Customer Reviews

Responses to 101 Questions on the Bible

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The late Raymond E. Brown was the greatest Bible scholar of our time. His brilliance, his faith, and his intellectual honesty shine through once again in this volume as he thoughfully responds to frequently asked questions about the Bible.

Here, he takes on hard questions he has encountered through the years. A common theme of many of the questions is how literally we ought to take various events described in the Bible. Father Brown takes care to keep his responses non-technical. As always, however, his opinions are profound, thought provoking, and--alas---subject to attack from both the far right and the far left.

This volume addresses a number of specifically Roman Catholic questions. Even so, as a Protestant believer, I found the dialogue both relevant and informative. In short, Father Brown is a tremendous source of wisdom for all who wish to approach the Bible with respect and intellectual honesty--whether they are Roman Catholic, Protestant, or (and, perhaps, especially) simply searching.

Father Brown is an unequaled scriptural scholar who has the rare gift of tackling perplexing biblical questions with easily understood answers. In the 101 questions found in this book, Father Brown covers a wide array of topics. Thus, the book can be profitably read by anyone interested in scripture. That said, it can be especially profitably read by Catholics with questions about their faith's stance on a number of biblical issues. Those not of the Catholic faith can gain a greater understanding of the Catholic position on scriptural studies. Those taking a literal view of scripture will also find a discussion of the difference between their view and the Catholic view, with benefit to both parties. Father Brown synthesizes much of his more scholarly work in this book, to the great benefit of the reader. An excellent choice both for the serious student of the Bible and the beginner.

In my opinion, this book belongs in the library of ANY Roman Catholic or Anglo Catholic. This small book offers organized and focused approaches to understanding seemingly complicated aspects of the Scriptures. In my opinion, if this book was written earlier in history, there would be FAR FEWER break offs from the church. If I were teaching Theology in a college setting, I would most certainly require my students to buy this book. Father Brown did the church an EXCELLENT service when he wrote this book!

Valuable not only for its questions about the Bible, but for its questions about the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Brown addresses the Trinity, Mariology, Apostolic Succession and to a certain extent, the virtues of the sacraments. One could say that one of Brown's purposes in writing this book was to show how grounded in the Bible these and other church teachings actually are. As such, he is answering current anti-catholic arguments that the Catholic church doctrine is extra-biblical.

Brown's success in this regard is not complete. A slight disengenuousness pervades the tone of some of his more convoluted responses; that is I feel as though he is writing for Catholic censors (if they exist) as much as for the layman. However, for delineating a contemporary Catholic perspective on the Bible, this is the best book I have ever read. Many of my misconceptions about the Church were laid to rest in its pages.

For many Americans trapped between secularism and fundamentalism, this book will feel like a rare instance of straight talk. However, I should warn you that Brown is less charitable to evangelical believers than he could be in an otherwise genial and accomodating book.

I give this book four stars because I'm relatively new to Biblical commentary and there may be other books out there that do this better, but this is the best so far.

Being a non-Catholic I still found this book very useful for studying and getting a better idea of the Catholic fatih. I didn't agree with the author in many aspects, but I still found his writing well laid out and easy to read. It helps to clear up any misinformation that non-Catholics might receive about the Catholic faith.

I first got this book in college as part of a bible study class done by the campus minister. Shortly thereafter, I decided to read through the first ten questions one night for some bedtime reading. After finishing the response to question 23, I forced myself to put the book down so I could get some sleep. The late Raymond Brown's writing had the uncanny ability to be both scholarly and down-to-earth at the same time.

"Responses to 101 Questions on the Bible" is probably one of his most brilliantly conceived books in terms of structure and format. Each question has to lead into the next so it has the feel of a spontaneous Q&A, yet the questions must be topically grouped so as not to become too wishy-washy. Father Brown threads that needle perfectly so the book is both firmly structured and stream-of-consciousness at the same time.

This book will also be helpful for readers down the line if they are ever asked similar questions. Or, if they're like me, they'll give mediocre answers, then go back to this book to find out what they should've said.

Raymond Brown was one of the best known Roman Catholic New Testament scholars of recent years. This work, published in 1990, provides an good introduction to the contemporary Roman Catholic view of Scripture. As Brown tells it, the Roman Catholic Church, beginning with Pius XII and continuing to the present, has come to accept higher criticism of the Bible. In addition, contrary to conservative Protestants, the Roman Catholic teaching limits Scriptural inerrancy to the theological message of the Bible only. Therefore, as Brown states, Catholics are free to believe that the early chapters of Genesis are not literal history and accept evolution. [p. 26.] Brown himself, along with most contemporary Catholic scholars, rejected the historicity of substantial parts of the New Testament, as well as opposed Pauline authorship of the Pastoral Epistles. In addition to answering basic questions about the Bible as such, Brown answers questions about Jesus, Mary, the priesthood among other subjects. Brown has a clear writing style, although at times he doesn't seem fair with those he disagrees with. [See p. 27.] As an interesting aside, some conservative Catholic scholars argue that the relevant church documents are not quite so accepting of higher criticism as Brown makes them out to be. The interested reader might wish to read the works of the late William Most for a different perspective.

As an English major, I was taught that as well as reading the books themselves, the true scholar consults secondary sources for a deeper understanding of the material. (Even if we don't agree with the secondary material, it is helpful to see how the work is viewed by others.)

The Bible is no different. Even if we read the entire OT and NT, our study of the Bible is far from over. It is important for us to consult secondary sources for a deeper understanding. Father Brown neatly arranges his book so we can read it in 2 ways. We can of course read the whole book. But as the title suggests, this book answers 101 commonly asked questions. So we can find a question we are especially interested in, and read the pages that pertain to it.

He touches on several topics, and explains his views quite well. (While I like the "Living Bible" I can understand why he does not suggest it.) Interestingly, he does not suggest you try to read the Bible from front to back. He also emphasizes that events do not have to be historical to have theological value.

One of the most important things he emphasizes is that interpretation of the Bible is divided into 3 categories. (1) What is the message conveyed? (2) Is the material accepted as Church Doctrine? (3) Are the events historical?

Another point he makes is that while while several of the events of the Gospels are certainly historical, they are not necessarily written in chronological order. (Even in the great Shakespeare's history plays, time is compressed and distorted on several occasions.) Father Brown also emphasizes that the Bible is divided between its unchanging material and material that allows for growth while still preserving the essence of the material.

While it is true that he answers 101 individual questions, he does something more important. he explains that to interpret the Bible literally defeats the purpose of it. What IS important is that we understand the messages behind the different passages. We must also understand that the books of the Bible (including the Gospels) were written for different audiences. Many people get frustrated by the contradictions in the Bible. And in my opinion, they would not get frustrated if they understood that the different books of the Bible were written for different audiences.

(SIDE NOTE: If we DID take the Bible literally, we would think it was alright to kill witches as stated in "Exodus" 22:18; that it's alright to kill gays as stated in "Leviticus" 20:13; and that it's alright to kill a girl for premarital sex as stated in "Deuteronomy" 22:21). Saint Paul himself warned us about taking things too literally in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians: "...the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (2nd "Corinthians" 3:6).

overall, it's a great book that belongs in the library of any Christian.

Fr. Raymond Brown was one of the world's leading Scripture scholars, and anything written by him is worth the expense and effort. His writing style is so easy to read that he makes even the most difficult things understandable. In this book, he answers 101 questions on every topic from which Bible translations are the best, to how the Bible was put together, to specific questions on content. An excellent resource.

Excellent question and answer format that gives information on a wide variaty and range of bilble topics. Gives a good idea of what is happening in the field of scripture scholarship. However, one should understand this is the view of just one author and does not present all positions held on the topics discussed.