Catholic Bible
Since ancient times, the Catholic Church is said to strongly assert that the Holy Scriptures must not be interpreted by mere lay persons. It is said that the church deems it necessary for people to be properly guided as they delve into the sacred text. As such, the Catholic bible version is accompanied by explanations because the church deems the danger of misinterpreted bible texts to be too great and too perilous.
Same Message, Different Format
More particularly known as the 'Douai-Rheims Bible,' the Catholic Bible is formatted with footnotes and end notes, containing explanations. Unlike other religious denominations, Catholic scholars believe that the bible must not be subject to interpretation just by anyone who would get their hands on a copy. As such, they came up with a version that already contains needed explanation for the verses. The NIV bible, a translated version produced by the Protestant Church does not contain detailed and thorough explanations like the Catholic bible new version does. Both versions are deemed to be the most popular picks in the market.
History
The bible is known by such name because of its historical roots. 'Douai' is a commune located in Northern France. The English College in the area was the center of Catholicism in Europe in the early 1580s, and it was in this institution that the Catholic bible, particularly the Old Testament in English, was first produced. Meanwhile, 'Rheims' is another location in France, it is a city situated eighty (80) miles outside Paris. The college was temporarily relocated in the area, and it was in this city that the New Testament was translated by Gregory Martin. The goal of the scholars then was to convert the English back to Catholicism. The group comprising of Cardinal Allen, Thomas Worthington and Richard Bristow reviewed and provided the explanations on the footnotes for this early version of the Catholic bible.
These Modern Times
Today, however, there are newer versions of the bible, such as the Jerusalem Bible, the New American Bible produced and popular in the United States, as well as the Revised Standard Version, and the New Jerusalem Bible. Modern Catholic churches and their leaders prefer to use the contemporary version, but some traditional churches in Europe still use the old but revised version of the Douai-Rheims bible. A Catholic bible must bear the Imprimatur (Latin term meaning, "let it be printed") of a bishop or cardinal, for it to be an officially approved printed literature by the Catholic Church.