HappyMama

Comment by cranky

January 26, 2007 @ 4:10 pm

I agree with all you say except the Navarre still seems a bit slight to me when compared to the breath and depth some Protestant commentaries muster. Of course, they aren’t Catholic and Navarre is the best we have. particularly if you like Eschriva, (which I do.)

How do you compare NT Navarre with NT Ignatius Study Bible? Will NT Ignatius ever be published in a single volume.

I still look longingly at the Thompson Chain Reference and the NIV Study Bible I used when a Protestant. The Concordances still make me drool. The data in each book is so much richer than what we as Catholics have.

We have the Truth and they have the study Bibles and popular commentaries.

How do parishes defray the cost of Catholic Scripture Study?

Comment by happymama

January 26, 2007 @ 8:49 pm

Whoa, Cranky, slow down! I’m no theologian. But a few comments:

Sometimes less is more when it comes to Scripture study. Navarre editors looked at commentaries from the past 2000 years and chose what they thought to be the most relevant and helpful. If you want deeper than that, there are theological journals. Once in college, I wrote a 28 page essay on this one line: “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” I don’t have time for that sort of thing now!

Second, you don’t have to burn your Protestant bibles or commentaries! There are many things we can learn from Protestant Scripture scholars, just as there is a lot we can learn from Jewish experts of the Torah. Just because we believe that the fullness of truth lies within the Catholic Church, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t beautiful insights or helpful concordances in the other faiths. You just have to be able to discern where there are partial truths or even mistakes. Remember that some translations of the bible are plain wrong and therefore, misleading.

Third, CSS is an expensive bible study. Individuals pay for the materials, but funds can be raised to offset the costs for those who can’t afford them.

Comment by admin

January 26, 2007 @ 9:13 pm

The great thing about Bible study for Catholics is that we have the Church which helps us stay on the right theological track; even if we read a version of Scripture, say, as bad as the King James Version.

I personally vote for the Protestant, New International Version, for its simplicity in language and reading enjoyability.