Beware Online Research!

At this stage of their studies, I ask my classes in the Biblical School to refrain from using the internet as a source of Bible study. There is so much misinformation out there online, that it is more likely to be harmful than helpful to their progress. And in addition, their textbooks provide more than enough material to supplement their Bible reading.

There are three important exceptions to this rule.

1) Online (approved) translations of the Bible. If the translation is approved for use in CBS classes, then it doesn't matter whether you read it online or in print. Best choices are NABRE, NRSV Catholic Edition, RSV Catholic Edition, and the New Jerusalem Bible).

2) Online concordances. Online concordances allow you to look up any word in a particular translation and find every verse in the Bible that has that word in its text. Both the NRSV and the RSV are available at www.biblegateway.com. The USCCB has the NABRE online, but its search feature is not easy to use (you need to use the search box for the entire site, so you may get results from anywhere on the site, not just from the Bible). But its feature called "Today's Reading" is very useful for finding the correct liturgical readings not only for today, but for any day of the year.

3) Sources relating to Judaism. Finally, it can be very useful for both Old and New Testament studies to have a good source for contemporary and ancient Jewish practices, which our printed texts sometimes skim over. So AFTER you've completed the required reading assignments, here are two reliable online websites for contemporary Judaism and the history of Judaism: www.jewishencylopedia.com and Judaism101.