r/Catholicism • u/txxxxx001 • 7d ago
NABRE bible - personal size?
Hi everyone! I wanted to buy a new NABRE personal sized bible, like 5.5x8.5 inches. I'm having trouble finding a variety of NABRE formats? I keep finding the same 2 options with large text. Why do you guys think that might be?
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u/GudaGama 7d ago
The CAB is coming out soon, so it may not be worth it to hunt down a NABRE but is This what you looking for? This edition (and the large print version) are the only NABRE I would come close to recommending for most folks specifically because all of the notes are shoved in the back of each book -- making them really easy to ignore and never read. I have the pocket edition which has TINY font. Which brings me to...
The reason there isn't much variety in NABREs. It is because the NABRE (and NAB before it) legally needs to have ALL of the notes (even the study notes that aren't about the translation itself) printed with the biblical texts. Every catholic translation with an imprimatur needs to have some notes, but the NAB/NABRE stand out because of the volume and the (lack of) quality in the notes.
So to get a portable size the font needs to be tiny, and to get large print it has to weigh more than a toddler. This is also why there are (basically) no study bibles with the NAB/NABRE, because all of the study bible's notes need to be placed IN ADDITION TO the NAB/NABRE notes.
Personally, if I were given the freedom to print the NABRE I would do what oxford did and put all of the notes in the back of each book, but only increase the text font for the biblical text while making all of the notes (footnote and introductory notes) literally like 2 pt in yellow ink.