# Douay-Rhiems Catholic Bible — Holy Scriptures & Study

> Historic Catholic Bible translation with study notes and Deuterocanonical books. (iPhone/iPad app by Dzianis Kaniushyk.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/douay-rhiems-catholic-bible/id1215294455 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Dzianis Kaniushyk](https://appshunter.io/developer/1204880202)
- Category: Books, Education
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 645 App Store ratings · 13 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 109 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2017-03-16
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/douay-rhiems-catholic-bible/id1215294455/reviews.md

## What is Douay?

The Douay-Rheims Bible is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English. It was the first officially authorized Catholic Bible translation in English, and has formed the basis of some later Roman Catholic Bibles in English. It includes the seven Deutero-Canonical books (also known as the Apocrypha).
In 1568, English exiles who were members of the college at Douai, in Flanders, founded by William (later Cardinal) Allen, began the work of preparing a Bible translation, which has become the foundation of nearly all English Catholic versions. In October, 1578, Gregory Martin began the work of preparing an English translation of the Bible for Catholic readers, the first such translation into Modern English. Assisting were William Allen, Richard Bristow, Thomas Worthington, and William Reynolds who revised, criticized, and corrected Dr. Martin's work. The college published the New Testament at (Reims/Rhemes) , in 1582 through John Fogny with a preface and explanatory notes.
Later, the Old Testament was published at in two parts (1609 and 1610) by Laurence Kellam through the efforts of Dr. Worthington, then superior of the seminary. The Douay-Rheims translation had been prepared before the appearance of the New Testament, but the publication was delayed due to financial difficulties. The religious and scholarly adherence to the Latin Vulgate text led to the less elegant and idiomatic words and phrases often found in the translation. In some instances where no English word conveyed the full meaning of the Latin, a Latin word was Anglicized and its meaning defined in a glossary. Although ridiculed by critics, many of these words later found common usage in the English language. Spellings of proper names and the numbering of the Psalms are adopted from the Latin Vulgate.
In 1749 Dr. Richard Challoner began a major revision of the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible and texts, the spellings and phrasing of which had become increasingly archaic in the almost two centuries since the translations were first produced. He modernized the diction and introduced a more fluid style, while faithfully maintaining the accuracy of Dr. Martin's texts. This revision became the 'de facto' standard text for English speaking Catholics until the twentieth century. It is still highly regarded by many for its style, although it is now rarely used for liturgical purposes. The notes included in this version are generally attributed to Bishop Challoner.
The 1610 printing of the second time of the Old Testament includes an appendix containing the non-canonical books 'Prayer of Manasses,' 'Third Booke of Esdras,' and 'Fourth Booke of Esdras' as part of this Catholic Bible. While not part of Challoner's revision, the 1610 texts are placed in the appendices. Also included are the original texts of two short books, 'The Prophecie of Abdias' and 'The Catholike Epistle of Iude the Apostle,' to give the reader a sense of the language of the first editions in comparison to the Challoner revision. Further background on the Douay-Rheims version may be found in a selection from the preface to the 1582 edition and the original glossary included in the appendices.

Ease of Bible study with our application is achieved if the following:
- The application works without an internet connection (offline);
- Ability to search;
- Ability to increase / decrease the font;
- Ability to create an unlimited number of tabs to a particular verse, one of the books;
- If you are interested in the allocation of poems you can copy or send a message;
- Ability to scroll through the volume buttons.

User guide:
Each menu item is a separate book, and each separate page in one of the books is the chapter.
Place the cursor instead of the chapter number and enter the chapter number. Thus, you will not have to scroll all the chapters, selecting interesting.

Terms of Use - http://apple.nsource.by/terms-of-use.html
Privacy Policy - http://apple.nsource.by/privacy-policy.html

## Key features

- Douay-Rheims translation
- Latin Vulgate basis
- Deuterocanonical books included
- Historical context
- Explanatory notes
- Challoner revision

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| UPGRADE: NO ADS | $2.99 | per month |


## What do users think of Douay?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Great app for reading the Bible
- 👍 Handy resource
- 👍 Exactly what it says it is (Douay Rheims Bible)
- 👍 Catholic version is traditional
- 👍 Excellent translation
- 👍 Good translation

**Cons**

- 😞 Pornographic ads
- 😞 No chapters shown
- 😞 Only first chapter provided, rest requires purchase
- 😞 White text on light background (contrast issue)
- 😞 Ads can't be removed with one-time fee
- 😞 Books placed in 'apocryphal' section
- 😞 Sections of Esther and Daniel separated
- 😞 Psalms misnumbered
- 😞 No chapter numbers or tools on iPhone
- 😞 App works fine on Android but not iPhone

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Nasty pornographic ads popped up immediately
- Books with multiple chapters only shows 1 book
- Searches for 2nd-4th book doesn’t work
- No chapter numbers or tools on iPhone
- Can’t see the text due to low contrast
- Judith, Tobit, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, and Maccabees in the ‘apocryphal’ section
- Sections of Esther and Daniel separated from respective books
- Psalms are misnumbered

**Most requested features**

- See the chapter at the top
- Make it easier to locate chapters
- Option to remove ads with a one-time fee

## Recent user reviews (10 of 13)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/douay-rhiems-catholic-bible/id1215294455/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Pornographic Ads made me delete

*2026-01-29*

I had high hopes for this app. Within 10seconds of opening Genesis nasty pornographic ads popped up. Immediately deleted.

### 4/5 — New feature that would be great

*2025-10-10*

The app is great and this has been a huge help with me being able to read the Bible any where, although 
It would be great if I could see the chapter at the top!

### 5/5 — Great App

*2025-06-01*

It’s exactly what it says it is, a Douay Rheims Bible.

### 4/5 — Translation is Good

*2024-01-29*

However the app places Judith, Tobit, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, and Maccabees in the ‘apocryphal’ section at the end and separates sections of Esther and Daniel from their respective books, as Luther did, and the psalms are misnumbered. Perhaps the developer is protestant?

### 4/5 — Chapters

*2024-01-24*

I love this handy resource - my only recommendation is to please make it easier to locate chapters. If it’s a training issue please let me know!

### 1/5 — No chapters

*2023-11-26*

Books with multiple chapters (such as Colossians, which has 4 books) only shows 1 book. Searches for 2nd-4th book doesn’t work

### 1/5 — Navigation painful

*2023-09-21*

1) Google ads blocks the basic navigation row.
2) Painful navigation to get into some chapters directly.
3) Huge cost and that also monthly.

Please do not go for this app. It's my unbiased review.

### 4/5 — Catholic Bible most traditional

*2023-02-02*

Douay-Rheims Bible, this Catholic version is the most traditional to have the app in hand to mobile phones… Thank you!

### 2/5 — Bugs?

*2020-10-13*

I have downloaded this app several times on my iPhone. No chapter numbers or tools. Works fine on android.

### 1/5 — Useless

*2020-07-14*

They only give you the first chapter. You have to buy the rest.

## Frequently asked questions about Douay

### What is the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible?

The Douay-Rheims Bible is an English translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate. It was the first officially authorized Catholic Bible translation in English and includes the seven Deuterocanonical books, also known as the Apocrypha.

### What are the key features of this app?

This app provides access to the Douay-Rheims translation, which is based on the Latin Vulgate. It includes the Deuterocanonical books and features historical context and explanatory notes, including the significant revision by Dr. Richard Challoner.

### Is this app free to use?

The application is available for free, but it does offer in-app purchases. This often means core functionality is free, with optional content or features available for purchase.

### What is the historical significance of the Douay-Rheims translation?

The Douay-Rheims translation was initiated by English exiles in the 16th century and became the foundation for many later Roman Catholic Bibles in English. Its adherence to the Latin Vulgate and the subsequent revisions by Dr. Challoner have made it a historically important text for English-speaking Catholics.

### Who is the target audience for this app?

This app is designed for individuals interested in the Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible translation. This includes Catholics, biblical scholars, and anyone interested in the history of Bible translations and religious texts.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.8 — 2026-02-13

We have updated the app for better stability and a smoother reading experience. Thank you for choosing the Douay-Rheims Bible for your spiritual journey!

### 1.7 — 2025-04-09

- Bugs fixed.

### 1.6 — 2023-11-01

- Bugs fixed.

### 1.5 — 2021-10-11

- Bugs fixed.

### 1.4 — 2020-12-22

- Bugs fixed.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*