Customer Reviews

The Collegeville Bible Commentary: New Testament, Based on the New American Bible

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This Commentary, published by the Liturgical Press in Collegville, MN, is a compendium of individual monographs on one or more of the twenty-seven books of the NT. Each monograph is by a leading scholar on the book or books of the NT reviewed. The text of the revised translation of the New American Bible(NAB) is integrated into the text, making use very convenient for home study or in a Bible study group. The NAB is a translation from the original languages predominantly by Catholic scholars but with assistance from Protestant scholars. The Revised Edition (1987)greatly improved the NT translation and the great Bible scholar Raymond Brown called it "a serious candidate for study purposes." The Collegeville Bible Commentaryis an excellent choice for the informed lay reader and I use it more than any other NT resource in my library. Not pedantic but informed by scholarship, it is penned in very readable prose despite the multiple authors. Each chapter begins with a short essay on authorship, date written, structure, history and importance. A brief outline of the major points to be observed is suggested. Their are maps and pictures of the Holy Land at key points facilitating understanding. It is of course written from a Catholic perspective but there has been much cooperation by Catholic and Protestant Bible scholars for many years now and this is reflected in the text. Even Mathew 16-18 (thou art Peter and upon this Rock I build my Church), a bedrock passage in Catholic apologetics, is handled in a way acceptable to all readers; the Commentary simply says "verse 18 promises that Peter is the rock on which the Christian community will be build after Jesus' death and resurrection." This compilation is a particularly reasonable way to acquire excellent study resources; the volume is not unduly bulky (440 pages) and yet many times less expensive than buying the monographs separately. Based on my experience, I can give an unqualified recommendation.

The Collegeville Bible Commentary: Based on the New American Bible: New Testament is an excellent resource tool for anyone who wants a deeper look into the community situation of that particular time period in which the book was written. If you are studying the New Testament, this book is a must! You'll be happy that you own it.

I've used this commentary with three different Bible study groups and have found it most helpful.

The Collegeville Bible Commentary is a wonderful resource that is easy to understand. I use it when I have a question about the bible and also just read it to learn new information. It is very easy reading and explains the bible with history about the books and the authors.

I use this for a bible study class and it is very useful in explaining the passages. It can bring up a going point you hadn't considered before, or give you understanding when you were totally lost.

This is state of the art (circa 1850) anti-Catholic style higher criticism of the Bible at last applied by "Catholic" scholars. No opportunity is missed to suggest that the books of the New Testament were probably not written by the traditionally attributed authors. A particularly obnoxious example is the contention that Colossians was certainly not written by Paul (even though Colossians explicitly names Paul as the author). No opportunity is missed to suggest that the texts we have are probably distorted, incomplete, etc. The most grating example is the helpful rearrangement of Philippians, showing the text not as the Bible has it, but as 'scholars' have decided it was probably originally arranged. If you don't believe in Christianity and don't hold the Bible in any particular reverence and think that the Jesus Seminar is really cutting edge theology, this is a good example of Catholic scholars trying to join the club. For all others, pick something else. Please.