The Lord be with you! We are going to go over the final two reading plans for the Bible and some excellent commentaries. The more we understand the Bible, the more we will understand how God is working in our lives.
The New before the Old
Pick one Gospel, then read Acts of the Apostles. Then read the other three Gospels before reading St. Paul’s Letters followed by the other letters of the New Testament. Skip Revelation for now and proceed to the Abbreviated Old Testament. Finish with Wisdom Literature and some of the minor prophets. This plan is the closest to reading all of the Bible, but it has the advantage of skipping what is really difficult.
Books to Read with Friends
Some parts of the Bible are really boring - like Leviticus - and some parts are very challenging. The most demanding and often confusing books are Song of Songs, Daniel, and Revelation. These difficult books should only be read with a good commentary or in a Bible study group. Of the three books, Song of Songs can be very confusing till one is used to contemplative prayer.
Study Bibles and Commentaries
A study Bible is a heavily footnoted Bible with lots of commentary and explanation built into it. The idea is to give the reader enough help and context to get through difficult passages and see connections that might otherwise be hidden. Bishop Baron and Professor Scott Hahn have each been working on the next generation of Catholic Study Bibles. Bishop Baron has been publishing a multi-volume Bible set and is halfway through this immense project. Professor Scott Hahn just published The Ignatius Catholic Catholic Study Bible.
Commentaries
The most used academic commentary by Catholics is The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Dry as a bone at points, this work represents the compilation of 20th century Biblical scholarship. If you want the best historical-critical commentary, this book is it. You will end up with a used copy for about $30.00 on Amazon.
The best commentary series is Sacra Pagina. The complete set costs over $500, but the books can be bought individually for around $25.00 for paperback. If you want to know about a particular book of the Bible, these books are excellent.
As mentioned above, Bishop Baron and Professor Hahn are building up some of the best resources for the average and not so average Catholic. The Word on Fire (https://www.wordonfire.org/) is one of the best Catholic websites and well worth your time. At Steubenville, Ohio, Professor Scott Hahn has built up an impressive research center: the St. Paul Center (https://stpaulcenter.com/) Like Bishop Baron’s Word on Fire, I can recommend anything from the St. Paul Center as helpful, well-researched, and Catholic.
It is an exciting time for Catholics and Sacred Scripture. There are many more wonderful Catholic and Protestant scholars out there. They are to be commended for helping us all read and pray with the Bible. May all of hearts catch fire for the Word of God.
In His Sacred Heart,
Fr. John
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