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Friends-

Aside from our own "Scripture Study" forum, can anybody recommend a good Study manual, website, guide etc. which presents a good study of Scripture? Does anybody have an opinion of the "Orthodox Study Bible?"

Thank you,

Columcille

Dear Columcille,

I have always used the Jerusalem Commentary, I don't trust on-line scriptural commentaries that strive to imitate it and other good ones like it.

The Orthodox Study Bible is excellent from the point of view that it relates the scriptures and the Psalms not only to theology, but also to the worship of the Church and to the Fathers.

An example is the commentary on Christ bowing His Head and breathing His last in the Gospel of John.

They quote St John Chrysostom who said, "See how our Lord's death is different from ours!" People stop breathing and then they go limp. Christ bows His Head first and then died.

Alex

I have not met an Orthodox priest who recommends the Orthodox Study Bible, actually. I think it's okay, but not great -- the notes are often banal and don't really reflect the best Orthodox scriptural scholarship at this point in time. I think the OSB is a better evangelization tool than a study bible for Orthodox or Eastern Catholics. A good Orthodox commentary is better -- Manley's "Bible and Holy Fathers for Orthodox" is good, but one can also go directly to the Fathers themselves and look at their scriptural commentaries (available online, I believe). Fr. Paul Tarazi's books on scripture are also a valuable Orthodox commentary.

Dear Brendan,

Were there ever any concerns from Orthodox priests regarding the "Orthodoxy" of the OSB?

I had heard some rumblings about that - your response?

I suppose it all depends on how in depth one wants to go in biblical studies. I think the OSB is an excellent preliminary tool and whets one's appetite for other scriptural and patristic commentaries.

What do you think of Bl. Theophylact's commentaries on the Gospels?

Alex

Along with Brendan's suggestion of a good Orthodox commentary would be, for Eastern Catholics, the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Because we must remember, an Orthodox commentary is just that Orthodox, not Catholic.


Your brother in Christ,
David

Dear David,

Yes, but the Orthodox commentaries I've seen, including Tarazi's works, don't really have anything in them that would lead a Catholic "astray."

If anything, what one gets from them is a solid, traditional explanation of the very best Patristic-inspired biblical exegesis.

I've been turned off some new Catholic commentaries of the Scriptures.

Call me a heretic, but I just don't like Fr. Raymond E. Brown's work.

As for the CCC, you are just going to have to work on Dr. John to get him to accept it!

(It's enough that we do )

Alex

Are you sure about this Alex? We are using the Orthodox Study Bible in our Bible Study and it sure does have some funny commentary for Matthew 16:18.

Matthew 16:18
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.

It says something about the rock is actually Jesus or something like that, I would have to look it up in my copy. The only place I have heard this before is from protestants. It doesn't even talk about the primacy of honor or first among equals, it totally goes against what we as Catholics believe.

When we got to this, the leader of the group took this as "gospel" and totally ignored the Catholic interpretation of this verse.

So from here I have put away my copy of the OSB and use a Catholic commentary to try and diffuse the leader of the group who is Catholic only in name.

I think that an Orthodox commentary can be useful as long as it is balanced with a Catholic one. Until such time as some Eastern Catholic commentary or catechism comes out that is useful.

I think we have fallen asleep at the wheel on this one.


David

Dear David,

Unless St Augustine was a Protestant, he says the same thing, that the "Rock" was and is Christ.

It was the faith of St Peter in the Rock that made him a participant in the strength of Grace, transforming him into what he became.

St John Chrysostom (I don't think he had any Protestant leanings also said that when we confess Christ as St Peter did, we too become "Rocks."

Both Orthodox and Catholic traditions have maintained a link between the leadership of St Peter among the Apostles and the leadership of the Bishop of Rome as First among the Patriarchs.

Until that unfortunate date, as we know.

The Papacy was a development of faith based on the seminal teaching in Scripture.

As one Orthodox teacher wrote (quoted by Meyendorff) "Don't argue with a Latin over the role of the papal primacy. The primacy is good for the Church. Just let (the pope) confess the faith of Peter (Orthodox) and then let him enjoy the privileges of Peter."

But as Catholics we should always be versed in the Church's teachings as outlined in the most recent, authoritative teaching instrument, the CCC.

Alex

"It says something about the rock is actually Jesus or something like that, I would have to look it up in my copy. The only place I have heard this before is from protestants. It doesn't even talk about the primacy of honor or first among equals, it totally goes against what we as Catholics believe."


Not really. Skim through our Pentecostarion. Wherever it mentions "rock" you will notice that it always refers to Christ. The Pentecostarion was not written by Protestants.

Joe

Dear Cantor Joe,

Actually, one of my kiddies once asked if the Pentecostarion had anything to do with Pentecostals.

I told him we were the original Pentecostal Christians . . .

Alex

Columcille,

In addition to the JBC and the OSB I would recommend:

"Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction" by Lawrence E. Boadt.

"An Introduction to the New Testament" by Raymond E. Brown.

"Understanding the Old Testament" by Bernard Anderson.

Alex,

Excellent question, excellent answer.

Joe

Dear Cantor Joe,

Actually, how the Eastern Church views the Pentecostal experience, the descent of the Holy Spirit and His Transforming Power, Divinization etc. is an area I would love to learn more about based on Scripture.

I'll initiate a question on the Scripture site.

Alex

Id like to know what some of you folks think of the NAB? Personally, I think that a lot of the footnotes really represent a lot of liberal theological jibberish. Im no Biblical literalist but some of these notes even try to cast dispersions on cherished beliefs such as Christ physical ressurection and miracles. The text is also not too free flowing and lacks the poetic spark of earlier translations.

If I ever learn Church Slavonic then Id probably take great delight in reading the old Slavonic bible. Unfortunatly, to my knowledge, nobody has as yet ranslated the Slavonic Bible into english.

For now I read the old Douey Rhiems Bible, the absolute best version in english, IMHO. unfortunatly, with the passing of time and the new confernity version, this beautiful edition is rairly ever used or even brought up despite the fact that it can be considered as classical and magnificant as its Protestant rival, the King James Version. THe only people who still publish an edition to my knowledge ar Tan books. Fortunatly, I am blessed to have an original 1911 edition which is not only in almost mint condition (Its a Catholic Bible, go figure :rolleyes: )but has a set of wonder black and white photos of the Holy land within its pages.

I am blessed indeed!

Robert K.

Dear Robert,

The Douay-Rheims Bible is excellent if one like the traditional language and one of the most accurate translations in English (or so I'm told by those who like it ).

Bishop Challoner's notes reflect his contemporary Biblical exegesis that doesn't have all the scientific and historical research updates that clutter our modern study bibles.

For my money, the best New Testament exegesis is that of Bl. Theophylact, although only the first three Gospels are available in English.

Alex