This version of the Bible was translated from the Latin Vulgate version, and diligently compared with the Hebrew, Greek and other divers languages.
The Old Testament was first published by the Enligh College At Douay in 1609 A.D. While the New Testament was first published by the Enlish College at Rheims in 1582 A.D.
The full collection of books was first revised in 1749 until 1752 but Bishop Richard Challoner. This revision consisted of meticulous comparisons with the Latin Vulgate. The mass publishing of this complete English Bible was authorized with the complete approbation of James Cardinal Gibbons, ArchBishop of Baltimore.
This Bible usually comes in plain black leather bound exterior with a big gold cross on the cover and the words The Holy Bible written in big gold letters. It now comes in a white covering with the same lettering as well as only the NT.
I recently had the privilege of reading the Douay-Rhiems Bible with Challoner's own notes(1). I can now verify the following: this is a truly lousy translation. Because of its reliance on the Vulgate, it has some pretty doggy translations - angel where messenger was meant in the original, humility for low estate in the Magnificat, etc. Challoner's notes only make it worse: they claim complete knowledge of the background to the work, so that the good bishop is able to explain away (unconvincingly) points such as Jesus answering Mary back, Joseph the father of Jesus having two different family trees, etc. It also contains notes stating tha all Protestants are going to hell, and some rabidly anti-semitic exegesis. Amazingly, the copy I had had an authorisation date of 1950.

More stupid footnotes in the DRB:

'Even though the Bible says he did, Jesus had no brothers or sisters. The Holy Bible is, er, lying.'
'See how Judith slips into veniality in deceivingHolofernes...in order to righteously cut off his head.'
Speaking of Judith, the DRB attempts to place this totally fictional story in an historical context.

(1) Not his own handwritten notes, but a copy with his own annotations transcribed and printed. You know what I mean.

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