History

The history of Douay Rheims

The Douay–Rheims New Testament is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by members of the English College, Douai. It was published in Rheims, France, in 1582, in one volume with extensive commentary and notes. These marginal notes, not included in this audio text, had a strong polemical and patristic character.

The purpose of the Douay Testament, both the text and notes, was to uphold Catholic tradition in the face of the Protestant Reformation which up until the time of its publication had dominated Elizabethan religion and academic debate. As such it was an effort by English Catholics to support the Counter Revolution. The New Testament was reprinted in 1600, 1621 and 1633. In 1589, William Fulke collated the complete Rheims text and notes in parallel columns with those of the Bishops Bible. This work sold widely in England, being re-issued in three further editions to 1633. It was predominantly through Fulke’s editions that the Rheims New Testament came to exercise a significant influence on the development of 17th-century English. In the eighteenth century the original translation underwent further revision, undertaken this time by Bishop Richard Challoner.

Although the Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible Revised Edition, Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, and New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition are the most commonly used Bibles in English-speaking Catholic churches, the Challoner revision of the Douay–Rheims often remains the Bible of choice of more-traditional English-speaking Catholics.

(Text based on the Wikipedia Entry for the DRNT)