Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Catholic Study Bible (Personal Study Edition) is an excellent resource for use with adults looking to move beyond conventional devotional or fundamentalist bible study methods. The approach here fosters understanding of how the bible actually came to be and how it may be read for meaning rather than for mere certainty. I am in the second year of use with a small group of adults at a parish in Pennsylvania and it is proving to be very helpful, especially with so much recent news about the Bible and related trends, issues and initiatives concerning spirituality, education, and social values. The Bible text itself is presented in an easy-to-read format, with excellent footnotes and cross-references. But the real value, at least in our group where a great deal of Biblical background is all so new, is in the reading Guide and associated study aids. All of this is presented in a way that non-Catholics will also find to be useful. The Reading Guide material is presented with a minimum of jargon and technical discussion, allowing first-time students to quickly acquire a basic familiarity with the essentials of Bible study from a critical perspective. Clearly designed charts, diagrams and maps also assist students in the goal of appreciating the historical development of the Bible, a process which is too often neglected (or even demonized) in many popular forms of Bible study. The Catholic Study Bible takes an eyes-wide-open approach to Biblical studies while maintaining an appreciation of the text as the word of God within particular human events and experiences. Discussion-generating questions are also provided along the way to support the small-group experience. Sprinkled throughout, yet associated with specific books of the Bible presented in the Reading Guide, users will find book-by-book commentary and insightful essays and entries on a wide array of related topics, including: The Four Sources Theory of the Pentateuch; Characteristics of Apocalyptic Literature; Myth; Did Moses Write the Pentateuch?; How the Bible Has Been Read in History; Are Some Genesis Stories Just Rewrites of Ancient Myths?; The Process of Transforming Life Experience Into a Text and Beyond; MSL: Metaphor as a Second Language; Determining the Full Meaning of a Text; The Importance of Story. Perhaps unique to this study Bible is the inclusion of an in-depth (but very readable) Glossary which is very strong on explanation of Jewish Biblical and religious terms. This learning tool is a real plus for those who want to understand how Christianity developed within a Jewish setting. Brief entries are quickly located to provide understanding of many ideas essential to a contemporary appreciation of the Bible, including: canonical criticism; fundamentalist; historical-critical method; literary criticism; paleography; redaction criticism; source criticism; textual criticism; transmission history; For the Catholic reader a guide to the Sunday Readings and the major feasts of the year is also provided.