Word on Fire has updated their fundraising page to seek contributions toward the fifth volume of the Word on Fire Bible (which is planned for publication in summer of 2025). The page includes a video introduction by Bishop Barron. Volume V will be titled Exile and Return and will include the following books of the Old Testament:
- 1 and 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Tobit
- Judith
- Esther
- 1 and 2 Maccabees
The cover design is inspired by the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Israelites returned from exile. Above images of the temple, the cover prominently features a scroll with the first words of the Hebrew text of the Shema (“Hear O Israel” in English — Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
In line with previous volumes, Volume V will include commentary from saints, theologians, Church Fathers, popes, and Catholic writers. A recent marketing email listed several of the commentators that are cited in each biblical book:
- 1 and 2 Chronicles: St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Ambrose, and St. Augustine
- Ezra: St. Bede and Pope Benedict XVI
- Nehemiah: Pope St. Paul VI and Pope St. John Paul II
- Tobit: Origen, Dante, and St. Francis de Sales
- Judith: St. Jerome and St. Athanasius
- Esther: St. Clement of Rome, Aphrahat, and Hans Urs von Balthasar
- 1 and 2 Maccabees: Pope Francis, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and G.K. Chesterton