How we edit
To help new readers find and enjoy the riches of the Catholic tradition we make a few updates to the works we publish.
We always let you know what we've changed and we never touch the sense or meaning of any of the works. So what do we do?
Biblical books, names and places
Modern Catholic Bibles use different translations for some names, places and Biblical books than were common in the past.
We update these so that you can find the references and recognise the people and locations in your Bible.
Examples of this include:
Messias = Messiah
Chanaan = Canaan
1 Paralipomenon = 1 Chronicles
Apocalypse = Revelation
The Psalm numbers
Many older works use the Douay Rheims translation of the Bible where the Psalm numbers are taken from the Septuagint (Greek) version of the Old Testament.
Modern Catholic Bibles almost always use Psalm numbers that follow the Hebrew system and so the numbers quoted aren't the same as the ones you'd find in your Bible.
To respect both systems we've given the modern Psalm numbers followed by the Douay Rheims number.
Ps 102, DRB 101
Where the meaning has changed
Over the years some words have changed their meaning so much that they no longer convey their message effectively.
A good example of this is the word sensible - commonly used in the past to mean something felt with the senses but now tending to mean 'reasonable.'
"A sensible pleasure" in 1860 is not the same as one in the early 21st Century!
Thee, thou, thy, thine, yea, nay
In some texts, where the general tone of the work allowed, (and always with the exception of quotations or direct address to a person of the Trinity) the archaic forms of you, your, yours, yes and no have been updated.
Section breaks
Subheadings have been inserted into exceptionally long passages where a change of subject matter seemed to warrant it.
These can, of course, be safely ignored if not helpful to you.
From the editor
We know that not all readers appreciate the modernisation of texts - it's a personal preference and we respect that your views may differ.
Thank you for taking a look at our books, and enjoy your reading, whatever choice you make.