Catena: Bible & Commentaries Reviews

by Cothalesr

The primary issue with Catena is filtering/finding the commentary that you care about.

Let’s say you want to read what Theophylact wrote on the entire book of Matthew. Every time you tap on a verse, you have to spend 20 seconds swiping to find him (alphabetical and oldest-to-newest sorting always puts him last).

Would love an option to filter commentaries based upon specific people. That would allow for an ability to compare as well which would be useful. Augustine vs Palamas for example.

by Beautiful Musician

I’ve seen Catena evolve over the years. While it is integrated for social media to connect with friends and filled with a lot of diverse teachers and content for believers there’s a couple improvements needed.

1. Seems to always be a glitch every month with Catena one way or another. I have a lot of bible apps on my device and a this one always has a bug

2. Overall a great diversity of teachers with the majority of sound scriptural insights. Some a bit pop psychology and others antinomian. It would be good to see some Russian Orthodox teachers like those on the Bible Cantina App and some Hebrew Roots teachers besides Johnathan Kahn like Dr. Arthor Bailey, Monte Judah, or 119 Ministries. A diversity of teaching helps strengthen and challenge the body of Christ to grow.

by Asanch60

This is an awesome app and while I’m still new and trying to navigate it, I love the idea behind it and the commentaries. I only wish it had more translations and that the Daily Reminders actually worked. I use my physical copy of the OSB for daily use and will use this app for looking verses up or reading commentaries from the Fathers. The OSB is translated using NKJV and I ask that this translation be added to the next update. I would love to see it as it’s easier to use than KJV 2000 or the other translations. Thank you.

by MarkB0813

The this app App is one of the most resourceful apps I have ever used. The layout is very simple, and very easy to save and share commentaries. The diversity of commentaries has really increased my knowledge and love of the Catholic faith. I don’t know where I would be without Catena.

I would ask the developers to fix the crashes, that occur sometimes. I would also ask for a better integration of other Bible Versions on the mobile app, like the Douay-Rheims. I also would like to see some Greek and Latin Vulgate Versions as well.

by JGriffing

This was an app that I’d previously checked out and liked, but stopped using as I didn’t see a way to filter to only Orthodox fathers. With the tradition filter now in place, I was happy to redownload it. The inclusion of the “Apocrypha” makes it even better.

The one improvement I’d like to see, which would bump my rating to five stars, would be an option to see daily readings from the Orthodox lectionary.

God bless the developers.

by Jose Caps

Catena is good and has lots of good info. Videos to explain its meaning of each verse and very detailed by the church fathers. Has daily quotes, gives in depth history of each verse from the apostles and saints that took part of Jesus Christ missionary work. But wish it was in Spanish cus my mother doesn’t know English very much. I also wished it had an encyclopedia for words and word bank that talks about the Greek and gives us lessons that we can look at and study it. Would love that it would add more tools like history of the rosary and why the mysteries on it are in the Bible as a way to express the powers of reciting it and where to find it in the Bible. And more, cus that way it can help not only build the faith but also to create this rich archive to find and save more work and show to the world.

by DRod5841

Not sure if it’s just my phone or if others are having this trouble as well.
Only can load commentaries part of the time. When it works, I’m so grateful to read the scriptures and immediately click commentaries when I would like some.

by Dezald

The feature of sorting the Bible commentaries in chronological order verse by verse is very powerful. It’s only missing source link to their statements and not just sending us to a Wiki bio of the commentator. The related verse feature is also pretty helpful. Thank you for the hard work on Catena, a bit glitchy but not terrible

by Timoshak

Before ordination and after Catena has been a gem of a resource. It’s a helpful way of getting interpretations from a wide range of learned and holy commentators quickly. Not exhaustive by any stretch, but a very good way to shake things up when dealing with an especially difficult passage. MANY THANKS to the creators/providers of this!

by MinisterToCorinth

Although it might seem like an app geared to Orthodox Catholics (and probably is,) even I benefit from Catena as a Reformed Protestant. The daily quotes are extremely helpful for learning how to live as Christians and fight our flesh. The commentaries by various Church fathers are great for those wanting to understand how the historical, even ancient Church interpreted scripture. And the daily readings are good for those times where you don't quite know where to read in scripture, and it helps you to get a little bit of scripture every day even when you are busy (reading in the early morning is probably best.) Overall I can't imagine what my faith would be like if I didn't have the insight Catena makes so freely available.

by Andrea_Sal

Love Catena and really appreciate the effort. As an Orthodox Christian reading the fathers is so beneficial alongside the scriptural text. Unfortunately, the sharing on social media aspect isn’t working properly. It would also be great to have the Orthodox lectionary as an option in addition to scriptures and writings of the fathers in Greek.

Please consider these adjustments for future releases. Thank you!

by Vince-3582

this app makes it a breeze to access the riches of the Fathers of the Church (and many others) without sifting for hours. The verse-by-verse layout is perfect. The only thing I would like to see added is a way to see the reference to the original source, beyond just the author, for the sake of further research or reference. Great app!

by Bible Believing Catholic

I downloaded Catena a few months ago and it was great. Although I believe a few tweaks are needed. For example whenever I click on a verse, the commentary on it sometimes freezes and doesn’t allow me to scroll further down. Also I would appreciate if you added more specific references to each quotation.

by MosesKing123

This is simply the best bible app on the AppStore. An easy to use interface, with regular updates even 3 years after launch. Simply amazing commentaries for each verse which is both user friendly and easy to follow.

I don’t watch the live shows or read the lectionary but I do appreciate them for others that use them. The Bible commentaries are the real star of the show.

Negatives: after 3 years, they still haven’t allowed multiple bible translations on mobile which is a shame. Also, there does seem to be minor issues with scrolling up and down on some commentaries.

Otherwise, these are minor issues and Catena is a must have for anyone who wants to study the Bible.

by Cracker MMM

The Bible is useless by itself. Thats why we have over 30 thousand different Protestant denominations! Too many interpretations! The fathers and doctors produced thousands of times of pages more than the Bible, explaining the God inspired interpretation of mostly every verse. That’s why it took 400 years after Jesus to produce the first Bible. All the written interpretations came with it! This is very compelling!! I love this very much. Thank you.

by MartinieWeenie

Not only does Catena contain different translations of the bible to choose from, it also contains commentary from the earliest interpreters of the bible dating back all the way from 1st-2nd century of the Early Church. Rooted in Coptic Christian spirituality, Catena possesses helpful videos that clear the confusion of the misconceptions of daily spirituality that get in the way of holiness. I recommend Catena to anyone who wants to better understand the bible.

by Natetehgr8t

The ease of passing back and forth between Old Testament and New Testament, or even simply between Books or Chapters within them is phenomenal, especially for Catechumens interested in reading the Scriptures themselves cited in Catechisms or by the Church Fathers and Saints in their own writings. The inclusions of the commentaries themselves is excellent, albeit sometimes lacking in perfect sentence structure and punctuation, which is unlike their actual texts (these men were extraordinary writers).

by Yuhh.guy

Catena is awesome! Love all the commentaries from the Saints. One thing I would like to see them add is a section for the daily epistles & maybe even a detailed yearly church calender for each diocese. Overall, 9.5/10, best Bible app I have found for Orthos. If they added the couple small things I listed it would be a one-stop-shop for Orthodox research & daily details. Great job guys! Glory to the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit now and forever & unto the ages of ages! May our merciful God protect you all!

by John8323

this app has truly been a blessing, illuminating Scripture with the Divine Knowledge of Holy Fathers and Saints, offering us laymen the ability to better understand the depth of God’s love for mankind. Without the blessed guidance of our Church Fathers, we would be tossed to and fro by the false teachings and “higher minded” interpretations of today’s apostate spirit, which can wreak havoc on the spiritual life and our fragile love for Christ and His commandments. Thank you for this wonderful application, I am looking forward to future updates!

by Jmcconville

I wish I knew about Catena long ago… Using it has been so wonderful. Relevant commentaries to specific verses written by both the Church Fathers and more modern theologians can be found all in one place with a single click. There are also beautiful daily quotations from saints as well the daily readings. The layout is perfectly clean and easily navigable. No messiness, ads, or unnecessarily complicated features. As a Catholic and student of the Church and of history, I am so impressed. And it’s free! Thank you and God bless to the creators of this app.

by Ace4929

A lot of bible apps have a lot of crap and useless features. Catena gives you what you want - the verses, and commentary from the church fathers and your choice of eastern or western theologians. 4 stars because theres only one translation available, and because of a number of spelling and grammar errors, but these should be fixed in time

by Kyle C R

Catena is excellent both for personal devotional study and as a teaching aid. One thing I would be looking for in future updates, and the reason I have only given four stars, would be references as to where a comment comes - what work by the Father quoted and a reference within that work.

Once again, a very good resource that I highly recommend!

by Ajstarpack

This is a truly awesome and helpful app and I love it so far but there’s no commentary on any of the apocryphal portions? Also its missing the rest of Esther and maybe other apocryphal books? And What Bible version is it I can’t find what it is? Is there a way to change versions?

by Linksurge218

For years I’ve been saying there needs to be a website / app that allows a person to access verse by verse commentary on Scripture. Here it is.

Keep going guys. This is just the beginning, I know.

by Nehred

This is an amazing resource to use while reading scripture. It’s already helped me so much, especially when reading the Old Testament. Plus, it’s so easy to use. Thank you so much, may God bless you for your efforts!

by Redf59

I agree. There can be a few things added to make it perfect but otherwise it is amazing. Please include Theophlact’s commentary on the Epistles if you guys can. Also, you can try including Holy Apostles Covenant’s commentary on the New Testament.

by Zenzoidman

The developers of Catena have done all believers a tremendous service! Thank you all for putting together this collection of writings from the Fathers in such a powerful, beautiful, and easy to use package!

by Warblast84

I don't often get excited about a new app...

But when do, it's because someone combined a bible app with commentaries from the early church fathers in an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use interface.

by G-hanna

Thank you for developing Catena. It is so useful and so beneficial for our understanding of the scriptures. Thank you also for including the deuterocanonical books of the Bible as well!!

by Precisely777

this app is an excellent resource for anyone wishing to read what the fathers say on any given text. Though one must always put in the effort to investigate context, it is nonetheless a valuable aid.

by GembaGuy

Just found Catena today. I can’t believe it’s free! I’d definitely pay for this. Thank you to the developers and God Bless!

by Hany Horizons

I have never wrote an app review but Catena is so life changing. Every time I have a question on the bible its the first place i go!