Bible commentary

[Montie_Claunch]

Does anyone know of a really good bible commentary that shows you the breadth, depth and true meaning of scripture (by itself and with others)? I just noticed, I try to read the bible but don’t feel like I go away with anything really. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks and God bless.

 

[MarkAA]

The Ignatius Study Bible NT commentaries are really superb. I’ve thumbed through the “Navarre” commentaries and they seem good, but they’re pretty expensive. (Ignatius’ are OT only, so far at least.)

Anybody know of others?

Mark AA

 

[Rolltide]

The Ignatius Study Bible NT commentaries are really superb. I’ve thumbed through the “Navarre” commentaries and they seem good, but they’re pretty expensive. (Ignatius’ are OT only, so far at least.)

Anybody know of others?

Mark AA

The Ignatius Study Bible is only available in the NEW Testament so far, and even that is incomplete. Here is a post of mine from a few days ago:

Ah, a topic I have been exploring lately myself. Let me tell you what I learned on here before the forum crashed. Although there are many Catholic study Bibles, three in particular seem to keep getting mentioned.

1. The Ignatius Study Bible: Based on the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, written and edited by Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Both of these gentlemen, esp. Dr. Hahn, are widely known for their excellent Catholic books. This study Bible contains extensive references to the Catechism, early church fathers, and Vatican documents, and is considered very faithful to Catholic teaching. It is, however, a work in progress. About half of the New Testament has been completed so far. It is available in 9 volumes to this point, at a cost of about $9 each. It is highly recommended.
2. The Navarre Study Bible: Based on the Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. Published by Opus Dei. An extremely orthodox study Bible with a huge commentary. It also contains extensive references, including the writings of Josemaria Escriva at length. (This is hardly suprising since he founded Opus Dei.) It’s very good for prayerful reading of the Bible. It has the benefit of being complete, and the pitfall of being notoriously expensive. It is available in 10 beautifully hardbound volumes for about $40 each. The New Testament is also available in 10 paperback books, OR an abridged hardcover New Testament that runs only about $40. If you are REALLY into Bible study, the Navarre contains the Latin Vulgate along side the RSV-CE in the text (except for the abridged version).
3. The Haydock Douay-Rheims Bible: Many people swear by this and consider it the gold standard. Why? Because the Douay-Rheims, the oldest English version of the Bible approved for Catholic use, tends to be a very literal translation, although it is in Middle English. Also, the commentary is apparently utterly loaded with references to the early church fathers. There are several versions of the Douay-Rheims Bible. Make sure you get the Haydock. This version contains the commentary, which was written in the early 1800s. Despite its age, it continues to be incredibly valuable. It can be hard to find though.

So, which of the three do you get? The Ignatius seems to be really well balanced. It’s the one I’m reading right now, and has a little bit of everything. It’s also an easy read that explains doctrine well. Its simple, but never simplistic. The Navarre is literally beautiful. It is well-made, well-written, and utterly faithful to the Church. Some find it lacking in the church fathers, but it’s the kind of thing that you would hand down to your children. The Haydock is for the SERIOUS student. It’s deep and intricate, and offers some things the others don’t. The great thing about them is that each have something unique to offer. I hope to, at some point, tackle all three. Perhaps others would like to share what they consider the stronger and weaker points of these volumes.

 

[Michael_G]

1. The Haydock Douay-Rheims Bible: Many people swear by this and consider it the gold standard. Why? Because the Douay-Rheims, the oldest English version of the Bible approved for Catholic use, tends to be a very literal translation, although it is in Middle English. Also, the commentary is apparently utterly loaded with references to the early church fathers. There are several versions of the Douay-Rheims Bible. Make sure you get the Haydock. This version contains the commentary, which was written in the early 1800s. Despite its age, it continues to be incredibly valuable. It can be hard to find though.

The Haydock is for the SERIOUS student. It’s deep and intricate, and offers some things the others don’t. The great thing about them is that each have something unique to offer. I hope to, at some point, tackle all three. Perhaps others would like to share what they consider the stronger and weaker points of these volumes.

The Haydock commentary for the New Testament is on line at the following site, put together by todd Easton a particpator in this forum

haydock1859.tripod.com/
Todd Easton CatholicBook@aol.com

Also another older commentary out their recommended by Jimmy akins is
A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Dom Bernard Orchard M.A. (Cantab.) General Editor and New Testament Editor

A great catholic exegsis of Scripture is located at http://www.scripturecatholic.com/

 

[matthew1624]

Does anyone know of a really good bible commentary that shows you the breadth, depth and true meaning of scripture (by itself and with others)? I just noticed, I try to read the bible but don’t feel like I go away with anything really. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks and God bless.

I highly recommend the Navarre Bible Commentaries. I also recommend that you visit the Catholic Encyclopedia Church Fathers web site which has some commentaries as well. St. Augusine’s Tractates on the Gospel of John are incredible. I have recently purchased some additional commentaries by Joseph Blenkinsopp but I do not have any opinion on them yet.

God Bless…

 

[matthew1624]

St. Augusine’s Tractates on the Gospel of John are incredible.

John 21:1-11
After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.note that there are 7 disciples] Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat [note that they got into Peter’s boat. Does this signify anything?], but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat [why are the nets cast on the right side, hmm…what could this possibly mean?] and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. [should remind you of the first fishing incident when the nets tore - Luke 5:6] So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish [what does this number mean?]. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn [signifies the end of the ages].

Here’s an example of the light Augustine sheds with his commentaries (already hinted at by my comments above)
Tractate 122 on John 20:30 - 21:11. Read it all but paragraphs 5, 6, and 7 were fascinating. Enjoy…

In Christ…

 

[Michael_G]

Does anyone know of a really good bible commentary that shows you the breadth, depth and true meaning of scripture (by itself and with others)? I just noticed, I try to read the bible but don’t feel like I go away with anything really. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks and God bless.

Catena Aurea - The Golden Chain
Of St. Thomas Aquinas

The Golden Chain is a commentary on of the Gospels by the Early Church Fathers compiled together.
catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.html

Documents and Books

catecheticsonline.com/Resources.html
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**Coming Soon - Projects in Work
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Click Here - Aquinas’ Shorter Summa by St. Thomas Aquinas