Bible Commentary

  • Thread starter Thread starter sleeping_gecko
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

sleeping_gecko

Guest
As a cradle Protestant, I know an infinite number of Protestant commentaries (varying radically) exists.

However, as a potential Catholic, I’m not aware of Catholic commentaries. Is there an authoritative Catholic commentary? I know that the Catechism is a great reference, but are there verse-by-verse commentaries from the Catholic point of view?

I’ve really enjoyed some of the Bible studies by Scott Hahn (I heard a series of his where he taught through the first 6 or so chapters of John, for example). Is there a similar resource out there, preferably in audio or book format, that covers the whole of Scripture?

If nothing else, it would be nice, when people say, “But the Catholics don’t care about the Bible!”, to be able to say, “Hey, check out this commentary!” or “What about this Bible study series?” A lot of people I talk to reject the whole “the Catholic Church WROTE the Bible, of course their biblical!” argument. Something about Constantine, RCC starting in 300, etc… 🤷

So, any recommendations?
 
Do you like audio studies?
On EWTN.Com go to their audio files. You’ll find Tim Gray has three studies on the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and John) and a study on Exodus. Each is a 13 part series. Tim does a great job of connecting the Old Testament with the New.

You’ll also enjoy StIreneausMinstries.com for some wonderful podcasts of various Bible Studies. David Higbee does a wonderful job of explaining the culture of Ancient Israel, which will help you understand St. Paul’s struggles much better.

For a great commentary on the New Testament - Check out the Ignatius 2nd Edition Study Bible. It is very good and Orthodox.

There is also an extremely good Bible Study Online… and it’s free! AgapeBibleStudy.com has a series of studies that are very in-depth and very Orthodox.
 
If you’re looking for a good study Bible with commentary, there are three that I would recommend: The Ignatius Study Bible, the Navarre Bible, and the Douay-Rheims with Haydock Commentary.

So, which study Bible to get? Well, it depends on what you want. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch are working on the Ignatius Study Bible. I have several volumes, and I think they’re great. The notes are very clear, there are ample maps, and there are occasional mini-essays dedicated to important passages for Catholics, or particularly important Greek words that are difficult to translate. The introductory essays are also very good. The main problem with this version is that it is a work-in-progress. It is being released book-by-book; the New Testament has JUST been completed, and the Old Testament is now well underway, although no books have actually been released yet. (Genesis is due out on October 10, 2010.) A single version of the complete New Testament is now available in a paperback, hardcover, and leatherbound version for a VERY reasonable price. Once totally complete, many people think that this will become the new standard in Catholic study Bibles. This is the version to get if you’re looking for a good, orthodox, in-depth study of the background and interpretation of the Bible.
Here are links to the brand-new single volume New Testament on Amazon.com:
Paperback
amazon.com/Ignatius-Catholic-Study-Bible-Testament/dp/1586172506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280718878&sr=8-1
Hardcover
amazon.com/Ignatius-Catholic-Study-Bible-Testament/dp/1586174843/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1280718878&sr=8-1
Leatherbound
amazon.com/Ignatius-Catholic-Study-Bible-Testament/dp/1586174851/ref=tmm_hrd_title_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1280718878&sr=8-1

And here’s a link to the 13-volume paperback New Testament set:
catholiccompany.com/catholic-books/1001916/Ignatius-Catholic-Study-Bible-Complete-Set/
(and one Amazon.com link to the volume on the Gospel of Luke so you can see inside: )
amazon.com/Gospel-Luke-Ignatius-Study-Catholic/dp/0898708192/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246342183&sr=8-3

continued…
 
As far as the Navarre Bible, it is also outstanding. It has several distinctive features. First, it’s complete. Second, it’s available in four versions: a 10-volume hardbound set, a 12-volume paperback New Testament, an abridged single-volume New Testament, and a brand new expanded single-volume hardcover New Testament. The longer versions contain the text of the Bible, the commentary, and the entire Nova Vulgata, along with long introductory essays. The abridged volume drops the Nova Vulgata and shortens the introductory essays. The hardbound version is almost of heirloom quality; it is very well made. The Navarre is printed by Scepter Press, the publishing arm of Opus Dei, so you KNOW it’s going to be orthodox. The Navarre tends to be more of a devotional Bible than a rigorous scholarly study Bible. The great thing is that both Bibles present something completely different. You could read both and learn totally different things. I included links to where you can order them direct from Scepter Publishers, and also Amazon.com. I included Amazon.com links when the page included the option to search inside the book so you can get an idea of the layout.

Here is where you can get the various versions:

The brand-new one-volume expanded New Testament:
scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=526

The one-volume abridged New Testament:
amazon.com/Navarre-Bible-New-Testament-Compact/dp/1889334596/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246340393&sr=8-5

The original ten-volume hardcover series:
New Testament:
scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=618
Old Testament:
scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=514
(and one Amazon.com link of the first volume so you can see inside: )
amazon.com/Navarre-Bible-Pentateuch-Old-Testament/dp/1889334219/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246340393&sr=8-2

The twelve-volume paperback New Testament set:
scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=125
(and one Amazon.com link of the first volume so you can see inside: )
amazon.com/Navarre-Bible-Acts-Apostles/dp/1851829040/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246340775&sr=8-23

continued…
 
I might also recommend the Douay-Rheims Bible with Haydock Commentary. This was a Bible commentary written by a Father Haydock in the mid-nineteenth century. It’s very orthodox also, and is known for utilizing a tremendous number of quotes from the Early Church Fathers themselves. If you want to know what the great theologians had to say about various passages, all in one place, than this is also a great resource. Not all Douay-Rheims Bibles have the Haydock Commentary, so search carefully. There is only one readily available version with the commentary, and it runs around $125. I should also point out that it’s available online for free viewing here:

haydock1859.tripod.com/index.html

Here’s a link to the leather-bound hardcover Haydock Douay-Rheims Bible:
loretopubs.org/index.php?target=products&product_id=60

(And here’s a link to a sample interior page: )
catholictreasures.com/pictures/Sample%20Douay.pdf

As a couple of added thoughts:

From EWTN:
The most widely used Catholic commentary is probably the Jerome Biblical Commentary, now in a 2nd edition. There is also a summary version of it. This commentary is the work of well-known Catholic Biblical scholars and is filled with articles on historical, archaeological, linguistic and other subjects useful for understanding the background of the Scriptures. The JBC is, therefore, a valuable resource for those seeking such information. However, the textual commentaries use primarily the historical-critical method, and thus must be read with discernment. The Church approves of the use of this method for the purpose of understanding the historical and literary foundations of the text (see Vatican II, Dei Verbum 11-13),** but finds it an incomplete method apart from the Tradition.** Scripture must be interpreted according to the analogy of faith, that is, in accordance with what God has revealed in toto, as taught by the Magisterium.

Here is the New Jerome Biblical Commentary at Amazon.com:
amazon.com/Jerome-Biblical-Commentary-Raymond-Brown/dp/0225668033/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246340021&sr=8-1

There is also the brand new “Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture” that is in the works, although only four books have currently been released. What’s out, however, is really good, and written for more of an average audience. Here are links to the what’s available:

The Gospel of Mark
amazon.com/Gospel-Catholic-Commentary-Sacred-Scripture/dp/0801035864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252704824&sr=8-1

First and Second Timothy, Titus
(This one lets you look inside at some of the pages)
amazon.com/Second-Timothy-Catholic-Commentary-Scripture/dp/0801035813/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252704824&sr=8-3

Ephesians
amazon.com/Ephesians-Catholic-Commentary-Sacred-Scripture/dp/0801035848/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252704824&sr=8-2

Second Corinthians
amazon.com/Second-Corinthians-Catholic-Commentary-Scripture/dp/080103583X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252704824&sr=8-4

The Gospel of Matthew (Pre-Order, Dec. 1, 2010 release)
http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Matthew-Catholic-Commentary-Scripture/dp/080103602X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1280719241&sr=1-1
 
I’d be careful with the Jerome commentaries. They’re unorthodox and liberal sometimes. The historical-critical method is fine, so long as one does not contradict an orthodox interpretation. Unfortunately the Jerome commentary does not always do that. It’s not officially Catholic but the Orthodox Study Bible is fairly orthodox. It’s real cheap for a Study Bible and covers the entire contents of Sacred Scripture. And there are lots of extras. Ideally, if you have the money, you want the Navarre Bible. But that’s real expensive. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is fairly well done as well, but they only have the New Testament out. May God guide you in the study of His Word!
 
All good comments. I would only add the observation that for the most part the Catholic Church is not in the “official interpretation” business. There are a few verses for which specific interpretations have been officially denied but even in those cases those statements do not exclude a variety of interpretations and applications of the text. (So, just to cite one constantly-raised example, the verses in the NT that refer to the “brothers of Jesus” do not refer to other sons of Mary. But the Church has not define exclusively who they do refer to.
 
Let me also mention that the paperback version of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament is only $14.93 right now at Amazon.com, which is literally a steal for what you get. The hardcover and leatherbound are priced really well too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top