Catholics today have a wealth of Study Bibles available for more deeply investigating God’s Word in Sacred Scripture. Suitable options include both study editions of Catholic Bibles, and editions of “ecumenical” Study Bibles containing the full canon of 73 books.
Below, we identify thirteen potential candidates, providing a brief overview of each. The editions are grouped according to the translation serving as their textual basis, beginning with the study editions available for the US Bishops’ own current translation (New American Bible, Revised Edition), followed by those based on the more literal translations of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
Catholic or ecumenical study Bible editions are lacking for other current Catholic translations such as the RNJB, NCB, and ESV-CE, although study editions exist of the standard 66-book abridged canon ESV.
NABRE–based Study Bibles
Catholic Study Bible
Oxford University Press, 2,560 pgs. Medium typeface (8pt text/6pt notes) on thin paper, sporting adequate margins. The volume is based on the current NABRE text, with its extensive footnotes and cross-references, which are presented in two columns below the two-column Biblical text, set off with a mere single line of white space. The cross-references presentation is cramped and difficult to use. The publisher’s contribution, over and above the standard NABRE annotations, is primarily a 525-page “Reader’s Guide” section of general articles and book introductions, appended before the Biblical text. A very limited amount of additional material appears within the main body of the text.
The 2016 third edition replaces or updates the Reading Guide articles from previous editions, which date back to 1990 and an earlier version of the NAB. The work includes a 15-page glossary, Sunday and weekday Lectionary schedules, and Oxford maps. Some editions contain a concise concordance. 9 x 6.25 x 2 inches. 3.6 lbs. Hardcover lists for $55; buy from $40.
Catholic Bible: Personal Study Edition
Oxford University Press, 2,624 pgs. Medium typeface (8pt text/6pt notes) on thin paper, with adequate margins. Very similar to Oxford’s Catholic Study Bible, but with a re-worked and somewhat simplified “Reader’s Guide” section, which in this edition includes “At-a-Glance” sections summarizing each Biblical book, additional summary material, and sets of discussion/reflection questions for each book. The work also contains an expanded glossary, a 95-page concordance, Sunday and weekday Lectionary schedule, and new Oxford maps. It contains more comments, brief essays, and other helps within the text sections than does the other Oxford edition, but the bulk of the editorial material is still the Reader’s Guide section.
This “Personal” edition is likely the better of the two Oxford choices for most students. The editorial material was updated for a third edition in 2022. 9 x 6.25 x 2 inches. 3.5 lbs. Hardcover lists for $54; buy from $40.
Didache Bible: NABRE
Midwest Theological Forum, 2,506 pgs. This is a remarkable edition. It takes the NABRE text, with all its attendant study notes and cross-references, and then layers on top of that all the Catechism-informed study material from the RSV-2CE-based Didache Bible mentioned below. Like some other newer editions, it uses a bit of color to mark off different sections of the page, and it also puts some helps into shaded boxes, though this practice is more restrained than with, say, the Little Rock edition. The typeface is a little more generous than some other editions at 9.5pt/8.5pt (text/notes). The margins are modest. The cross-references presentation, although given a bit more space than in many NABREs, lacks a referring verse reference.
Overall, this is a comprehensive and useful study edition in an elegant, modern presentation. 9 x 6 inches. $55 hardcover.
Liturgy and Life Study Bible
Liturgical Press, 2,312 pgs. This new offering from Liturgical Press, published in June of 2023, provides the reader remarkable insight into the relationship between Sacred Scripture and the various forms of liturgy enacted in the daily prayer and worship life of the Church. Starting with the NABRE text and notes, this edition adds a layer of references in a third section identifying all the liturgical usages of defined ranges of Biblical text. The reader can see at a glance how and where a given Biblical passage is used in liturgy, be that in the Lectionary, the Missal, the Liturgy of the Hours, or any of the other liturgical books.
Biblical text is in typical two-column layout, with NABRE notes below them in three columns, liturgical usage reference notes in four columns below them, and NABRE cross-references centered at the bottom of the page in a wide single column. All annotations display their referent verse(s) offset in red ink to ease navigation. Introductions for each book have been replaced. Most pages display a brief devotional or interpretive comment. The front matter includes 21 short articles spanning 60 pages on aspects of worship in the Bible. The Preface indicates that this is the first time such a tool indexing the Scriptures to the entire body of current liturgical texts has been undertaken. 6 3/8 x 8 7/8 x 2 inches, 3.84 lbs. Hardcover only, which lists for $120. Buy from $85.
Little Rock Catholic Study Bible
Liturgical Press, 2,668 pgs. After a series of short introductory essays dealing with the study of Scripture, this edition augments the extensive NABRE translators’ annotations with frequent peach-colored callouts, sidebars, charts, and inserts, as well as numerous drawings and photos. It also similarly visually isolates the translators’ cross-references into the outer margin, making them somewhat easier to follow than in most NABRE layouts. The NABRE text is presented in single-column format with expanded outer margins, well segregated from the two-column NABRE footnotes below, which reclaim the extra margin space. This helps readability, which is somewhat compromised by the use of paper that is on the warm side of white, a design choice probably made to try to combat the bleed-through challenges of using paper thin enough to present almost 2,700 pages in a hand-held edition. Fan tabs with book names coupled with book/chapter identifiers on the outside edge of page headers make finding passages efficient.
More of a practical/devotional Study Bible than an academic one, the cutesiness and heavy coloration may be off-putting to some, but there is a lot of added value in this hefty edition, and it is often popular among parishioners. 6 3/8 x 8 7/8 x 2 1/4 inches. 3.88 lbs. $70 hardcover.
Anselm Academic Study Bible: New American Bible Revised Edition
St. Mary’s Press, 2,140 pgs. This modest edition augments the NAB annotations with ~100 pages of articles, additional introductions for each book, and some background-style content within the main body, including: photographs, charts, maps, fan tabs, etc. The additional editorial content shares the historical-critical sensibilities of the translation annotations. It provides only modest margins, but otherwise the page layout is possibly the best I’ve seen in an NAB Bible for readability – especially the cross-references. The use of dark blue text instead of bolding for navigational elements in the text is attractive. However, the 8pt body text (and even smaller notes) is on the smaller end for books in this class, and could prove difficult for any but the strongest eyes.
It has at least 400 fewer pages than the other NABRE study editions noted here, but if that minimalist approach is acceptable, this would make a very nice working NABRE Bible for those who don’t need larger print. 9 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches; 3.2 lbs. $40 paperback (hardcover discontinued).
RSV–based Study Bibles
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament
Ignatius Press, 720 pgs. Based on the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE). This New Testament volume was published in 2010, and has been awaiting the completion and release of corresponding Old Testament material, which is now complete. Many of the OT books have been released in fascicle form, and Ignatius has the release of the full Study Bible scheduled for November 2024
This NT volume is slightly over-sized at 10 x 7 x 1.6 inches, containing sturdy, slightly cream-colored paper, which includes a 165-page concordance, a 15-page doctrinal topical index, and a handful of basic color maps. The main body has extensive annotations of wide-ranging focus, plentiful cross-references, and occasional callouts for word studies and such. The editorial character clearly encourages interpretation of Scripture as the Word of God, revealing the full range of senses sought within the Catholic tradition. The reasonably generous (10 pt.) text is clean and sharp, and the various elements are easy to identify. Hardcover lists @ $36; buy from $30.
Didache Bible – Ignatius Bible Edition: RSV-2CE
Midwest Theological Forum, 1,960 pages. The Second Catholic Edition RSV is amply annotated with a catechetical commentary, cross-referencing the CCC. The work also contains numerous other apologetic inserts, which are topically indexed in the back, complimenting a Biblical topical index, and a 40+ page glossary. The two-column text is easy to read at 9.5 pt. (8.5 pt. notes), and is segregated from the two-column footnotes by either a single thin horizontal line, or by double lines framing a list of sparse cross-references. The paper is on the cool side, the margins are modest, and the volume provides a couple ribbon markers. Book/chapter/verse indicators are flush to the outer margin in the page header.
This is a wonderful resource, especially for those learning the faith, or anyone who wants to explore the close relationship between Scripture and the Church’s doctrinal teaching. 9.2 x 6.2 x 2 inches. 2.8 pounds. $40 hardcover
Catholic Scripture Study Bible: RSV-CE
Published by Catholic Scripture Study International (CSSI) and Saint Benedict Press, this work is based on the original 1966 Catholic Edition RSV (RSV-CE). Although it contains some explanatory material, mostly of an apologetic nature, it is hard to consider this a real Study Bible. It appears to be basically the Saint Benedict Press Large Print RSV-CE Bible with a splashy logo on the cover, and some limited CSSI material collected in articles and graphics within. There are no explanatory notes or cross references to speak of within the text, and the narrow margins leave little room for marking up. Compare the page count for this edition (1,547) with the other Study Bibles based on the full RSV text (each over 1,900 pages). 9.25 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches.
Check out the customer reviews before buying this one! $70 list price. You can do much better.
New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Expanded Edition: Revised Standard Version
Oxford University Press, ~1,900 pgs. Based on the 2nd edition (1971 NT) of the RSV. The NOAB-RSV is an “Ecumenical Study Bible”, not a Catholic Bible. The original OAB did, however, receive an imprimatur. This is a classic edition, in print since 1977, and still in demand. The NOAB annotations are sparser than in some other study Bibles, but not lacking, and they often focus on linking to other parts of Scripture. They are presented in single-column format below a dividing horizontal line, helping to visually distinguish them from the two-column main text. Cross-references are embedded in the general annotations. The book introductions are brief. The 10 pt. text is heavy but clean and easy to read. The margins are overly slim. Includes 14 Oxford maps.
This edition is remarkable for placing the “Apocrypha” after the New Testament, which, though an oddity, does end up making it easier to work with the later New Testament books. 9 x 6 x 2 inches. 2.8 lbs. $60 list price; buy from $40.
NRSV-based Study Bibles
New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha
Oxford University Press, ~2,400 pgs. This is the successor to Oxford’s NOAB-RSV, based now on the 1989 NRSV text. Currently in its fifth edition (2018). The annotations are significantly expanded compared to the classic RSV edition, and are more interpretive. Book introductions have been expanded. Like its predecessor, it is a non-Catholic Bible, but the “Apocrypha” section is placed in its more typical setting, between the OT and NT sections, like most “ecumenical” Bibles. ~200 pages of helps are placed at the back of the book, including essays, tables, a glossary, a concordance, and revised Oxford maps. A “College Edition” lacks the 70-page concordance.
The typeface is slightly smaller and finer than the classic RSV edition, and the bolding used to navigate the annotations is comparatively muted, but the paper is a modestly cool white, so visual contrast is good, and the text remains readable. The horizontal line between text and annotations has been replaced with two lines of white space, which, combined with the quieter typeface, makes for less busy pages. The margins are also more generous than the classic RSV edition offered. Book and chapter markings are flush to the outside margin in the page headers. Some editions include thumb tabs. 9.5 x 6.75 x 2, 3.4 lbs. Hardcover lists at $45; buy from $32.
New Interpreter’s Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha
Published by Abingdon Press in 2003. 2,298 pgs. This is an “ecumenical” Study Bible (i.e non-Catholic, but containing all the books), and tends toward an academic/liberal bent. Extensive notes accompany the text, which are generally insightful, though they can be of uneven quality, and occasionally get silly when they stray from the exegetical and explanatory into the interpretive. The NISB also provides brief book introductions and high-level outlines, about 100 one-page excursuses complimenting the annotations, 40 pages of essays on interpretation, a glossary, and 20 pages of maps. Cross-references are somewhat hard to identify, being embedded in the general annotations, which are presented in two columns underneath the two-column Biblical text, separated by a page-wide thin horizontal bar.
The NISB is somewhat big to carry around, but this edition would make a very good desktop Study Bible for the serious reader, though the modest margins could have been a bit wider. One other gripe: while the page numbers are placed in the lower outer margins, the Book/Chapter/Verse location identifiers are in the middle of the page header, making it unnecessarily inefficient to find the passage you seek. 9.5 x 7.5 x 2.5 inches. 3.9 lbs. Pricing for this volume has been dropping significantly, and new hardcovers can be found for under $30. It lists @ $51.
HarperCollins Study Bible
From the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL); updated in 2006. Another “ecumenical” study Bible lacking Catholic sensibility. Similar in format to the New Interpreter’s Study Bible, but at about 100 fewer pages (~2200), and with unusably narrow margins and gutters. Brief (1-3 page) introductions to each book compliment thorough annotations, which excel at providing background and context, but can sometimes seem to lack an appreciation for the Scriptures as the inspired Word of God, which will frustrate some readers. Cross references are embedded in the notes, making them harder to identify and use. It also includes a concordance, numerous tables and chronologies (such as an 11-page table of gospel parallels), and a nice index showing where OT passages are quoted in the NT. Some editions are sold without the 75-page concordance. 14 pages of color end-maps; a few other maps and Illustrations are placed within the main body. Book/Chapter/Verse locators are in the outside of the top header for easy browsing. 9.5 x 6.5 x 2 inches. 3.4 lbs.
This work was replaced by the publisher in late 2023 with a significantly inferior volume called The SBL Study Bible, which uses substandard materials, eliminates several features, gets even more “modern” in theological outlook, and is based on the new Updated Edition of the NRSV (NRSVue), which has not received (and likely will not receive) approbation from a Catholic bishops’ conference. A good used copy of this 2006 edition would be a better purchase, or else choose something else altogether.
Last Updated: Aug. 2024