Books about Catholicism

[Persuader]

Hello, guys! I am currently adding some literature about Catholicism to my reading list. I am specifically looking for some books that gives a good introduction to the most important facets of the catholic interpretation of the Bible. Perhaps I would need one book about the catholic position on the historicity of the Bible, and another book about the meaning of the Bible, but I would prefer one book that deals with both issues.

 

[po18guy]

One book that touches upon both areas, but is intended as a general resource, is Catholicism for Dummies, by Fr. John Trigilio PhD, ThD, and Fr. Kenneth Brighenti PhD. It is a good book for all Catholics to have on hand, as it delves into areas that we do not frequently inquire into. It has both the Imprimatur and the Nihil Obstat.

 

[Windfish]

One book that touches upon both areas, but is intended as a general resource, is Catholicism for Dummies, by Fr. John Trigilio PhD, ThD, and Fr. Kenneth Brighenti PhD. It is a good book for all Catholics to have on hand, as it delves into areas that we do not frequently inquire into. It has both the Imprimatur and the Nihil Obstat.

What about the Pontifical Biblical Commissions? These would be authoritative and would be right what the OP needs.

A good skim of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (which is available online for free) would be an excellent primer on the subject. You should particularly note the paragraphs which discuss the “four senses” of Scripture.

 

[Being_Brave]

When I first started seriously reading about Catholicism, my friend (who is now my sponsor) told me about a book called “Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic” by David Currie. It put things in “protestant terms” that made it easy to understand “Catholic terms”. It gave very good comparissons between the way we were brought up as fundamentalists and the more inclusive interpretation/teaching that the Church offers.

The other book he referred me to was the Compendium for the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It was a more difficult read, but between the two I felt like I had a good grasp on what the big differences were.

I also found these pocket-sized books helpful:

“Where is That in The Bible?” by Patrick Madrid
“The Catholic Book of Mary” by Peter M. J. Stravinskas

 

[po18guy]

What about the Pontifical Biblical Commissions? These would be authoritative and would be right what the OP needs.

A good skim of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (which is available online for free) would be an excellent primer on the subject. You should particularly note the paragraphs which discuss the “four senses” of Scripture.

D’oh! :doh2: A book I have, but have not read yet is Mark Shea’s Making Senses out of Scripture. Shea’s work is excellent and highly regarded by both peers and prominent members of the Church hierarchy. From the Catholic Answers promo for the book:

Take an amazing journey into the depths of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation and learn how to explore the literal, allegorical, moral and analogical senses of Scripture. Whether you’ve been studying Scripture for years, or are encountering it for the very first time, Making Senses Out Of Scripture is an invaluable tool that will help you see biblical revelation afresh, as Christians have done for 2000 years. Written in a winsome and witty style that makes the book as accessible to the beginning student of Scripture as it is to the advanced.

I recommend Catholicism for Dummies just because every Catholic household would benefit from it.

 

[melchesidechpio]

Hello, guys! I am currently adding some literature about Catholicism to my reading list. I am specifically looking for some books that gives a good introduction to the most important facets of the catholic interpretation of the Bible. Perhaps I would need one book about the catholic position on the historicity of the Bible, and another book about the meaning of the Bible, but I would prefer one book that deals with both issues.

Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly

 

[Nita]

Hello, guys! I am currently adding some literature about Catholicism to my reading list. I am specifically looking for some books that gives a good introduction to the most important facets of the catholic interpretation of the Bible. Perhaps I would need one book about the catholic position on the historicity of the Bible, and another book about the meaning of the Bible, but I would prefer one book that deals with both issues.

Were you raised Christian; or did you receive no religious upbringing? If you are new to Christian teachings about God and the Incarnation (Jesus), I would suggest “Mere Christianity”.

 

[Orchanian]

The Biblical Basis for the Catholic Faith by John Salza is a good book explaining the differences between the Catholic and Protestant Bibles and refuting the common Protestant arguments for Sola Scriptura. It also includes a good amount of history about the development of the Canon.

 

[WesleyF]

Hello, guys! I am currently adding some literature about Catholicism to my reading list. I am specifically looking for some books that gives a good introduction to the most important facets of the catholic interpretation of the Bible. Perhaps I would need one book about the catholic position on the historicity of the Bible, and another book about the meaning of the Bible, but I would prefer one book that deals with both issues.

I don’t know whether there is such a book, but there are many important Vatican documents addressing this very issue. They can be found here-

catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/

Some of them include -

The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church
catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/PBC_Interp.htm

Instruction on the Historical Truth of the Gospels
catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/PBC_HistTruthFitzmyer.htm#PBCText

Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum
vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html

 

[JackVk]

Hello, guys! I am currently adding some literature about Catholicism to my reading list. I am specifically looking for some books that gives a good introduction to the most important facets of the catholic interpretation of the Bible. Perhaps I would need one book about the catholic position on the historicity of the Bible, and another book about the meaning of the Bible, but I would prefer one book that deals with both issues.

Check out the Catholic Answers online store!

 

[NHInsider]

Second the recommendation of Mark Shea’s book - an excellent and eminently readable introduction to both the development of Scripture and the question of interpretation.

I’m not sure I’d make a blanket suggestion for reading the PBC documents as an introduction - they are pretty dense; and of course reflect the particular issues of their individual times - literalists are always dragging out the 1908 docs to prove their points, while more recent (and more authoritative) docs would undermine those same positions.

 

[Persuader]

Thank you for all the suggestions.

I think I will go with the book by Shea. The book seems to be well-received, although I cannot find any information on his credentials. He doesn’t seem to be a priest. Do any of you know his academic credentials? Are you sure he represents the view of the church? I will be reading this book to get the catholic perspective on these matters. I am already in the process of reading a book that gives a secular/liberal Christian perspective on similar issues to ensure some balance.