There is always more to discover about the Bible, but from time to time, we all need a little help to grasp the fullness of the divine revelation in sacred scripture. Luckily, we have centuries of scholarship to lean on! If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of biblical wisdom that saints and scholars have left for us, don’t worry. This week, we are highlighting three books that will guide you in your Bible studies and help you dig deeper into the Bible.
Bible Portico
Are you a person who learns best from pictures, charts, and maps?
Bible Portico, by Fr. Jesús Gil and Fr. Joseángel Domínguez, is a visual Bible resource that includes a variety of eye-catching assets. It is complete with timelines of salvation history, from Abraham to the present day; maps for the most significant events in the story of Israel up to the first expansion of the Church; and graphics explaining each of the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Catholic canon.
Bible Portico is a reference that complements every edition of the Bible, handbooks on Sacred Scripture, Bible study books, religious education resources, and catechism textbooks. For the visual learners, it’s a Bible study must-have!
The Navarre Bible
The Navarre Bible is an extensively annotated version of the Bible compiled by the faculty of the University of Navarre. Complete with detailed, faithfully Catholic explanations of the scriptural texts and their implications for everyday life, the commentaries in this New Testament book set draw on a huge variety of sources: Church documents, the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and the work of prominent modern spiritual writers, chiefly St. Josemaria Escriva, who initiated this massive project.
The Navarre Bible is made up of several volumes. Each volume is self-contained, with wide-ranging general introductions, introductions to each Biblical book, a table of sources cited, maps, and informative notes. Scholarly and readable, these volumes are a comprehensive intellectual, historical, and spiritual survey of the riches of the New Testament and the Old Testament. If you’re academically inclined or ready for a more detailed journey through scripture, this is the Bible for you.
Newman on the Bible
Sometimes, looking to the saints for wisdom is the best way to explore the Bible.
Newman on the Bible: Commentaries on Scripture is a variety of selected commentaries on the Bible by Saint John Henry Newman. William Park pulled these commentaries from articles and sermons by Newman which abound with comments on Scriptural passages and on problems of interpretation. Saint John Henry Newman became a Roman Catholic after a long life as an Anglican priest and theologian, making his perspective on Biblical interpretation unique and invaluable.
Newman’s character studies of the Old Testament, including those of Joshua, Saul and David, provide great psychological insight. His meditations on beloved and puzzling New Testament passages bring greater depth and light to their meaning.
"To holy people the very name of Jesus is a name to feed upon, a name to transport. His name can raise the dead and transfigure and beautify the living." — St. John Henry Newman
You can pick up all three of these titles and more from Scepter!
