Reading the Bible

Deacon Lee Hunt

2. Commentaries and other books give details

We need a Catholic Bible with footnotes to help explain in our language the meaning of verses written many centuries ago in other cultures.

 

Footnotes are short and raise more questions. Greater details of the meaning of Scriptures are found in books called commentaries. Here we find descriptions of a whole book of the Bible, chapters, verses, and actual words.

 

Commentaries help us understand what the author was writing about perhaps in a time when he was in exile in a foreign country or when enemies were trying to kill him in his own country. We can learn more about the meaning of parables. We can better understand what the priest is preaching about before or after Mass.

 

Many commentaries are available. The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries can be purchased in separate volumes covering only the New Testament. Daily readings are available at no cost via the Internet.

 

The Collegeville Bible Commentary and The New Jerome Biblical Commentary each contain over 1,000 pages. Both the New Testament and Old Testament are included plus other helpful information.

 

To step out beyond commentaries to see a more complete picture requires using text books. Two popular books are An Introduction to the Old Testament by Fr. Laurin Wenig (ISBN 1-58595-167-6) and Understanding the New Testament and Its Message by Vincent Branick (ISBN 0-8091-3780-1). These are used in the Archdiocesan Pastoral Ministry Program. Similar books are available for loan in the St. Monica library.