Ever read a Bible verse and wished you could hear how the earliest Christians understood it? Catena puts over 70,000 verse-by-verse commentaries from hundreds of church fathers right at your fingertips — for free.^1
The name "Catena" comes from the Latin word for "chain," and the app lives up to it: each verse is linked to a chain of patristic commentary spanning centuries of Christian thought. You can read Scripture in multiple translations (NKJV, NIV, RSV, Douay-Rheims, and more), build custom reading plans, highlight and save favorites to collections, and take personal notes alongside the commentaries. Catena also surfaces related passages to deepen your study with cross-references throughout. The commentaries are drawn from public-domain works of the early church fathers, making centuries of theological wisdom freely accessible.^2
Founded in 2015 by a group of Coptic Orthodox Christians in Ontario, Canada, Catena is built and maintained by a globally distributed team of volunteers — with professional experience from companies like Google, Microsoft, Yelp, and PlayStation — who dedicate their free time to serving the Church. The app has grown to over 250,000 users worldwide.^3 Their mission: evangelizing the timeless faith of the early Christian Church, founded by the apostles, for the edification of all Christians around the world. The team is led by Product Manager David Salib and Lead Software Engineer Marc Yacoub.^3
Why Christians Love It"I cannot express how edifying and life changing this app has enabled me to know the scriptures, know God, and understand the early church far better than I knew. The quotations from the Fathers are rich with depth and challenging to the heart, unto maturity in Christ."^4
"Although it might seem like an app geared to Orthodox Catholics, even I benefit from this app as a Reformed Protestant. The daily quotes are extremely helpful for learning how to live as Christians and fight our flesh."^4
"Every so often open it up and ask yourself ‘what did the early Christians have to say?’ Their opinions aren’t authoritative, but we should still pay attention to what they had to say, and carefully consider their words."^5
Notable- Available on iOS, Android, and the web at catenabible.com — completely free, supported by donations. The web version is the primary maintained platform, with new commentaries continuing to be added.^1
- Catena LIVE offers a Christian content platform with Bible studies and discussions rooted in apostolic teaching^4
- Well-reviewed across both app stores with strong cross-denominational appeal^4
- Team members work remotely from Cairo, England, Los Angeles, NYC, Toronto, San Francisco, Seattle, Waterloo, and Winnipeg^3
- The Android app has not been updated since early 2023 and may not install on newer devices; the web version at catenabible.com remains fully functional as an alternative^2
