Bible Study

Who is Jesus Christ? How can we really know Him? People have been asking that major question for 2,000 years. The best answers are found in the four Gospels, but how are they to be understood, and applied to our modern lives and faith?

Cardinal Schonborn, former student of Pope Benedict XVI and well-known as a brilliant theologian, presents his second volume of reflections on the person of Christ, this time as found in the Gospel of Mark. Sunday after Sunday, Cardinal Schonborn uses the Gospel readings from Mark to explain the beauty of the Gospel in clear and understandable words.

The Cardinal emphasizes that each of the four Gospels is unique and has its own unmistakable shape and approach. He says that no other Gospel writer talks in such a human way about Jesus as Mark. Anger and sorrow, Jesus' passionate emotional responses, are more explicitly mentioned in Mark than in the other Gospels. But however human Jesus may appear here, it is also Mark in particular who also strongly emphasizes his divinity. Believing in Jesus, having faith in him, is what Mark is all about.

A mix of deep, rewarding reflection on the Gospel of Mark, and an intimate manner of writing that opens the Word of God to even the most casual reader. For anyone serious about deepening his or her encounter with the Word of God, this little book is essential
�Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Denver.

Based on the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, this volume leads readers through a penetrating study of theLetter to the Hebrews, using the biblical text itself and the Church's own guidelines for understanding the Bible. Ample notes accompany each page, providing fresh insights and commentary by renowned Bible teachers Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, as well as time-tested interpretations from the Fathers of the Church. These helpful study notes make explicit what the Letter to the Hebrews often assumes. They also provide rich historical, cultural, geographical, and theological information pertinent to the Letter. The Ignatius Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies, and Charts. Each page includes an easy-to-use Cross-Reference Section. Study Questions are provided for the Letter to the Hebrews. These can deepen your personal study of God's Holy Word. There is also an introductory essay covering questions of authorship, date, destination, structure, and themes. Outlines of the Letter and a map are also included.

In Mercy: A Bible Study Guide for Catholics Fr. Pacwa leads us to a deeper understanding through the study of Israel's long, slow struggle to experience mercy. By looking carefully at their turning away and returning to God, we begin to understand that God's love, shown through His mercy, is more powerful than sin. Perfect for a parish small group study, or for personal reflection, each of the six sessions in Mercy will help us rediscover the incredible history of God's mercy which in turn will lead us to an understanding of the importance of extending God's love and mercy to the world.

In this DVD series Jeff Cavins provides an overview of the fourteen narrative books of the Bible. Each 30 minute talk is designed to accompany a lesson in A Quick Journey Through the Bible Student Pack and Leader's Pack. About A Quick Journey Through the Bible: This eight-part program provides an excellent introduction to The Bible Timeline learning system as well as a meaningful overview of salvation history. Jeff Cavins briefly covers the same information taught in The Bible Timeline seminar in a series of eight, half-hour talks that are complemented by group discussion questions, useful maps and charts, and brief assignments for home study. This is a great way to get your feet wet and learn how to begin authentic Catholic Bible study. Your Bible study group will: Learn the 14 narrative books of the Bible and the 12 major time periods of salvation history. Discover the major people, places, events, & themes of the Bible. Study the six covenants God made with humanity, leading to the establishment of the Catholic Church. See how the 14 narrative books fit in with the other 59 books of the Bible. Learn how to use the color-coded tools to remember the important time-periods of the Old and New Testaments.

Although relatively brief, Philippians is one of the most interesting and beloved of Paul's undisputed epistles. In Philippians and Philemon, Bonnie Thurston makes a convincing case that canonical Philippians is as Paul wrote it, one letter. Although there is not enough specific evidence to Â"name names,Â" she suggests a number of possible audiences. A translation conforming as closely as possible to the original Greek is provided, along with a careful analysis of the language of the letter that yields insights into the context and theological underpinning of this epistle.
The apostle s very brief letter to Philemon stands solidly within the Pauline collection of authentic and canonical letters. In this volume, Judith Ryan argues that Philemon makes two specific appeals. The first seeks to elicit Philemon s partnership and his community s support in welcoming Onesimus back as both beloved brother and honored guest. The second requests that Onesimus be allowed to use the freedom he already has to serve Christ and his Gospel. In this commentary Ryan provides a fresh translation, critical notes for each verse, and interpretation on defined sections. She situates the letter in the historical context of slavery in the ancient world and shows how Paul combined his theology with contemporary rhetorical strategies to produce an effective challenge to his audience.

First and Second Timothy and Titus have for many years borne the collective title The Pastoral Epistles." Both their style and their content make it difficult to locate them within the corpus of Pauline letters, and recent scholarship most often considers them pseudonymous, works that imitate Paul's letters but apply the apostle's teaching to the concerns of a later time, two or more decades after Paul's death.

The Pastorals differ from Paul's own letters in being addressed to single individuals, coworkers of Paul who have been placed in charge of particular churches 'Timothy apparently in Ephesus, Titus in Crete. They provide instruction for community leaders, both the individual addressees and other leaders whom they will appoint. The specification of certain offices within the local churches is one of the features that appear to locate these works in a later phase of church development.

In this commentary Benjamin Fiore, SJ, places the Pastorals in their historical and literary context. The reader will find here a solid introduction to parallel literary forms in Latin and Greek literature and particular descriptions of the way in which these documents use ancient rhetorical forms to achieve their paraenetic and hortatory purpose. Drawing on his parish experience as well as his academic training, Fiore also provides reflections on the contemporary pastoral application of these books, giving readers a renewed appreciation for the "pastoral" label these epistles bear.

Benjamin Fiore, SJ, is president and professor of religious studies at Campion College at the University of Regina (Canada).

The Acts of the Apostles is really the second volume in the two-part writing scholars call Luke-Acts. It continues the story begun in the Gospel of Luke, showing how the Good News offered by Jesus to the outcast of the people was eventually extended to the end of the earth," so that Gentiles as well as Jews came to share in the blessings of God.

This commentary treats Luke-Acts as an apologetic history. It takes with equal seriousness both Luke's literary artistry and his historical interests, fitting his methods comfortably within the ancient standards of historiography. This perspective illustrates in particular that Luke's historical narrative serves a definite religious intent. Tracing that intent through the specific contours of Luke's story is the special contribution of this commentary.

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Regarded as the most personal of Paul's weighty and strong" (10:10) letters, the Second Letter to the Corinthians continues to contribute toward the *building up - (13:10) of its readers.

The Second Letter to the Corinthians is an implicit yet undeniable plea that Paul addresses to the Christians of Corinth and is impressive above all for its exposition of the apostle's identity. In this letter Paul more than once fiercely counters the attacks of his opponents. He extensively describes both the quality and circumstances of his apostolic existence: the sufferings he endures, the opposition he encounters, and his continual care for the Churches. Second Corinthians is, therefore, highly significant theologically as well as autobiographically.

Not an easy letter to follow, the emotional language used in 2 Corinthians, the question of the integrity of 2 Corinthians as a letter, and inadequate information about the concrete situation at Corinth and the identity of Paul's opponents make following the flow of Paul's argument difficult at times. Yet 2 Corinthians is an especially important document because of Paul's ongoing reflection on his ministry. It is both profound in its content and style for its original audience as well as for today's readers.

In this new volume, renowned scholar Jerome Murphy-O'Connor does for Ephesus what he did for Corinth in his award-winning St. Paul's Corinth. He combs the works of twenty-six ancient authors for information about ancient Ephesus, from its beginnings to the end of the biblical era. Readers can now picture for themselves this second of the two major centers of Paul's missionary work, with its houses, shops, and monuments, and above al the world-renowned temple of Artemis. After presenting the textual and archaeological evidence, Murphy-O'Connor leads the reader on a walk through St. Paul's Ephesus and describes the history of Paul's years in the city. Although Ephesus has been a ruin for many hundreds of years, readers of this book will find themselves transported back to the days of its flourishing.

Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, OP, has been a professor of New Testament at the Ecole Biblique of Jerusalem since 1967. He has lectured throughout the world and is the author of numerous books, including the popular Oxford Press archaeological guidebook The Holy Land; and Paul the Letter-Writer, St. Paul's Corinth, and Jesus and Paul: Parallel Lives, all published by Liturgical Press.