"THE DOUAY BIBLE"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 260, 30 July 1919, Page 8

"THE DOUAY BIBLE"

Sir—ln reply to "Alpha's" letter of July 21, I wish to say that when I wrote of the Douay Bible as being authorised by the Catholic Church I did not wish to imply that the Papal Seal was necessarily attached to the various copies when published, but that they were licensed to 'bo issued by those in authority, acting for Holy Church, to wit, her Archbiships, Bishops, etc. (sue my letter of same date). Regarding its uniformity, any variations are merely incidental to its compilation, and do not in any way detract from the essentials, which neither vary nor change in character, notwithstanding tho various languages into which they are or ;uay be translated. Neither had I in mind' the original Douay, but simply the Bitt ds used by Catholics, and known to them as the Douay Bible. Nor did I make any comment as to the merits or demerits'of tho Protestant version. The only words used by me to which exception might be made were "mutilated copy," and in respect to that I was referring to the various "Books" omitted from the Protestant Bible, which are to be found in the Douay, and not to any variations in the translation. With regard to the Latin words "Deus erat verbuni" taken from the Vulgate, and to which "Alpha" refers, I would point out that also in the Vulgate is to be found in the preface to St, John, chapter 1, the words "Verbuni est Deus" ("The Word is God"). Now, anyone reading the prefaco and seeing "The Word of God" would quite naturally understand that whenever mention was made of "The Word" in the following chapter it would be meant to imply that "The Word was God," and it would be incorrect to apply any other meaning. But, be that as it may, I have not the i time for subtle argument, or wordcatching. My object in writing was to show that Catholics had a Bible and were allowed free use of it, and to disprove any 6tatments to the contrary, a matter in which I think I have been successful. In line, I would tell "Alpha" that I in no way begrudge any indebtedness the Anglican yersidn may be under to the Rhenish translators, but the contrary; in fact, it is quite gratifying >to meet acknowledgments cf services rendered by the Catholic Church to other bodies, when they are so often ignored, forgotten, or every endeavour made to explain them away by misleading statements, etc.—l am, etc., W. A. DOWNES. Clareville.