Let’s take a look at why we call this a “bad bible” and while we’re at it, let’s throw in another one, the Living Bible (TLB).
First, here is a verse from an approved and trustworthy Catholic bible, the 1899 American Edition Version of Bishop Challoner’s revision of the Douay-Rheims:
Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am. John 8:58 DRA
Note the peculiar phrase, “I am” at the end of the verse.
Here is the same verse as it is translated in The Living Bible:
Jesus: “The absolute truth is that I was in existence before Abraham was ever born!” John 8:58 TLB
And here is the same verse as it is translated in the New World Translation:
Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, before Abraham came into existence, I have been.” John 8:58 NWT
“I Am”
St. John Chrysostom (d. 407 AD), a Doctor of the Church and archbishop of Constantinople, explained the peculiar phrase, “I Am” used in this verse:
But wherefore said He not, “Before Abraham was”, I was, instead of “I Am”? As the Father uses this expression, “I Am”, so also does Christ; for it signifies continuous Being, irrespective of all time. On which account the expression seemed to them to be blasphemous. Now if they could not bear the comparison with Abraham, although this was but a trifling one, had He continually made Himself equal to the Father, would they ever have ceased casting stones at Him? John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homily 55
St. John Chrysostom was referring to God revealing his Divine Name to Moses in the burning bush in the third chapter of the Book of Exodus. There we read:
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you. Then he added: This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. Exodus 3:13-14 RSV
In short, Our Lord is identifying himself as God in this passage by deliberately using the Divine Name and both the New World Translation (NWT) and the Living Bible fail to do this. The Jehovah’s Witnesses, of course, deliberately use phrases that support their belief that Jesus, although exalted, was created by God.
The translation of John 8:58 is one of many litmus tests one could use to determine the trustworthiness of a bible translation. For more information on the phrase “I Am”, and particularly its frequent use in the Gospel of John, I encourage you to read my post, “Jesus and the Divine Name”.
References
“Jesus and the Divine Name.” A Thoughtful Catholic, 28 Jan. 2021, thoughtfulcatholic.com/jesus-and-the-divine-name/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition). JW.org, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/8/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
The Bible. Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition, Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208%3A58&version=DRA. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
The Living Bible. Bible Gateway, www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%208%3A58&version=TLB. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
