Catholic Bible Commentaries

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Sonny89

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Hey Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good Catholic Bible Commentary??
An Answer to this may be somewhere that I haven’t found so it if is just point me in the right direction :).
Many Thanks
Peace & Goodness in Christ
Sonny 👍
 
The Catena Aurea

There is a collection of early Church Fathers comments on various Gospel passages. It was collected by St. Thomas Aquinas in the 1200s AD and put in one source, which we now call the Catena Aurea (Latin for “golden chain”).

If you read no other Bible commentary at least read this.

You can find and read it here (catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea.php) but I would order a hard (or paperback) copy of this as well. It’s that good.
 
Thanks Guys, Much appreciated 👍
I’ll get on to looking at those!
Peace and Goodness in Christ
Sonny
 
You could try this site:
vatican.va/archive/bible/index.htm
This is the New American Bible on the Holy See website. It’s the entire Bible, with many verses, chapters, and books explained as to their meaning and/or historical context. I first found it when a Mormon friend of mine tried to use Matthew 13:11 to justify the practice of not allowing non-Mormons in the temple, as opposed to the Catholic tradition where all are welcome and encouraged to enter any church.
You can also find the entire texts of and notes on the Catechism, Vatican II, and more. Hope this helps!
 
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. A single version of the complete New Testament is going to be released around May, so you might want to wait for that. 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’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

And here is a link where you can pre-order the brand-new single volume New Testament on Amazon.com. It’s going to be right around $20:
amazon.com/Ignatius-Catholic-Study-Bible-Testament/dp/1586172506/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249897269&sr=1-10

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

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
 
Thanks a lot :). Vey helpful posts!! 👍👍
Peace & Goodness in Christ
Sonny
 
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