Carey Bible
Encyclopedia
The Carey Bible was an edition of the English-language Douay-Rheims translation of the Bible
published by Mathew Carey
(1760-1839) beginning in 1789. It was the first Roman Catholic version of the Bible printed in the United States.
Carey was an expatriate Irish journalist who established himself as a printer and publisher in Philadelphia around 1784. In 1789 he announced plans to print the first American Catholic Bible and solicited subscriptions; the work was to be published in 48 weekly parts. This plan failed, largely in part to the small number of Roman Catholics in the United States (then about 25,000 out of 1 million citizens) and also because American Catholics at the time were often unfamiliar with Scripture.
Undeterred, in 1790 Carey came up with a new approach to publishing his Bible. He would print it in two volumes, abandoning the installment arrangement, and he would also market the book to Protestants. His appeal to potential Protestant subscribers emphasized the supposed superior scholarship of the Douay-Rheims version over the King James Version. Among his enthusiastic supporters was John Carroll
, the nation's first Roman Catholic bishop, who promoted Carey's project as part of his desire to make Catholics more familiar with Scripture. The price of a subscription was six dollars. The bible was completed December 1, 1790 and was soon also available in a single volume. Probably fewer than 500 copies of the Carey Bible were printed.
Carey published two more versions of the Douay-Rheims Bible in 1805; one of these editions was reprinted in 1811 and 1816. He also published many editions of the King James Version, each carefully planned, formatted and innovatively marketed.
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
published by Mathew Carey
Mathew Carey
Mathew Carey was an Irish-born American publisher and economist.-Early days:Carey came from a middle-class family and was born in Dublin in 1760. He entered the bookselling and printing business in 1775, and when still only seventeen published a pamphlet criticizing dueling...
(1760-1839) beginning in 1789. It was the first Roman Catholic version of the Bible printed in the United States.
Carey was an expatriate Irish journalist who established himself as a printer and publisher in Philadelphia around 1784. In 1789 he announced plans to print the first American Catholic Bible and solicited subscriptions; the work was to be published in 48 weekly parts. This plan failed, largely in part to the small number of Roman Catholics in the United States (then about 25,000 out of 1 million citizens) and also because American Catholics at the time were often unfamiliar with Scripture.
Undeterred, in 1790 Carey came up with a new approach to publishing his Bible. He would print it in two volumes, abandoning the installment arrangement, and he would also market the book to Protestants. His appeal to potential Protestant subscribers emphasized the supposed superior scholarship of the Douay-Rheims version over the King James Version. Among his enthusiastic supporters was John Carroll
John Carroll (bishop)
John Carroll, was the first Roman Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States — serving as the ordinary of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He is also known as the founder of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States, and St...
, the nation's first Roman Catholic bishop, who promoted Carey's project as part of his desire to make Catholics more familiar with Scripture. The price of a subscription was six dollars. The bible was completed December 1, 1790 and was soon also available in a single volume. Probably fewer than 500 copies of the Carey Bible were printed.
Carey published two more versions of the Douay-Rheims Bible in 1805; one of these editions was reprinted in 1811 and 1816. He also published many editions of the King James Version, each carefully planned, formatted and innovatively marketed.