How nice it would be to have a good critical text of the New Testament in Greek (which this edition offers) opposite the real Vulgate. At one glance, you could take in Paul's original words (according to the most penetrating modern scholarship) and, at the same time, the form in which those words profoundly affected Western Europe for a millennium. In cases where the Vulgate is in disagreement with the critical Greek text, the facing-page format would make this obvious enough to the reader.

The above pipe-dream is NOT what this book offers. The Latin version is the "neo-Vulgate" and has been altered as necessary to obliterate any difference between it and the Nestle-Aland Greek text. Yes, the Latin here usually follows the Vulgate, and the apparatus will help you reconstruct the Vulgate, but it is dangerous, in principle, to regard the actual printed text as more than a crib for understanding the Greek text. (Outside of the New Testament, the neo-Vulgate's changes are particularly violent in the Psalter, where the traditional Vulgate Psalms--the very essence of Western Christian worship for so many centuries--have been done away with entirely because they are based on the Septuagint rather than directly on the Hebrew. A mess is also made of Jerome's work in the Prophets.)

If you want to read the New Testament of Dante, Cervantes, Montaigne, or Chaucer, you'll need to buy the entire Vulgate bible (ISBN 3438053039 is an excellent critical edition of it).

I am disappointed with the editorial decision here. The real Vulgate, with its historical significance (and even its textual authority, given the great antiquity of the manuscripts with which Jerome worked), is far worthier of being kept in print than a version that does not scruple to tamper with the Vulgate's charm and power. This edition does not serve its audience well--if we just wanted a mirror-view of the modern critical text of the Greek NT, why would we bother reading it in Latin?


An Essential Tool for the New Testament Scholar   March 29, 2003
 22 out of 22 found this review helpful

If you are interested in both New Testament Greek and Latin this version of the Bible will be very beneficial to you in your studies. The Greek text is the lastest UBS/Nestle critical edition. The Latin version is also a critical edition. This might bother some people who had to learn portions of scripture in latin when they were children because this text is not exactly the same one they are familiar with. This text attempts to restore an older version of the latin than the one that was in use 40 years ago.

The Book itself is very well designed. The font is clear and easy to read, and the critical apparatus is clearly explained. Also it is very nice to have the Greek on one page and the Latin on the facing page. I believe this is far superior to interlinear or double column.

Also let me give you one good reason why you should own this book if you are a pastor. Often if you are wondering how you will be able to explain a particular Greek concept to your church, the latin will help. Reading a word or phrase in Latin can give you one more tool for exegesis.