Commentaries
Showing 1–50 of 81 results
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Wisdom Of Solomon
$49.99Add to cartThe 17 New Testament volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series have been widely acclaimed. Now the series editors offer readable Old Testament commentaries that integrate the best of contemporary biblical scholarship with the traditional understanding of the Old Testament books as prophesying and prefiguring Christ.
Written from a standpoint of faith in the Holy Spirit’s inspiration of Scripture, CCSS Old Testament commentaries are designed for preaching, teaching, and applying Scripture to Christian life today. Accessibly written yet substantive, they include quotes from church documents, church fathers, and saints and are packed with features that make them particularly useful to those doing ministry in Catholic parishes.
General editors for the series are Mary Healy (Sacred Heart Major Seminary), Mark Giszczak (Augustine Institute), and Peter S. Williamson (Sacred Heart Major Seminary).
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Wisdom Of Solomon
$24.99Add to cartThe 17 New Testament volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series have been widely acclaimed. Now the series editors offer readable Old Testament commentaries that integrate the best of contemporary biblical scholarship with the traditional understanding of the Old Testament books as prophesying and prefiguring Christ.
Written from a standpoint of faith in the Holy Spirit’s inspiration of Scripture, CCSS Old Testament commentaries are designed for preaching, teaching, and applying Scripture to Christian life today. Accessibly written yet substantive, they include quotes from church documents, church fathers, and saints and are packed with features that make them particularly useful to those doing ministry in Catholic parishes.
General editors for the series are Mary Healy (Sacred Heart Major Seminary), Mark Giszczak (Augustine Institute), and Peter S. Williamson (Sacred Heart Major Seminary).
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Gospel Of Peace
$34.00Add to cartLong-time activist, author and teacher of nonviolence, Father John Dear offers here the first ever commentary on the Synoptic Gospels from the perspective of active nonviolence, in the tradition of Gandhi and Dr. King. He walks through every line of the three synoptic Gospels pointing out Jesus’ practice and teachings of nonviolence each step of the way.
Dear’s Jesus is like Gandhi and Dr. King–nonviolent to the core, a disarming, healing presence toward those in need and a revolutionary disrupter of the unjust status quo and a political threat to the ruling authorities who succeed in killing him, only to push Jesus to the heights of nonviolence through his death and resurrection. This original commentary brings a fresh new approach to the Gospels that will help all those who preach and engage in social ministries, and inspire everyone in this time of permanent warfare, gun violence, racism, poverty and climate change.
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12 Prophets: Volume 1
$44.95Add to cartThere is generally no common material that binds together the works of the individual prophets that comprise the Twelve, but through Sweeney’s commentary they stand together as a single, clearly defined book among the other prophetic books of the Bible.The Book of the Twelve Prophets is a multifaceted literary composition that functions simultaneously in all Jewish and Christian versions of the Bible as a single prophetic book and as a collection of twelve individual prophetic books. Each of the twelve individual books – Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi – begins with its own narrative introduction that identifies the prophet and provides details concerning the historical setting and literary characteristics. In this manner each book is clearly distinguished from the others within the overall framework of the Twelve.By employing a combination of literary methodologies, such as reader response criticism, canonical criticism, and structural form criticism, Sweeney establishes the literary structure of the Book of the Twelve as a whole, and of each book with their respective ideological or theological perspectives.
An introductory chapter orients readers to questions posed by reading the Book of the Twelve as a coherent piece of literature and to a literary overview of the Twelve. Sweeney then treats each of the twelve individual prophetic books in the order of the Masoretic canon, providing a discussion of each one’s structure, theme, and outlook. This is followed by a detailed literary discussion of the textual units that comprise the book.
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Ezra And Nehemiah
$29.95Add to cartEzra-Nehemiah has been neglected in biblical studies, but it is important as one of the few windows into the Persian period of Israel’s history, the setting for so much of the final shape of the Hebrew Bible. To know this period is to know what influenced these redactors. In Ezra and Nehemiah Gordon Davies provides that knowledge using rhetorical criticism, a methodology that reveals the full range and progress of the book’s ideas without hiding its rough seams and untidy edges.
The purpose of rhetorical criticism is to explain not the source but the power of the text as a unitary message. This approach does not look at plot development, characterization, or other elements whose roughness makes Ezra-Nehemiah frustrating to read. Instead, it examines the three parts of the relationship – the strategies, the situations, and the ffects – between the speaker and the audience. Rhetorical criticism’s scrutiny of the audience in context favors the search for the ideas and structures that are indigenous to the culture of the text.
Rhetorical criticism is interested in figures of speech as means of persuasion. Therefore, to apply it to Ezra-Nehemiah, Davies concentrates on the public discourse – the orations, letters, and prayers – throughout its text. In each chapter he follows a procedure that: (1) where it is unclear, identifies the rhetorical unit in which the discourse is set; (2) identifies the audiences of the discourse and the rhetorical situation; (3) studies the arrangement of the material; (4) studies the effect on the various audiences; (5) reviews the passage as a whole and judges its success. In the conclusion, Davies explains that Ezra-Nehemiah makes theological sense on its own terms, by forming a single work in which a range of ideas is argued.
Biblical scholars as well as those interested in literary criticism, communication studies, rhetorical studies, ecclesiology, and homiletics will find Ezra and Nehemiah enlightening.
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Judges : Studies In Hebrew Narrative And Poetry
$44.95Add to cartThe biblical book of Judges contains culturally familiar stories such as that of Samson and Delilah and Deborah and Baraq. But despite the popularity of these stories, other important stories in Judges such as that of Achsah, the raped pilegesh, and the final civil war are virtually unknown to the average reader.
Approaching Judges as a unified literary document, Tammi Schneider shows that the unity of the narrative reveals that when the Israelites adhere to the covenant established with their deity they prosper, but when they stray from it disaster follows. This is true not only in the Deuteronomistic refrains, as is recognized by many scholars, but in the whole book, and is reflected in Israel’s worsening situation throughout its narrative time.
Schneider also highlights the unifying themes in Judges. She emphasizes the role of gender, family relations, and theology expressed in the biblical narrative, and uses intertextuality to better understand the text of Judges and its context in the Deuteronomistic history and the Hebrew Bible.
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Galatians
$24.99Add to cartIn this addition to the successful Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS) series, two esteemed scholars interpret Galatians from within the living tradition of the Church. The CCSS relates Scripture to Christian life today, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help pastoral ministers, lay readers, and students understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry. Its attractive packaging and accessible writing style make it a series to own–and to read!
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Gospel Of Luke (Reprinted)
$26.99Add to cartIn this addition to the successful Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series, Fr. Pablo Gadenz examines the Gospel of Luke from within the living tradition of the Church for pastoral ministers, lay readers, and students alike. Gadenz explains the biblical text clearly and concisely in light of recent scholarship and pays particular attention to the themes, theology, and Old Testament background of Luke’s Gospel. Sidebars explain the biblical background and offer theological insights from Church fathers, saints, and popes, and reflection and application sections offer suggestions for daily Christian living.
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Rethinking Mary In The New Testament
$17.95Add to cartCatholics and non-Catholics alike may be tempted to assume they already know everything there is to know about Mary. Whatever your degree of knowledge and personal devotion to the Mother of God, this book will help you see Mary with new eyes and greater appreciation.
Renowned author and theologian Edward Sri deftly leads the reader through a detailed study of Scripture and makes insightful connections to deepen and transform our understanding of Jesus’s Mother. Readable, compelling, and inspiring, this book will renew your vision so that you, too, can rethink Mary – the Mother of God and our mother.
Topics include:
What was Mary’s life like before the Annunciation?
Mary as Daughter Zion
What does it mean to call Mary “full of grace”?
What is the biblical basis for the Catholic belief that Mary is a perpetual Virgin?
Mary as Queen Mother
Mary as model of faith
Mary at the foot of the Cross
Mary as the woman of Revelation -
Catholic Introduction To The Bible
$54.95Add to cartAlthough many Catholics are familiar with the four Gospels or other writings of the New Testament, for most, reading the Old Testament is like walking into a foreign land. Who wrote these 46 books? When were they written? Why were they written? What are we to make of its laws, its stories, its history, its prophecies? Should it be read by itself, or in light of the New Testament?
In this exciting new volume, John Bergsma and Brant Pitre offer a readable, exciting, and in-depth introduction to every single book of the Old Testament. Unlike other introductions, this volume not only examines the language, literature, and culture of the Old Testament from a historical perspective. It also interprets the Old Testament from a theological perspective, drawing on the New Testament, the living Tradition, and the faith of the Catholic Church. Perhaps most unique of all, this introduction also places the Old Testament in its liturgical context, showing how each book is used in the Scripture Readings of the contemporary Lectionary.
For decades, Catholics have needed an up-to-date Introduction to the Bible that is both readable enough for anyone to pick it up and begin to study but also in-depth enough to serve as a textbook for seminarians, graduate students, directors of religious education, and interested lay readers. Now we have one. It can be used as a textbook for classes on the Bible, for “Bible studies” on individual books of the Old Testament, or as a reference work for the general reader. Through its unique combination of history and theology, faith and reason, Scripture and tradition, Old and New Testaments, the work is sure to be a landmark volume for Catholic Scripture studies in the 21st century.
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Hebrews
$25.99Add to cartWell-respected New Testament scholar and popular speaker Mary Healy unpacks the letter to the Hebrews, making its difficult and puzzling passages accessible to pastoral ministers, lay readers, and students. Her commentary shows how Hebrews reveals the meaning of Christ’s death in light of the Old Testament figures, rites, and sacrifices that foreshadowed it. Healy explains that Hebrews, when fully understood, transforms our understanding of who God is, what he has done for us, and how we are to live as Christians today.
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Gospel Of John (Reprinted)
$25.99Add to cartIn this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, two well-respected New Testament scholars interpret the Gospel of John in its historical and literary setting as well as in light of the Church’s doctrinal, liturgical, and spiritual tradition. They unpack the wisdom of the Fourth Gospel for the intellectual and spiritual transformation of its readers and connect the Gospel with a range of witnesses throughout the whole history of Catholicism. This volume, like each in the series, is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry.
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Revelation (Reprinted)
$26.99Add to cartIn this addition to the well-received Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), seasoned New Testament scholar and popular speaker Peter Williamson interprets Revelation from within the living tradition of the Church for pastoral ministers, lay readers, and students alike. The seventeen-volume CCSS series, which will cover the entire New Testament, relates Scripture to Christian life today, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry. Drawn from the best of contemporary scholarship, series volumes are keyed to the liturgical year and include an index of pastoral subjects.
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Life Abounding : A Reading Of Johns Gospel
$39.95Add to cartThe Fourth Gospel addresses the thirst for life that lies at the depth of every human heart. The life in question is not just physical life but the “more abundant life” (John 10:10) that is nothing less than a share in the “eternal life” of the divine communion of love. Brendan Byrne’s insightful reading of John in Life Abounding will help readers move from mere existence to a conscious sense of sharing the divine eternal life-and the joy that goes with it.
The reading of the Fourth Gospel offered here remains conscious of the difficulties John presents on several fronts for contemporary readers. Byrne explains the text in a way that is critical yet sensitive to the gospel’s distinctive character and the untapped treasures it may yet contain for theology and spirituality today. This volume represents the completion of Byrne’s highly successful series of books on the four gospels, which have proven to be rich resources for preachers, teachers, and all who desire a more profound understanding of the life of Jesus as it is presented in the gospels.
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New Testament 1 And 2
$36.95Add to cartWorks included: Agreement Among the Evangelists (translated by Kim Paffenroth); Questions on the Gospels (translated by Roland Teske, SJ); Seventeen Questions on Matthew (translated by Roland Teske, SJ); and Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (translated by Michael Campbell, OSA). The present translation of The Lord’s Sermon on the Mount was made from the Latin text published in Nuova Biblioteca Agostiniana X/2, 82 285; it is preceded by a detailed introduction by Salvino Caruana (in Italian) on pp. 7 69. Almut Mutzenbecher’s critical text of the treatise in Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina 35 was consulted in establishing the text for the Italian series. Mutzenbecher’s introduction (in German), although earlier,is a valuable complement to Caruana’s. There are several extant English translations, most notably William Findlay, Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, revised and edited by Philip Schaff in A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series 6 (New York 1903; repr. 1979) 1 63; John J. Jepson, St. Augustine, The Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Westminster, Md. 1948) = Ancient Christian Writers 5; Denis J. Kavanagh, Commentary on the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, with Seventeen Related Sermons (New York 1951) = Fathers of the Church 11, 17 199. The present translation of Agreement among the Evangelists was made from the Latin Text published in Nuova Biblioteca Agostiniana X/1 with an occasional look at S.D.F. Salmond’s English translation, The Harmony of the Gospels, edited by Philip Schaff, in A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series 6 (New York 1903, repr. 1979) 77 236. The present translation of Questions on the Gospels was made from the Latin text found in the critical edition by Almut Mutzenbecher in CCSL 44/B, with some attention to the text and translation found in NBA 10/2. Aside from two nineteenth-century French translations in two separate editions, each entitled Oeuvres completes de Saint Augustin (Bar-le-Duc 1864 1873; Paris 1869 1878), and the Italian translation in NBA 10/2, there do not seem to be any translations into modern languages. The present translation of Seventeen Questions on Matthew was made from the Latin text found in the critical edition by Mutzenbecher. The text in NBA was followed in preserving the PL numbering of the questions, while noting the numbering in CCSL. Also included are the concluding paragraphs in the last question that are omitted
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Acts Of The Apostles (Reprinted)
$26.99Add to cartWhat message was the author of Acts seeking to convey, and what would the original audience have understood? How is God speaking to believers today through Acts as it has been used by the church throughout the centuries? In this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, respected New Testament scholar William Kurz offers a close reading and explanation of the entire narrative of Acts, grounded in the original Greek but keyed to the NABRE for liturgical use. This volume, like each in the series, relates Scripture to life, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively.
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Philippians Colossians Philemon
$25.00Add to cartPhilippians, Colossians, and Philemon, written by Paul from prison in the middle of the first century, were addressed to specific Christian communities facing concrete challenges. What did these letters mean at the time, and what do they mean for us today?
In this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, seasoned New Testament scholar Dennis Hamm explores the significance of these letters and their enduring relevance to the life and mission of the church. Based on solid scholarship yet readily accessible, the book is enriched with pastoral reflections and applications and includes sidebars on the living tradition and biblical background.
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Resurrection Of The Messiah
$21.95Add to cartFrancis Moloney s new book takes its inspiration from the critically acclaimed publications of the renowned biblical scholar Raymond E. Brown The Birth of the Messiah and The Death of the Messiah. In The Resurrection of the Messiah, Moloney provides a narrative reading of the resurrection stories in Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. His focus is almost entirely upon the text itself. Guided by current scholarship, he uncovers the perennial significance of the four resurrection narratives, accepted and read as Sacred Scripture in the Christian tradition.
Without disregarding the historical background that must be understood for an appreciation of the story, a narrative commentary attempts to trace the intended impact of that story upon its readers. This reading and interpretative process uncovers the literary structure of a passage, and then follows the unfolding of the narrative itself, allowing it to speak for itself. The thrust of the book is to uncover the unique theological and pastoral message communicated by means of the narratives.
Moloney concludes that we rejoice in what Jesus has done for us in and through the resurrection. This is especially true in our current era, when Christian institutions and practice are under threat from many sides, and also from the way Christianity is lived by many of us. The stories of the resurrection of the Messiah assure us that Jesus promises come true, that our fears, doubts, failures and sin are overcome, as we are sent out again and again on mission, accompanied by the never-failing presence of Jesus in the gift of his Spirit. -
Acts Of The Apostles (Revised)
$12.95Add to cartLarge format, featuring large text size and additional margin space for personal annotations! The larger format enhances both individual and group study.
Based on the Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition, this volume leads readers through a penetrating study of the Acts of the Apostles, using the biblical text itself and the Church’s own guidelines for understanding the Bible. Ample notes accompany each page, providing fresh insights and commentary by renowned Bible teachers Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, as well as time-tested interpretations from the Fathers of the Church. These helpful study notes make explicit what Acts often assumes or they provide rich historical, cultural, geographical or theological information pertinent to the readings – information that bridges the distance between the biblical world and our own.
The Ignatius Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies and Charts. The Topical Essays explore the major themes of Acts, often relating them to the doctrines of the Church. The Word Studies explain the background to important Bible terms, while the Charts summarize crucial biblical information “at a glance”.
Each page also includes an easy-to-use Cross-Reference Section that runs between the biblical text at the top of the page and the annotations at the bottom. Study Questions are provided for each chapter of Acts that can deepen your personal study of God’s Holy Word. There is also an introductory essay covering questions of authorship, date, destination, structure and themes. An outline of Acts and several maps are also included.
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Amos Hosea Micha Nahum Zephaniah Habakkuk
$16.95Add to cartThese six prophets proclaim powerful messages about judgment and the sovereignty of God. Amos challenges hypocrisy and injustice. Hosea’s marriage symbolizes the covenant between God and Israel, moving from love to separation and then reunion. Micah, Nahum, and Zephaniah condemn corrupt leadership, injustice to the poor, and worship of false gods. Habakkuk reminds all to rely on God, who will punish the evil and defeat chaos. Flowing through all these calls to be a better people is the unfailing promise of a faithful and forgiving God.
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Body You Have Prepared For Me
$19.95Add to cartWhile all of the New Testament writings offer windows into the personal religious experiences of their authors, says Kevin McCruden, the Letter to the Hebrews affords us a truly exquisite example of a particularly creative interpretation of such religious experience. It also supplies us with something all too rare in many of the documents of the New Testament: a glimpse into the personal experiences of the ancient persons who first heard this text.
Partially obscured beneath the author’s characteristic emphasis on the superiority of transcendent realities is the indelible imprint of the real-life experiences of early Christians who suffered emotionally and physically for the countercultural commitment that they placed in Jesus. For such persons, Hebrews vividly celebrates the unseen vindication of Jesus and, in this way, provides a hope-filled portrait of the victorious Son of God. At the same time, Hebrews is also very much concerned with what we might call the life of Christian discipleship-that is, what it means to journey this side of the age to come in a manner that is faithful to the countercultural character of God’s kingdom embodied by Jesus. This brief study will help illumine for readers something of this creative balance between the transcendent and the concrete that Hebrews illustrates so well.
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Keys To Galatians
$24.95Add to cartOver the course of five decades of scholarly work on the New Testament, Jerome Murphy-O’Connor has never been afraid to explore and question ideas that other scholars have simply presumed. In Keys to Galatians, he offers fresh perspectives on a rather neglected New Testament letter.
This book includes new thinking on the origins of the letter and new insights into its purpose. The author explains why he dates the letter much earlier than most scholars and why Paul’s rhetorical technique should be considered nothing short of remarkable. He also explores illuminating hints about Paul’s personality. Murphy-O’Connor recognizes in Paul a notable openness to new ideas and what he calls “a daring strategy that would have been unthinkable for one less confident in his rhetorical skills.”
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Isaiah
$12.95Add to cartAlthough the circumstances under which the book of Isaiah took its present form remain in scholarly dispute, Leslie Hoppe highlights its literary and theological purpose-to provide the people of Judah and Jerusalem with hope for the future and the will to re-embrace their ancestral religious traditions.
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Ezekiel-Daniel
$16.95Add to cartEzekiel and Daniel give us some of the most memorable stories and images from the Old Testament: the fiery wheeled throne of God leaving Jerusalem, the valley of dry bones, and miraculous survivals in a fiery furnace and a lion’s den. All this leads the authors of the commentary to navigate the structure and history of these books in order to unravel their extraordinary messages of hope and divine power.
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On The Song Of Songs
$39.95Add to cartGregory the Great (+604) was a master of the art of exegesis. His interpretations are theologically profound, methodologically fascinating, and historically influential. Nowhere is this more clearly seen than in his exegesis of the Song of Songs. Gregory’s interpretation of this popular Old Testament book not only owes much to Christian exegetes who preceded him, such as Origen, but also profoundly influenced later Western Latin exegetes, such as Bernard of Clairvaux.
This volume includes all that Gregory had to say on the Song of Songs. This includes his Exposition on the Song of Songs, as well as the florilegia compiled by Paterius (Gregory’s secretary) and the Venerable Bede, and, finally, William of Saint Thierry’s Excerpts from the Books of Blessed Gregory on the Song of Songs. It is now the key resource for reading and studying Gregory’s interpretation of the Song of Songs.
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1-2 Samuel
$17.95Add to cartComprehensive and understandable, the New Collegeville Bible Commentary series brings the timeless messages and relevance of the Old Testament to today s readers. With recent scholarship, this series provides vital background and addresses important questions such as authorship and cultural context. The New Collegeville Bible Commentary books use the New American Bible translation and will appeal to preachers, teachers, Bible study groups, and all readers of the Bible. First and Second Samuel tell the story of the beginnings of monarchy in ancient Israel. These two powerful narratives present many great figures of biblical history Samuel, Saul, and David and explore the complex interaction of historical developments and human fidelity under God. In the books of Samuel, characters interact to influence and persuade, to express motivation and desire, and to shape the reader s understanding of the issues that faced the Israelites as they responded to God s invitation to covenant. Through the medium of story, the reader shares in the perennial struggle to discover, in the midst of personal and political conflict, God’s ways for humanity.
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1-2 Peter Jude (Reprinted)
$25.00Add to cartIn this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), Daniel Keating interprets First and Second Peter and Jude for pastoral ministers and lay readers alike. The seventeen-volume CCSS series, which will cover the entire New Testament, relates Scripture to life, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively.
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1st Corinthians (Reprinted)
$25.00Add to cartIn this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), a seasoned scholar interprets First Corinthians for pastoral ministers and lay readers alike. The CCSS series, which will cover the entire New Testament, relates Scripture to life, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry.
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Exodus
$17.95Add to cartSo resounding is its message that echoes of the Exodus are heard throughout the Old and New Testaments and the present. Exodus names and terms permeate our biblical and liturgical vocabularies: Pharaoh, Moses, Aaron, burning bush, “I AM,” plagues, Passover, manna, Ten Commandments, forty days and forty nights, Ark of the Covenant. The Exodus experience, indeed, is central to both Jewish and Christian traditions. Exodus is, as Mark Smith reminds us, not only an ancient text but also “today’s story, calling readers to work against oppression and to participate in a covenant relationship with one another and God.” With Smith as their experienced guide, readers are able to march through this basic book of the Bible with textual difficulties solved and stacked up like a wall to their right and left, just as the Israelites “marched on dry land through the midst of the sea with the water like a wall to their right and to their left” (14:29). Undoubtedly, when finished, readers will be closer to the Promised Land than when they started.
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Gospel Of Matthew (Reprinted)
$26.99Add to cartThis engaging commentary on the Gospel of Matthew is the fifth of seventeen volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), which will cover the entire New Testament. This volume, like each in the series, relates Scripture to life, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry.
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Reflections On The Weekday Lectionary Readings
$39.95Add to cartThe book is a succinct commentary on the daily lectionary readings. A practical book free of academic jargon, Reflections on the Weekday Readings provides lectionary commentaries that are contemporary and refreshing. This versatile book can be used for liturgical and homiletic purposes or for private meditation, by clergy or by laity.
Highlights:
Covers Years I and II of the Weekday readings
Every reflection followed by Points to Ponder
Suitable for Priests and Deacons who are preparing homilies
Great as personal reflections on the weekday readingsNOTE: An excellent resource for offshore foreign-language priests working in the United States and Canada who need a straightforward homiletic guide to the weekday readings.
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Ephesians (Reprinted)
$25.00Add to cartIn this third volume of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), Peter Williamson interprets Ephesians for pastoral ministers and lay readers alike. This volume, like each in the series, relates Scripture to life, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry.
About the series: The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS) responds to the desire of Catholics to study the Bible in depth and in a way that integrates Scripture with Catholic doctrine, worship, and daily life. The series will include seventeen volumes, offering readable, informative commentary on each book of the New Testament. The CCSS implements the theological principles taught by Vatican II for interpreting Scripture “in accord with the same Spirit by which it was written”–that is, interpreting Scripture in its canonical context and in the light of Catholic tradition and the analogy of faith (Dei Verbum, 12).The CCSS is packed with features designed to help readers use the Bible more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry. Each volume provides exegesis as well as reflection and application sections. A set of cross-references links each passage to the Catechism, the Lectionary, and related biblical texts. Sidebars present information on the background of the text and on how the text has been interpreted by the Church. Abundant quotations from saints and Church Fathers enable readers to glimpse the continuity of Catholic tradition. Each volume includes a Glossary, a list of Suggested Resources, an Index of Pastoral Topics, and an Index of Sidebars. Further resources are posted at the series Web site, www.CatholicCommentaryonSacredScripture.com.
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2nd Corinthians
$26.00Add to cartThere is an increasing hunger among Catholics to study the Bible in depth and in a way that integrates Scripture with Catholic doctrine, worship, and daily life. Second Corinthians is the fourth of seventeen volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), a new series that will cover the entire New Testament and interprets Scripture from within the living tradition of the Church. This volume, like each in the series, is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively.
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Hebrews
$44.95Add to cartScarcely any book of the New Testament (with the possible exception of Revelation) is so perplexing as the “Letter to the Hebrews.” Not really a letter, but a sermon with some features of a letter added to it, not really by its putative author, Paul, but by an anonymous Christian who wrote some of the most elegant Greek in the Bible, not really addressed to the “Hebrews,” but to Christians, probably in Rome-this is the work that Alan Mitchell explains in this commentary.
Many scholars have written fine commentaries on Hebrews, and Mitchell stands on their shoulders, noting where he proposes alternate interpretations. Mitchell pays particular attention to the reliance of the author of Hebrews on the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint). He also compares the language of Hebrews with similar usage and ideas of first-century Hellenistic Jewish authors, notably Flavius Josephus and Philo of Alexandria. Furthermore, he situates Hebrews against the background of the tradition of Hellenistic Moral Philosophy, where that is appropriate. Mitchell thus locates Hebrews in its proper thought-world, something that is essential for the modern reader in dealing with some of the thornier questions raised by this biblical book. Chief among these are the role of sacrificial atonement, the question of “second repentance,” and the spiritual and moral formation of the Roman Christians who were its recipients.
Like all the volumes in the Sacra Pagina series, this work examines the text in detail, with careful attention to the words and phrasing, and then brings those individual insights together into a coherent summary. The bibliography and special lists appended to each chapter cover the best of recent scholarship on the Letter to the Hebrews.
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Pastorial Epistles : First Timothy Second Timothy And Titus
$29.95Add to cartFirst and Second Timothy and Titus have for many years borne the collective title “The Pastoral Epistles.” Both their style and their content make it difficult to locate them within the corpus of Pauline letters, and recent scholarship most often considers them pseudonymous, works that imitate Paul’s letters but apply the apostle’s teaching to the concerns of a later time, two or more decades after Paul’s death.
The Pastorals differ from Paul’s own letters in being addressed to single individuals, coworkers of Paul who have been placed in charge of particular churches-Timothy apparently in Ephesus, Titus in Crete. They provide instruction for community leaders, both the individual addressees and other leaders whom they will appoint. The specification of certain offices within the local churches is one of the features that appear to locate these works in a later phase of church development.
In this commentary Benjamin Fiore, SJ, places the Pastorals in their historical and literary context. The reader will find here a solid introduction to parallel literary forms in Latin and Greek literature and particular descriptions of the way in which these documents use ancient rhetorical forms to achieve their paraenetic and hortatory purpose. Drawing on his parish experience as well as his academic training, Fiore also provides reflections on the contemporary pastoral application of these books, giving readers a renewed appreciation for the “pastoral” label these epistles bear.
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Homilies On The Gospel Of John
$49.00Add to cartFew ancient Christian authors attempted anything like a complete commentary on the Gospel of John, among them Origen, John Chrysostom and Augustine. Of these, Augustine’s must count as the greatest. Unlike Origen’s, it has come down to us in its entirety and of the others that remain it is certainly the most theologically profound. John’s gospel allows Augustine to range broadly over themes that were his life’s work — the Trinity, the person of Christ, the nature of the Church and its sacraments, the fulfillment of the divine plan.
The 124 homilies that constitute Augustine’s commentary, however, are masterpieces not only of theological profundity but also of pastoral engagement. In the question-and-answer style that he frequently employs, for example, one can sense Augustine’s real awareness of his congregation’s struggles with the gospel text. And the congregation’s response to Augustine, which he frequently alludes to, is an indication of the success of his dialogical preaching style.
The Johannine literature drew out the best in Augustine. The Homilies on the Gospel of John are the indispensible complement to The Homilies on the First Epistle of John, recently published in this series and they should be a part of any serious theological library.
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Philippians And Philemon
$39.95Add to cartPhilippians is one of the most interesting and beloved of Paul’s undisputed epistles. In Philippians and Philemon, Bonnie Thurston makes a convincing case that canonical Philippians is as Paul wrote it, one letter. A translation conforming as closely as possible to the original Greek is provided, along with a careful analysis of the language of the letter that yields insights into the context and theological underpinning of this epistle.
The apostle’s very brief letter to Philemon stands solidly within the Pauline collection of authentic and canonical letters. In this commentary Judith Ryan shows how Paul combined his theology with contemporary rhetorical strategies to produce an effective challenge to his audience. -
James
$39.95Add to cartIn his commentary on the letter of James, Hartin offers a unique approach toward understanding a much-neglected writing. Refusing to read the letter of James through the lens of Paul, Hartin approaches the letter in its own right. Using recent studies on rhetorical culture, Hartin illustrates how James takes Jesus’ sayings and performs them again in his own way to speak to the hearers/readers of his own world. Readers will discover new and refreshing insights into the world of early Christianity as well as a teaching that is of perennial significance.
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New Collegeville Bible Commentary New Testament
$74.95Add to cartConcise and accessible, this one-volume edition of the New Collegeville Bible Commentary: New Testament allows readers to explore any or all of the books with just one resource alongside their Bibles. The individual commentaries collected here are written by respected scholars, and they break open the biblical texts in a lively fashion. Readers will be able to engage Scripture more deeply and reflect on its meanings, nuances, and imperatives for living a Christian life in the twenty-first century. Continuing Liturgical Press’s long tradition of publishing biblical scholarship and interpretation, this commentary also answers the Second Vatican Council’s call to make access to Scripture “open wide to the Christian faithful.
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1-2 Timothy Titus (Reprinted)
$25.00Add to cartIn the second volume of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), George Montague offers a Catholic pastoral commentary on the letters to Timothy and Titus, presenting sound exegesis followed by reflection on the pastoral, theological, and practical applications of the text.
The CCSS offers readable, informative commentaries from the best of contemporary Catholic scholarship to help readers rediscover the Word of God as a living word in which God himself is present. Each commentary relates Scripture to life, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry. This series is perfect for professional and lay leaders engaged in parish ministry, lay Catholics interested in serious Bible study, and Catholic students.
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Gospel Of Mark (Reprinted)
$25.99Add to cartThere is an increasing hunger among Catholics to study the Bible in depth and in a way that integrates Scripture with Catholic doctrine, worship, and daily life. In October 2008, a meeting of the world Synod of Bishops scheduled by Pope Benedict XVI will focus on “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.” Coinciding with that meeting is the launch of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), a series that responds to the desire of Catholics to access the living Word of God. The Gospel of Mark is the first of seventeen volumes, which will cover the entire New Testament. Written by trusted Catholic biblical scholars, these commentaries interpret Scripture in the light of Catholic tradition. Accessibly written yet substantive, the CCSS fills a gap in the available literature by offering commentaries that cover more than brief study guides ubt are less daunting than scholarly commentaries.
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1 Peter Jude And 2nd Peter
$39.95Add to cartCrisis in the church is not a new phenomenon. In fact, the church has always been-and probably always will be-involved in some kind of crisis. Even in the apostolic period, which is regarded by many as the church’s golden age, there were serious crises coming both from the outside, as in 1 Peter, and from the inside, as in Jude and 2 Peter. The three short New Testament letters treated in 1 Peter, Jude and 2 Peter illustrate the problems early Christians faced as well as the rhetorical techniques and theological concepts with which they combated those problems.
In the first part of this volume, Donald Senior views 1 Peter as written from Rome in Peter’s name to several churches in northern Asia Minor-present-day Turkey-in the latter part of the first century CE. The new Christians addressed in 1 Peter found themselves aliens and exiles in the wider Greco-Roman society and suffered a kind of social ostracism. But they are given a marvelous theological vision of who they have become through their baptism and pastoral encouragement to stand firm. They are shown how to take a missionary stance toward the outside world by giving the witness of a holy and blameless life to offset the slander and ignorance of the non-Christian majority and possibly even to lead them to glorify God on the day of judgment.
In the second part of this volume, Daniel Harrington interprets Jude and 2 Peter as confronting crises in the late first century that were perpetrated by Christian teachers who are described polemically as intruders in Jude and as false teachers in 2 Peter. In confronting the crises within their churches, the authors appeal frequently to the Old Testament and to early summaries of Christian faith. While Jude uses other Jewish traditions, 2 Peter includes most of the text of Jude as well as many distinctively Greek terms and concepts. It is clear that for the authors, despite their different social settings, what was at stake was the struggle for the faith.
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1-3 John
$34.95Add to cartThe Johannine Epistles are today read as an important part of the Johannine literature. Yet the meaning of the text is often unclear. Part of the problem arises because, although 1 John is called an Epistle, it lacks the formal marks of an Epistle. In 1, 2, and 3 John, John Painter illuminates the relationship 1, 2, and 3 John have to each other and to the Gospel.
Painter explains the historical context of the Johannine Epistles using a socio-rhetorical approach. The writings are shown to reflect a situation of conflict and schism within the Johannine community; they seek to persuade the readers of the truth of the writer’s message. In this truth, the readers are encouraged to abide if they would have the assurance of eternal life.Painter also examines the inseparable connection between belief and ethical life in active love for one another. Through the socio-rhetorical approach Painter brings to light the continuing relevance of these writings.
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Revelation
$39.95Add to cartNow Available in Paperback!
More than any other New Testament writing the Book of Revelation demands commentary. Its often-bewildering text is easily open to less than scholarly interpretation.Father Harrington brings his scholarship to the Book of Revelation and conveys its Christian message. He puts the work in its historical and social setting-a first-century CE province of the Roman Empire-and explores its social and religious background and its literary character. Through Father Harrington we hear clearly the challenge of John, the prophet, to the Churches of his time-and to ours-not to compromise the Gospel message.
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Colossians And Ephesians
$44.95Add to cartNow Available in Paperback!
No two works in the Pauline Epistles resemble each other as closely as Colossians and Ephesians. Often recognized for their majestic tone and powerful theological statement, Colossians and Ephesians also present many challenges of interpretation. Most commentaries on these letters seem preoccupied with the same few issues, particularly the question of authorship. As MacDonald addresses these classic questions, she offers a fresh perspective on Colossians and Ephesians by making use of insights from the social sciences. Moreover, by paying attention to subtle differences between the two letters, she brings their distinct perspectives into sharp relief.MacDonald highlights the interplay between Colossians and Ephesians and the social life of New Testament communities. She illustrates how the texts reflect ancient cultural values and are influenced by particular aspects of community life such as worship and household existence. In particular, she reflects on the issues faced by these communities as they formed institutions and interacted with the society around them. She shows the struggles of the New Testament communities to survive and maintain a distinct identity in first-century society.
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Homilies On The First Epistle Of John
$24.95Add to cartSaint Augustine’s ten homilies on the First Letter of John are among his greatest and most influential works. John and Augustine both develop the same central theme – love –and in these homilies Augustine uses John’s epistle as a point of departure for exploring the meaning and implications of love with his customary profundity, passion and analytic rigor. As with John, a context of dissension and conflict within the Christian community (the Donatist breakaway from Catholic unity), gives his preaching a tone of urgency and poignancy. Anyone who reads these homilies, universally viewed as classics, cannot fail to be moved and challenged both intellectually and emotionally.
