Any Bible with a bishop's imprimatur can be considered a Catholic Bible though, in practice, such things are now usually handled at the level of national bishops' councils. So, whether a Bible is Catholic is an easy question; if it is, it will say so. But not all Catholic Bibles are equally useful for study. For Example, the New Jerusalem's very dynamic translation means that it will not stand up to a very close reading

If someone is starting out Bible study afresh, we would strongly suggest that they begin using the Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition (RSV-CE). It is the translation used in all of our materials. We do not, however, insist on it and some people like to stay with the New American Bible (NAB) as it helps them become more intimately familiar with the language of the readings at Mass.

Typology is the study of "types" or "foreshadows" in the Bible and is one of the most important tools we have for understanding Scripture. The Catechism tells us typology "discerns in God's works of the Old Covenant prefigurations of what he accomplished in the fullness of time" (CCC 128). In other words, something we see in the Old Testament may foreshadow something in the New Testament. For example, the Fathers of the Church see the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites in the book of Exodus as a "type" or foreshadowing of the sacrament of baptism. They see the great Flood as a type of baptism as well. There are also characters in the Old Testament who are clearly types or foreshadowing of Christ himself; Adam, Isaac, Moses, and David, to name a few. They do things that remind us of, and point us to Christ. Their actions also help us to understand Christ and what he accomplished for us.

We see a lot of typology along the road of salvation history because essentially, the whole Old Testament story is directed toward Christ and the New Testament. Though the Old Testament has meaning on its own, so to speak, it is written to be in unity with the New Testament since both Testaments have God as their author. As the author of history, God made some events in salvation history point forward toward coming events. Remember that Scripture is the story of salvation history beginning with Adam, culminating in Christ. The Old Testament contains the story of the creation of the world, the Fall, and then the story of our redemption beginning with Israel and pointing toward Jesus and the Church. Therefore we see a lot in the Old Testament that points us to the New Testament.

Once we apply the principle of typology to our studies we begin to more fully understand all of Scripture. As Saint Augustine said, "The old is revealed in the new, and the new is hidden in the old."

Christ himself gives us the answer: "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matt 5:17). By "the law and the prophets" Jesus is referring to the Old Testament Scriptures, which are still valid — indeed, they are fulfilled — in the New. Christ comes to restore what has been lost through disobedience and infidelity. His act of restoration, however, is also a work of transformation. So we must interpret the Old Testament, and its law and worship, in light of their fulfillment in the New Testament and the Church.

The Old and New Testaments are inseparably united in Jesus Christ. Tradition tells us that the whole Bible is about Christ. Jesus himself taught this on the first Easter Sunday as he walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The disciples did not recognize him; and, as they walked, they expressed their disappointment that their Master had not turned out to be the messiah they had expected. Jesus notes their lack of faith and goes on to explain all the Scriptures to them. Yet Luke doesn’t tell us what Jesus said, but informs us rather of his teaching method: "beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Lk 24:27). In other words, Jesus showed them how to interpret the Old Testament. It is done in the light of Christ. The key to Jesus' method is what the Church calls "typology."

Most people know that scripture plays a large part in our liturgical celebrations, but what they might not realize is that scripture is actually about liturgy and was made for the liturgy. We would go so far as to say that its proper home is within the liturgy. The Bible was not canonized primarily for private reading. Rather, it was formed for public reading and was compiled for the liturgy. In other words, the Church defined the canon at various councils (i.e. Carthage and Hippo) so that everyone would know which books were to be used as part of the liturgy. In fact, along with other criteria (e.g. orthodoxy and catholicity), existing liturgical use was a decisive factor in determining which books should be included in the Bible. So in a sense, canonization began in the Church long before any formal declaration by the Church.

While scripture was formed for the liturgy it is also about liturgy. In fact, liturgical action runs through all of salvation history and is inseparable from it. Examples of this include the sacrifice of Cain and Abel, Noah's sacrifice after the flood, Abraham's offering of Isaac, the giving of the Law (which is far more about ritual worship than about public morals!), and the building of the Temple. All the key moments in salvation history revolve around liturgy. God often revealed himself to humanity through liturgical action. Jesus simply continued this tradition, especially through Baptism and the Eucharist. In fact, the sacrifice of Christ was the fulfillment of those Old Testament sacrificial liturgies. Scripture isn't just a part of liturgy, it is essential to our liturgical life.

Catholics believe that authentic interpretation comes only through"the living teaching office of the Church" (Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum). Under the guidance of the Church we approach Scripture as a whole, paying special attention to its "content and unity." Any interpretation must also fit together with other truths of the faith and within God’s revealed plan. We call this the "analogy of faith." The Council went on to teach "that sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God's most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others" (DV 10).

But the relationship between Scripture and the Church is deeper than mere guidance. As Catholics we read the Bible from the heart of the Church, in light of the Church's worship and living Tradition. Sacred Scripture is most at home in the liturgy. This is where Scripture comes alive. "The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord…especially in the sacred liturgy" (CCC 141).

Most Protestant Bibles contain seven fewer books than the Catholic Bible. These are known as the "deutero-canonical books." They were rejected by the Protestant Reformers, even though the books had been approved by the Church and used by Christians for more than 1,000 years.

For Protestants, reading and interpreting Scripture is often a private matter and they consider the Bible to be the sole source for truths of the faith. Many do not believe in Sacred Tradition or in the authority of the Church. In this arrangement, each individual becomes his own authority when it comes to trying to figure out what the Bible is saying. This approach has led to the existence of thousands of different Protestant denominations, professing a wide variety of sometimes contradictory doctrines.

Since God is its primary author, we believe scripture to be "inspired" or "God-breathed" (2 Tim 3:16). We also believe it to be without error since God cannot lie. But he did not write it all alone. Working in history, he used human authors to write scripture without taking away their freedom as writers. So, yes, it is historical. But we must remember that the Bible is ancient literature and as such is full of poems, stories, and dialogues as well as different literary techniques. If we want to understand what the human authors were trying to say (what we call the "literal sense"), the Catechism tells us we have to "take into account the conditions of their time and culture, the literary genres in use at that time, and the modes of feeling, speaking, and narrating then current" (CCC 110).

In other words, they didn’t write history like we do today. Biblical authors spotlight God's relationship with his people instead of simply documenting "important" events and people. Scripture describes what we call "salvation history," which is the historical unfolding of God’s plan to save us. The people, places and events in Scripture correspond to God's eternal plan. It is "his-story."