By Joby Mathew
Mumbai, April 7, 2020: The Society of St Paul, a Catholic religious congregation for men dedicated to evangelization through media, has released the first Catholic Bible App providing free access to the entire Bible.
The App, New Community Bible (NCB), is available both on Google playstore and Apple iTunes for free download, says Society of St Paul Father Shinto Devassy, the brain behind the project.
“Although it was launched a year ago, we had some technical issues. Now we have sorted them out and released the new version,” the Mumbai-based priest told Matters India on April 7.
According to him, a key feature of the App is a commentary that runs all along the Bible text.
The commentaries are written by leading Bible scholars in the country such as Bishop Devadass Ambrose, late Jesuit Fathers Rui de Menezes, George D’Souza, and George Soares Prabhu. Other commentators include Oblate Father Anthony R. Ceresko, Carmelite of Mary Immaculate Father Paul Kalluveetil, Franciscan Father Fidelis D’Lima, Fathers Harold Vaz, Mathew Vellanickal, and Lucien Legrand.
“What makes the NCB so distinct from all other Catholic Bibles is its literary features,” Father Mathew claims.
Each of the major divisions of both the Old and the New Testaments opens with a brief, accurate and authoritative introduction.
A typical page of the NCB has three items: the text, the commentary, and a box placed between the text and the contextualized commentary containing helpful cross references.
The App also supplies sub-titles throughout the text. The App creators have maintained the same sub-titles in the commentary to easily identify the section of the text.
The NCB follows the same order to present the books as in other Catholic Bibles.
Father Mathew says the cover of the Bible aims to facilitate prayerful reflection, giving the Trinity a prominent place. Following Christian tradition, the Father is symbolized by a large open eye, the Son by the cross and the Holy Spirit by the dove.
In the ever-revolving circle and communion of love that is the Trinity, a special place is occupied by God’s people, The New Community, which the cover shows as the ‘apple of God’s eye.’ The heart and hub of this community, giving it life, unity and cohesion, is the “Flame” of God’s Word – the Bible, explains Father Mathew, who is also the treasurer of the Indian Catholic Press Association.