New Bible from Baronius Press

Baronius Press recently sent me a copy of their magnificent new Bible. I have kept it carefully on the table in my reception room downstairs and shown it to some admiring parishioners after weekday Mass.

The Bible has the Clementine Vulgate in parallel columns with the Douai-Rheims translation with the notes by Bishop Richard Challoner. The Clementine Vulgate is named after Pope Clement VIII: the Council of Trent taught that the Vulgate was authentic and ordered that a standard text should be produced. The first effort, by Pope Sixtus V suffered from a number of errors and the revision produced under Clement VIII became the standard.

The Douai-Rheims translation was a faithful and literal translation of the vulgate, making it an excellent tool for those who wish to follow the Latin text. The production of a bible with both versions side-by-side is a great gift to the Christian faithful.

The Bible is beautifully produced: it is bound in dark green leather with ornate gold blocking on the cover and the spine. The page edges are gilded, there are the traditional head and tail bands and two satin ribbons. The text is set in Century Old Style with a font size of 9pt. Here is a link to sample pages in PDF format.

I took a couple of photos of my own to show you the marbled endpapers and the text as it is in the book. I left my reading glasses in the below so that you can get an idea of the size of the book.



The bible can be be purchased from Baronius Press at £59.95. It would make a great gift for a seminarian, a newly-ordained priest, a wedding present, or for the birthday of a godchild. This is a beautiful edition of the Sacred Scriptures for anyone to keep and to treasure.

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