The Catholic Study Bible - 3rd edition

For the Christian, the Bible has an importance far more profound than its impact on culture. The Christian believes that through the turbulent and wonderful chapters of biblical history, God speaks to us. Although expressed in genuinely human terms and through very human authors, the Bible is, at the same time, the Word of God for us. Therefore, as Christians we reverence and love the Scriptures, and seek to understand them as much as we can.

The purpose of this newly revised and updated Catholic Study Bible is to enable the reader to read the Scriptures with new understanding and depth. The primary audience of this Study Bible is Roman Catholic. Some of the comments in the notes to the text, the Reference Articles, and the Reading Guides deliberately reflect Catholic experience and Catholic interests. However, the editors do not wish to exclude other Christian readers from the focus of this book. In most instances, the materials included here will be useful for all Christians who want to enter deeply into the mysteries and marvels of the Bible.

The Catholic Study Bible

Third Edition

The New American Bible

Revised Edition

Oxford University Press, 2016

ISBN 978–0–19–026726–1 (ebook)

The Catholic Study Bible - Contents

List of Sidebar Essays, Charts, and Drawings

List of Maps

Alphabetical Listing of the Books of the Bible

Abbreviations of the Books of the Bible

Key to References

General and Introductory Articles     

Reading Guide

The Pentateuch – Christopher Frechette

The Deuteronomistic History – Leslie J. Hoppe

The Chronicler’s History – Richard J. Bautch

The Later Histories – Kelly Coblentz Bautch with Richard J. Bautch, and Leslie J. Hoppe

The Wisdom Books – Dianne Bergant

The Major Prophets, Lamentations, and Baruch – Katherine M. Hayes

Daniel and the Minor Prophets – John J. Collins

The Gospels and Acts – Donald Senior, Susan A. Calef, Pheme Perkins, and Justin Taylor

Paul and His Writings – Mary Ann Getty and Carolyn Osiek

The General Letters and Revelation – Luke Timothy Johnson

The Old Testament of the New American Bible Revised Edition

The Pentateuch

The Book of Genesis

The Book of Exodus

The Book of Leviticus

The Book of Numbers

The Book of Deuteronomy

The Historical Books

The Book of Joshua

The Book of Judges

The Book of Ruth

The First Book of Samuel

The Second Book of Samuel

The First Book of Kings

The Second Book of Kings

The First Book of Chronicles

The Second Book of Chronicles

The Book of Ezra

The Book of Nehemiah

Biblical Novellas

The Book of Tobit

The Book of Judith

The Book of Esther

The First Book of Maccabees

The Second Book of Maccabees

The Wisdom Books

The Book of Job

The Book of Psalms

The Book of Proverbs

The Book of Ecclesiastes

The Song of Songs

The Book of Wisdom

The Wisdom of Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus)

The Prophetic Books

The Book of Isaiah

The Book of Jeremiah

The Book of Lamentations

The Book of Baruch

The Book of Ezekiel

The Book of Daniel

The Book of Hosea

The Book of Joel

The Book of Amos

The Book of Obadiah

The Book of Jonah

The Book of Micah

The Book of Nahum

The Book of Habakkuk

The Book of Zephaniah

The Book of Haggai

The Book of Zechariah

The Book of Malachi

The New Testament of the New American Bible Revised Edition

The Gospels

The Gospel According to Matthew

The Gospel According to Mark 

The Gospel According to Luke 

The Gospel According to John

The Acts of the Apostles

The New Testament Letters

The Letter to the Romans

The First Letter to the Corinthians

The Second Letter to the Corinthians

The Letter to the Galatians

The Letter to the Ephesians

The Letter to the Philippians

The Letter to the Colossians

The First Letter to the Thessalonians

The Second Letter to the Thessalonians

The First Letter to Timothy

The Second Letter to Timothy 

The Letter to Titus

The Letter to Philemon

The Letter to the Hebrews

The Catholic Letters

The Letter of James

The First Letter of Peter

The Second Letter of Peter

The First Letter of John

The Second Letter of John

The Third Letter of John

The Letter of Jude

The Revelation to John

Glossary

Measures and Weights 

Lectionary

The New 3-Year Cycle of Readings for Sunday Mass

Readings for the Major Feasts of the Year

Weekday Readings

Index to Reading Guide

Collaborators on the Old Testament of the New American Bible 1970

The Catholic Study Bible - The Pentateuch – Christopher Frechette

Jewish and Christian canons of Scripture agree that the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy appear first in the canon and constitute a unit. Christians refer to this unit as the Pentateuch, a word derived from a Greek term meaning “five books/scrolls.” Jewish tradition refers to it as both the “Five Books of Moses” and the Hebrew term “Torah,” which can be translated “law” or “instruction.” When the term refers to these five books, however, the most common translation is “the law.” But these books contain much more than collections of laws. The laws are embedded within extensive narratives that account for the origins of the people Israel, and the entire Pentateuch was intended for instruction in a broad sense: to shape the way in which readers understand their origins and identity as the people of YHWH, the God of Israel. As such, these books remain fundamentally important for Christians, who claim this same God as their own.

In order to orient the reader to studying the books of the Pentateuch, this article first addresses issues of method, the kinds of questions to bring to the text in light of biblical scholarship. It then sketches the overall structure, content, and function of the Pentateuch. Next, it explains some key terms and concepts important for understanding the Pentateuch. Finally, it concludes with a list of books and articles for further reading.

Kinds of Questions to Bring to the Text

We may look at the Bible from either a diachronic or a synchronic perspective. Both terms are derived from Greek: diachronic signifies “through time,” and synchronic signifies “at the same time.” A synchronic perspective focuses on the final form of the text as preserved and keeps in view the way in which the details of the text function together. It is concerned with the dynamics of the text itself, considered at various levels, including: a unit within a book, an entire book, a set of books in the canon, or the entire canon. A diachronic perspective investigates how the biblical text achieved its present state through time. It may seek evidence to assign an approximate date and location to a given text, and may envision how the text would have functioned in that context. It may look for evidence within the text indicating multiple sources, or a process by which the text was edited. A diachronic perspective keeps in view the reality that the Bible resulted from and addressed human activity within a culture and time different from our own.

Both synchronic and diachronic perspectives are important, and they complement each other. The diachronic perspective attends to how the biblical texts have both emerged from and affected the changing realities of the faith community through time. The synchronic perspective keeps in view the dynamics of the text’s final, canonical form.