwise changed --- all the while keeping the
same name, but not the same substance. What effect would this have
upon a godly man attempting to live the life of Christ?
This is, of course, the reason we are given as to why there are so
many versions of the Bible about --- to allow one to get closer to the
real and true meaning of God's Word.
Thus we have Luther's Bible, the King James Version (the Authorized
Version), the Wycliffe, the Great Bible, and the Coverdale Bible from
the Protestant Reformation.
More recently we have the Scofield Bible, the Revised Standard
Version, the Amplified Bible, the Living Bible, the Lamsa Bible, the
New Century Version, the New International Bible, the New American
Standard Version, the Thompson Chain Reference, the Nave Study Bible,
and on and on.
Each of these bible versions claims to take the Believer closer to
the true meaning and essence of the Word of God.
However, suppose that you have not considered, or have been denied,
the best text of Scripture, and even the best helps that you need to
understand God's Word arightly.
What if the text of Holy Scripture had been changed to purge Jesus
from Scripture, not just in the current anti-Christian era, but from
the 1500's continuing until today under various forms of "textual
criticism", updating, and other terms hiding what has been done?
As one Minister states "It is, therefore, imperative that every
child of God takes great care that the Bible version which he uses,
defends, and promotes in the world is a faithful translation of the
Word of God."
REMOVING CHRIST FROM THE BIBLE
For example, let us consider the determination to dissolve Christ
from the Old Testament. This is plain in the King James Version
(Authorized Version), where the various names of our Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ, are removed more than 100 times. 21 times the name
Christ is deleted, where it appears in the Vulgate and Douay.
The names of Jesus removed from Luther's Bible and the King James:
of JESUS, 1 time, Hab. 3:18
(also in Jude 5); of THE JUST ONE, 25 times;
of SAVIOUR, 15 times;
of DOMINATOR, 13 times;
of THE HOLY ONE, 5 times;
of THE STRONG ONE, 6 times;
of THE SON OF MAN, 5 times;
of MY DELIVERER, 2 times;
of OUR LORD, 7 times;
of THE LAMB, 1 time;
of OUR REDEEMER, 1 time;
of THE MEEK ONE, 1 time;
of THE NOBLE ONE, 1 time;
and, of THE ORIENT, 1 time.
BUT GOD SAYS. . .
God says: \"...NEITHER ADD ANYTHING, NOR DIMINISH.\" De. 12:32.
"You shall not add to the word that I speak to you; neither shall you
take away from it." De. 4:2. "Add not anything to his words..." Pr.
30:6. "If any man shall add to these things, God shall add upon him
the plagues written in this book." Apoc. [Rev.] 22:18.
If the name of "God my JESUS" were in the Old Testament, would you
expect Luther to retain it? If so, you would be disappointed!
In Luther's Habakuk, chapter 3, he expunged the name CHRIST and the
name JESUS from the same page! JESUS is gone from his Hab. 3:18 which
says: _"Ego autem in Domino gaudebo. Et exsultabo in Deo Iesu meo."_
That is:
_"But I will joy in our Lord, and will rejoice in God my JESUS." _
But Luther made it: _"Aber ich will mich freuen des Herrn, und
froehlich sein in Gott meinem Heil." "In God, my salvation."_
Furthermore, this was not the only occasion that he did it.
The name CHRIST is found 21 times in the Old Testament. Luther
rendered it Judaistically "Messiah" once, "Christ" twice, and he
rendered it out 18 times. He then blotted out the name CHRIST 24 times
in the New Testament.
Then, forty-five (45) times, Martin Luther took the name JESUS out
of the New Testament!
It is extremely important, of course, to comply with the words of
Jesus that we change not a single word of His; however, the name JESUS
can be much more important in one verse than in another!
JESUS is taken out by Luther in his "Bible," in: Mt. 5:1; 8:26;
9:23; 16:15; 17:19; 20:17; 22:20; 26:18; Mk. 9:15; 16:1; 16:19; Lk.
4:38; 6:11; 14:1; 18:31; 20:3; 22:2; 24:36; Jn. 2:8; 4:1; Acts 5:41;
9:17; 9:20; 10:48; 16:7; 18:4; 18:25; 24:24; Rom. 8:34; 15:16; 16:9; I
Cor. 4:17; II Cor. 2:14; Eph. 3:6; Phil. 3:9; Col. 1:7; 2:2; 4:12; II
Thes. 2:8; Phile. 8; Heb. 4:14-16; 9:24; Jude 5,24,25; Hab. 3:18.
CHRIST is taken out by Luther in his "Bible," in: I K. 2:10; 2:35;
12:3; 12:5; 16:6; II K. 22:51; II Par. 6:42; Ps. 2:2; 17:51; 19:7;
83:10; 88:39; 88:52; 131:10; 131:17; Is. 45:1; Lam. 4:20; Hab. 3:13;
Acts 4:33; 10:48; 28:31; Rom. 3:26;4: 24; 8:35; 10:17; I Cor. 2:1;
4:16; 5:5; II Cor. 5:15; 11:4; Gal. 4:31; Eph. 5:21; 5:29; Col. 3:15;
3:17; I Thes. 4:17; Heb. 10:19; 13:20; I Pet. 3:15; Jude 24, 25;
Apocalypse 11:15-19.
JESUS is added by Luther in his "Bible," in: Mt. 8:5; 13:36; 13:51;
14:14; 14:25; 15:16; 15:30; 16:6; 17:11; 24:2; Mk. 5:19; 7:27; 10:50;
11:14; 11:15; Lk. 7:22; 8:35; 10:21; 10:39; 10:41; 13:2; Jn. 4:46;
13:3; 19:23; 20:21; 21:17; Acts 3:26; 9:28; Eph. 3:9; I Jn. 5:20.
CHRIST is added by Luther in his "Bible," in: Mt. 23:8; Mk. 13:6;
Lk. 4:41; Jn. 4:42; Acts 16:31; Gal. 3:17; 4:7; Eph. 3:9; Jn. 5:20.
Again, it should be emphasized that The King James Version is a
virtual translation from Luther's German to English, and was not
"diligently compared with original Hebrew and Greek" as was claimed.
Why, simply because these "original" Hebrew and Greek manuscripts
simply did not exist at that time.
THE CHALLONER \"REVISION\"
Similar forces attempting to bowdlerize and to water down Sacred
Scripture were also at work within the Catholic Church after the penal
laws were lifted in England. The authentic real "Douay-Rheims Bible"
was never accepted in England, as all Catholic Bibles had been
confiscated and burned.
In the 18th century, Bibles appeared in England -- the work of a
Bishop Challoner -- which were erroneously called The Douay-Rheims.
These counterfeit versions were allowed circulation in England and its
colonies. The real Douay-Rheims --- the original and true version ---
vanished --- to be found only in museums and literary collections.
The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1909 A.D. states:
"Although the Bibles in use at the present day by the Catholics of
England and Ireland are popularly styled the Douay Version, they are
most improperly so called; they are founded, with more or less
alteration, on a series of revisions undertaken by Bishop Challoner in
1749-52 . . .
The changes introduced by him were so considerable that, according
to Cardinal Newman, they almost amounted to a new translation. So,
also, Cardinal Wiseman wrote, 'To call it any longer the Douay or
Rheimish Version is an abuse of terms. It has been altered and
modified until scarcely any verse remains as it was originally
published.' In nearly every case Challoner's changes took the form of
approximating to the Authorized Version [King James]. . ." This is
what is commonly sold as the Douay-Rheims Bible. If one buys a
"Douay-Rheims Bible" today it is typically a copy of the 1899
Challoner version, which is but a pale reflection of the REAL
Douay-Rheims. The text does not follow the original Douay-Rheims, and
it is usually found with hardly any of the voluminous notes and
annotations of the original REAL Douay-Rheims.
Father George Leo Haydock attempted a partial restoration of the
voluminous notes from the REAL Douay-Rheims with his 1852 "Haydock
Bible". While it is an improvement over the standard Challoner
version, it is still the Challoner translation and also lacks the
massive notes and annotations as well.
One may ask why the REAL Douay-Rheims has not been available to the
public from the 1600's until the present day.
Obviously there are many reasons, such as the Penal Laws, the
Challoner version which falsely claimed the name _"Douay Rheims"_,
etc.
An image of the old English script text in the REAL Rheims New
Testament However, the major reason (other than the obvious efforts
of the enemies of Christ to suppress it) is because it has never been
retyped from the Old English script into _modern English text_ to make
it accessible to modern readers.
Thus, it is extremely hard and tedious to read and understand.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
You may be wondering, "How much difference can there really be
between the REAL Rheims New Testament and the King James?"
Christians have been deceived into believing that their English
Bibles were based on the true ancient texts which Christians have
always used.
Instead, what they have is really based on texts by people who did
not mind changing holy Scripture so as to prove their theological
contentions and remove Christ from His Scriptures.
Only the REAL Douay-Rheims Bible is faithful to the _ancient_ Latin
Vulgate!
This means YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE OLDEST AUTHENTIC BIBLE TEXTS
AVAILABLE any where!
Here are a few of the many examples that clearly illustrate this
fact:
Verse
Latin Vulgate
385 A.D.
REAL Douay Rheims
1610 A.D.
King James Version
1611 A.D.
I Kings 12:3
I Sam. 12:3 Loquímini de me coram Dómino, et coram christo ejus,
...
Speak of me before our Lord, and before his Christ, ...
witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: ...
I Kings 12: 5
I Sam. 12:5 Dixítque ad eos : Testis est Dóminus advérsum vos, et
testis christus ejus in die hac, ...
And he said to them: Witness is our Lord against you, and witness
is his Christ in this day, ...
And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his
anointed is witness this day, ...
Psalm 131:10
Psalm 132:10 Propter David servum tuum non avértas fáciem christi
tui.
For David thy servants sake turn not away the face of thy Christ.
For thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of thine
anointed.
Psalm 131:17
Psalm 132:17 Illuc prodúcam cornu David; parávi lucérnam christo
meo.
Thither will I bring fourth a horn to David, I have prepared a lamp
to my Christ.
There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp
for mine anointed.
Isaias 64:10
Isaiah 64:10 Cívitas Sancti tui facta est desérta, Sion desérta
facta est, Jerúsalem desoláta est.
The city of thy holy one is made desert, Sion is made desert,
Jerusalem is become desolate.
Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem
a desolation.
For a comparison of nine different Bible versions
THE REAL DOUAY RHEIMS BIBLE
In an effort spanning over eleven years, and as a corporal and
spiritual work of mercy, Dr. William von Peters has prepared the Douay
Rheims for modern readers. First hand retyping the REAL Rheims New
Testament in its entirety, with all the notes and annotations, into
_modern English text_ for easy reading. Then continuing on with the
REAL Douay Old Testament, also with notes and annotations.
It is to be emphasized that nothing in the text has been changed or
modified. It has only been transliterated into modern English text,
with archaic spellings updated to modern spellings. Where possible the
archaic spelling has been left intact to preserve the "flavor" of this
historic text.
The Rt. Rev. Henry Graham (Where We Got the Bible) states regarding
the bringing of the true unadulterated Scripture of the Rheims New
Testament from the Apostles to St. Jerome, and now to you, states:
"...At a single leap we thus arrive at that great work,
completed by the greatest scholar of his day, who had access to
manuscripts and authorities that have now perished , and who, living
so near the days of the Apostles, and, as it were, close to the very
fountain-head , was able to produce a copy of the inspired writings
which, for correctness, can never be equaled. and even while many
unpleasant roughnesses occur, there can be little doubt that their
version gained on the whole by the faithfulness with which they
endeavoured to keep the original form of the sacred writings. . . .
The same spirit of fidelity to the letter of their texts often led
them to keep the phrase of the original where other translators had
unnecessarily abandoned it."
Ibid., pp. 245, 249, 255: Matt. 18:29, 24:7, Luke 16:9,: Rom. 1:21,
11:2.
"In addition to the Vulgate," says Isaacs, "the Greek text was
closely consulted and produced improved renderings of the article, not
without effect on the Authorized and Revised Versions"
(in _The Bible in Its Ancient English Versions_, p. 193.
Scrivener also acknowledges that the Rheims New Testament "is
highly commendable for its scrupulous accuracy and fidelity. In
justice it must be observed that no case of willful perversion of
Scripture has ever been brought home to the Rheimish translators."
_A Supplement to the Authorized English Version of the New
Testament_.
J.R. Dore notes: "In some places the Douai Bible more accurately
hands down the very words of the inspired writers than any English
translation then existing. This is owing to the Latin having been
taken from earlier MSS, than were accessible to later translators."
Dore, _Literary Lineage Of The KJV_, pp. 316-17
G. C. Macaulay calls the Rheims: "...a most accurate and
scholarly version . . . by thoroughly competent Greek scholars, who
carefully compared the Latin with the Greek . . . In the
representation of a simple Greek word occurring in various places by
the same English word, in careful discrimination of the senses of the
definite aricle, and in regard of the original form, express, and
order of words, this version is far superior to any previously
existing. As to the English style of it, a very false impression is
created by the usual descriptions. It does not doubt maintain a
certain number of unfamiliar words which it was thought could not be
rendered into common English without losing their theological or
ecclesiastical associations; but in the Gospels and the simpler
portions of the Epistles we may read for a long time without finding
anything unusual in the diction; and such words as "evangelise" and
"Paraclete" need not seriously offend us. By far the most shocking
instance is "supersubstantial bread" in the Lord's Prayer; but the
translators were dealing with a difficulty which had been rather
evaded than solved by their predecessors. . . . It is needless here to
do more than to mention the considerable owed by our Authorized
Version to the Rhemist translation."
The English Bible, in the _Quarterly Review_, October 1911.
So even great Protestant Scholars are not afraid to praise the
Douay Rheims.
In closing this section, I will quote from Hugo Grotius the great
Dutch humanist, statesman, jurist, and Catholic: "no version is
freer from prejudice than the Vulgate owing to its antiquity and the
fact that it antedates the Western schisms."
NOW AVAILABLE
ALL STUDENTS OF THE BIBLE SEEKING TO DILIGENTLY ASCERTAIN THE
WORD OF GOD AND ITS MEANING, WHETHER CATHOLIC OR PROTESTANT, SHOULD
HAVE A COPY OF THIS MONUMENTAL WORK WHICH BRINGS THE BIBLE DIRECTLY
FROM THE TIME OF ST. JEROME'S VULGATE OF A.D. 385 TO YOU TODAY IN THE
21ST CENTURY.
As a Study Bible it is without comparison, quoting the Apostles,
Fathers of the Church, Saints and Sacred Councils. This information is
simply not available in any one source elsewhere. Now you can have it
for your studies and prayers --- and to build your Faith.
The Rheims New Testament is now available as a download in Adobe
pdf format for everyone to read, study, and learn from. As a pdf file
it can be easily searched to find verses, subjects and notes.
This project of many years effort has borne fruit in bringing forth
the authentic Word of God from St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate to the
Rheims New Testament --- some 2,000 years --- for your edification,
study and knowledge.
TO BE IGNORANT OF THE SCRIPTURE IS NOT TO KNOW CHRIST.
St. Jerome
We must believe all that God has revealed which He made known FOR
OUR VERY SALVATION by the Patriarchs and Prophets, and at last by His
Son Jesus Christ and the Apostles.
In the early centuries of Christianity, the Holy Bible was the only
book which was read in homes. It was read daily to the entire family -
even the youngest children, so before they had to attend pagan schools
they were well prepared, because they knew Holy Scripture by heart and
thus were able to easily defend and profess their Christian Faith, and
to even die for it.
True Holy Scripture as God's Word, along with Apostolic Tradition,
has always led Christians as the pillar of doctrine and Faith.
Today, however, it is perhaps even more vital and necessary to each
of us as we move ever closer to the culmination of history in these
End Times.
As the Testament of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ, the Rheims
New Testament belongs in your library. THIS MONUMENTAL RHEIMS NEW
TESTAMENT --- REAPPEARING IN THESE END TIMES SOME 428 YEARS AFTER ITS
PUBLICATION IN 1582 --- IS MODESTLY PRICED FOR EVERYONE'S BUDGET AT
ONLY $29.95.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE NOW
QUESTIONS? CONTACT US AT: SALES[AT]REALDOUAYRHEIMS.COM - REPLACE THE
[AT] WITH @.
