A question for protestans, Do you read bible commentaries?

[PC_Master]

In my opinion the positive thing about catholic commentaries is that they have to be authorized by the CC and it is soemthing positive because catholics can avoid having those 3 key problems that u mentioned. when it comes to the catholic doctrine.
becuase their commentaries are extensively revised, and they are not published until they seem to be in accordance with their doctrine.

In a way their commentaries are more likely to avoid those 3problems rather than the commentary that soemone wrote on his own that is more likely to have mistakes.

This would only seem to be the case if such commentaries are infallible. If they are not, then you have no real way of knowing if any given bit in the commentary is truly right or not.

 

[NotWorthy]

This would only seem to be the case if such commentaries are infallible. If they are not, then you have no real way of knowing if any given bit in the commentary is truly right or not.

Well, yeah, but if the commentaries on inline with the Catholic Church’s Infallible teachings, then you can be assured of relatively accurate commentaries.

 

[jimmy85]

This would only seem to be the case if such commentaries are infallible. If they are not, then you have no real way of knowing if any given bit in the commentary is truly right or not.

I said when it comes to catholic doctrines and catholics the commentaries are very reliable for catholics.

 

[rr1213]

I own an abridged version of Wesley’s Commentaries on the Bible to which I often turn when I feel I am missing some connection or meaning in the text.

 

[Pax]

I have several non-Catholic biblical commentaries and three Catholic commentaries.

The most in depth and scholarly by far is my *Catholic Jerome Biblical Commentary *(1968 edition). Although I have gained many great insights from this commentary, it is not without its problems. There are some areas where the commentary is simply in error or is heterodox. You have to be careful.

In my experience the most faithful commentaries to Catholic teaching are the Navarre series and the Haydock…I give them extremely high marks. They are not as in depth as the Jerome and don’t have its heavy academic “flavor” but they are better. I have yet to find anything in them that appears heterodox or contrary to Catholic understandings.

My Protestant commentaries are helpful too, but they are sometimes driven by what I respectfully refer to as innovations by the Reformers. They are valuable for the areas of shared doctrine as well as for the areas in which they differ from Catholic understandings. They better articulate the non-Catholic view than the average Protestant. If you are well grounded in Catholic doctrine and teaching especially as it relates to scripture there is no reason to be nervous about refering to non-Catholic commentaries. If a person is a newby or undereducated in the faith, then problems may arise.

I have a non-Catholic acquaintance that refuses to attend a church and reads only the bible. He will not read a commentary, go to a bible study, or read a spiritual book. He depends solely on scripture and the “basic” tenets of the Reformers that he learned early on. He contends that reading these other materials simply tends to “screw up his thinking.” Most of my non-Catholic acquaintances use study guides, group study, and commentaries.

 

[PC_Master]

Well, yeah, but if the commentaries on inline with the Catholic Church’s Infallible teachings, then you can be assured of relatively accurate commentaries.

So on matters of connection with infallible teachings, the commentaries are infallible? Or is it possible they actually err?

 

[lak611]

I own an abridged version of Wesley’s Commentaries on the Bible to which I often turn when I feel I am missing some connection or meaning in the text.

You can get his commentary here on-line.

 

[NotWorthy]

So on matters of connection with infallible teachings, the commentaries are infallible? Or is it possible they actually err?

No, I didn’t say that. But luckily, with the Catholic commentaries, you have an authoritative teaching that you can cross-check your commentary with.

There’s no “private interpretation” involved that can conflict with the Church’s teachings.

 

[kell0618]

Perhaps I missed it, but I am surprised no one mentioned the Navarre Bible. I just received the entire set as a gift and I think I’ll take all of the volumes to bed with me tonight (hubby is working out of town so I can spread my books all over his side). It is a magnificent work.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

Hi Jimmy as a prostant I am betting your friend is misreading parts of scripture. And, she may not realise it, but her Pastor’s Sermons are Commentary on the Bible. I personally love commentaries because I don’t know everything about Greek, Herbew, Latin, Biblical Cultures, Historical Development of Doctrines, Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, Worldly Cultures surrounding the bible, Anicent Near Eastern literatures, Alternate interpretations of a given text, symbolism, figures of speech, hebrew poetry, parallelism, solving difficult texts, How the church fathers understood a text, typology, those extra historical books in catholic bibles, textual criticism, variants which has best support, differences of translation of a given text, every possible application of a text to our christian life, all doctrine, all knowledge, church history, humor, cults, idioms, and God. So, it is good to learn from fellow christians. Also, anything anyone says in a home bible study is also Commentary.

 

[inthecloud]

The Navarre Bible for the realy hardcore Bible student is the best that I have seen. Catholic or Protestant.
I also say in Spanish the BIBLE COMMENTED BY THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS in 24 hard cover books, since the spanish edition was made in the Universitiy of Navarra, I think is related to the Naverre Bible but not the same. Correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[NotWorthy]

The Navarre Bible for the realy hardcore Bible student is the best that I have seen. Catholic or Protestant.
I also say in Spanish the BIBLE COMMENTED BY THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS in 24 hard cover books, since the spanish edition was made in the Universitiy of Navarra, I think is related to the Naverre Bible but not the same. Correct me if I’m wrong.

That’s odd. The Navarre, correct me if I’m wrong, comes to us from Spain, or is somehow rooted in Spain. I agree that it is the best commentary I’ve seen on how the Church has interpreted the Scriptures since Her infancy.

How close is the Spanish language to Greek, and does this closeness make the translations much more clearer and accurate?

For instance, Fr. Corapi, when speaking on the Lord’s Prayer, likes the Spanish interpretation of “and lead us not into temptation”. He says, it better translates to, “and do not let us fall into temptation”, which is how the Spanish render it.

 

[jimmy85]

That’s odd. The Navarre, correct me if I’m wrong, comes to us from Spain, or is somehow rooted in Spain. I agree that it is the best commentary I’ve seen on how the Church has interpreted the Scriptures since Her infancy.

How close is the Spanish language to Greek, and does this closeness make the translations much more clearer and accurate?.

Spanish and greek are not very close. however greek is quite similar to latin and spanish is very similar to latin. so they could be somehow similar.

For instance, Fr. Corapi, when speaking on the Lord’s Prayer, likes the Spanish interpretation of “and lead us not into temptation”. He says, it better translates to, “and do not let us fall into temptation”, which is how the Spanish render it.

yes that is true there are many diferences in the spanish and english translations for example the first commandment says in spanish: You will love you God above all thing.
in english: You will have only one God.

one bad translation that is remarkable is in the gospel when Jesus said I came to bring the sword, in the english version.
In spanish it said I came to bring the conflict or the “discordia” that dosent allude to war at all but to a spiritual struggle or to a spiritual conflict. unlike the word sword that alludes to war.

I personately love the bible commentaries that are in spanish they seem to be quite different from the english ones perhaps it is because they resembles more to the greek version.

 

[inthecloud]

The real question is how close is Latin to Greek.
Remember that Spanish is just a modern dialect of Latin. Since I do not classical Latin or koine Greek I can not answer you.
But maybe the fact that western Catholic theology was done in Latin for centuries has to do something with spanish prayers sounding more Catholic. I always wonder why the Reformation happened in the germanic speaking parts of Europe and not in the neolatin or slavic speaking parts of Europe (but France was a close call).
The Facultad Teologica de la Univesidad de Navarra is a Opus Dei and conservative catholicism stronghold. So the Navarre Bible if is done by them reflects current official Church teachings. But I understand that the Navarre commentaries are up to todays teaching. The Bible (it was more like a encyclopaedia) I saw only has the ECF comments, and was from the University of Navarra.

 

[Teflon93]

I have read only Protestant commentaries as well as Systematic Theology, and introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem.
The perspective is from the Reformed position.
I would like to read a comprehensive Systematic Theology from the Catholic position. Please advise.

You’re probably way more ambitious than I am. I like the Ignatius Study Bible commentaries. $10 a pop, one book at a time, clear and well-researched notes.

 

[Teflon93]

The real question is how close is Latin to Greek.
Remember that Spanish is just a modern dialect of Latin. Since I do not classical Latin or koine Greek I can not answer you.
But maybe the fact that western Catholic theology was done in Latin for centuries has to do something with spanish prayers sounding more Catholic. I always wonder why the Reformation happened in the germanic speaking parts of Europe and not in the neolatin or slavic speaking parts of Europe (but France was a close call).
The Facultad Teologica de la Univesidad de Navarra is a Opus Dei and conservative catholicism stronghold. So the Navarre Bible if is done by them reflects current official Church teachings. But I understand that the Navarre commentaries are up to todays teaching. The Bible (it was more like a encyclopaedia) I saw only has the ECF comments, and was from the University of Navarra.

The Reformation happened in the territories which were outside of the Roman Empire, with England being the sole exception (although of course England wasn’t well-absorbed into the Empire either).

When the Empire waned, the Catholic Church became the unifying force in the West. The wilder parts of the old Roman frontier were never fully within the Catholic sphere (the history of the Vikings is a good example); it was not so surprising this would eventually become the portion of Europe which split away.

Hilaire Belloc’s various Reformation books are quite good on this, “How the Reformation Happened” and “Europe and the Faith” are recommended if you’d like a Catholic view.

 

[inthecloud]

discordia= lack of harmony.
The opposite of concordia, or concordance in English. Maybe you should invent disconcordance.

 

[jimmy85]

discordia= lack of harmony.
The opposite of concordia, or concordance in English. Maybe you should invent disconcordance.

lack of harmony make sense in that passage.

 

[rr1213]

The Reformation happened in the territories which were outside of the Roman Empire, with England being the sole exception (although of course England wasn’t well-absorbed into the Empire either).

Sort of. Depends on what you mean by the word “happened”. There were signficant Protestants in areas that were predominately Catholic, the Huguenots of France being the best example.

 

[Teflon93]

Sort of. Depends on what you mean by the word “happened”. There were signficant Protestants in areas that were predominately Catholic, the Huguenots of France being the best example.

This is true, but doesn’t it also depend on what the time period is we’re speaking of?

France was also on the fringe of the Empire, or course.