Many thanks to a reader for alerting me that Baker Books is currently offering the complete Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture New Testament set at 50% off the list price. The sale price is $194.98 for the 17 volume series, which is co-edited by Mary Healy and Peter S. Williamson.
Here is a link to the product page.
This is a fantastic commentary series. I am blessed to have taken classes from the series editor, Peter Williamson, during my STB work. I am also glad to see that they are going to be doing the Old Testament as well, since we have so few individual commentaries for Catholics on the OT. So, if you haven’t before, please consider getting this or some of the individual volumes.
Probably the best commentary available keyed to anything in the NAB family.
Thank you. I just ordered it.
I won a few of these when Timothy used to do his book give-away drawings on his Catholic Bible blog, and they’re of exceptional quality. Highly recommended!
I remember! 🙂
Love them! I think it’s the only thing I’ve ever won!
One of the blessings of the commentary series is the number and quality of contributors. They go very deep.
While $200 for 27 volumes sounds pretty good, that’s still an awful lot of money for something that will probably just sit on a bookshelf unopened for the next few decades. I mean, who has tine to read 17 volumes? That would be what, at least 20,000 pages?
I would agree, for me, that buying the complete series would be extravagant. However, this great series could be placed in a parish library as a resource for all. Our Bible Study Group meets in the parish library where there is a commentary series (Old and New Testament) in a dedicated book case for Bible Reference materials. We at times use this as a reference. However, this commentary, which I have no problem with, is not specifically a Catholic Commentary. To my knowledge all the volumes of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture have at least one of the following: Imprimatur, a Nihil obstat, or a “With Ecclesiastical Approval”
I am going to suggest that each member of our study group chip in $20.00 and purchase the series for the parish library.
Jim
For those of you who have used the commentaries in this series, could you expand a bit more on how the authors weave together historical critical information with later doctrinal formulations, writings of the church fathers, and reflections on applying the scripture to your life? I haven’t had much exposure to this series, and I find myself torn on whether I like the idea of weaving all these threads together in a single commentary.
Ultimately history and theology must go together, so I like the idea in principle. On the other hand, I wonder if bringing them together in a relatively concise format will lead to an impoverishment of both. One of the primary things that I think a good New Testament commentary should achieve is helping readers to bridge the historical and cultural gulf between modern western societies and first century Palestine. If the commentary leans too heavily toward emphasizing how a text supports Catholic teaching, it can help a modern reader feel too “at home” in the text, rather than transporting a reader back in time to the setting when the New Testament was written.
Marc,
Based on the commentaries I own, the emphasis is heavy on scholarly commentary. They go deep. The scholars bring in the teachings of the Church Fathers quite a bit. There are very interesting sidebars (e.g. St Cyril of Jerusalem on Baptism in Scott Hahn’s commentary on Romans). There are expositions of how different translations interpret certain words and passages (e.g. again, in Hahn’s commentary, he notes that in Romans 7:6, the Catholic NABRE translators seem to interpret “spirit” to refer to the human spirit, in contrast to the interpretation of the RSV, NRSV, ESV, and NIV—- all Protestant sponsored translations— and he seems to favor the latter interpretation. In my view, these commentaries are the kind you sit down with at your desk for serious biblical study.
The few commentaries from this series that I own are done by renowned Catholic scholars. They’re solid. In my estimation, this sale is a steal, though I’m afraid I won’t be benefiting from it at this particular time. I think it’s a brilliant idea to purchase for one’s parish library if one has the means.