A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture

by Bernard Orchard; Edmund F. Sutcliffe

Publisher:

Thomas Nelson

, 1953

Overview

A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture is the result of nine years of work by a group of scholars who believed that biblical learning must be integrated with traditional Christianity if it was to bear any spiritual message or fruit for modern society. Their endeavor was to sum up the results of recent international scholarship, and to put them at the disposal not only of Catholics but also of all those who would be glad to know more of the Catholic Church’s teaching on Scripture and of the way in which her members interpret it.

The commentary thus fills a gap in English theological literature by providing a critical survey of modern biblical knowledge from the standpoint of all those, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, who accept the full doctrine of biblical inspiration. The work is based on the full acceptance (1) of the divine inspiration of Holy Scripture and of the teaching and discipline of the Catholic Church as a divine institution owing its origin to Christ himself, and (2) of the assured findings of modern research, in the conviction that there can be no clash between the Word of God and scientific truth.

With the Logos edition, each Scripture passage is linked with your favorite translation, and easy to study side by side with your other commentaries. You can search by topic or Scripture with lightning fast results!

Key Features

• Complete commentary of the entire Bible in one resource!
• Includes maps and indexes
• Detailed exposition and commentary on the text

Contents

• Articles of General Introduction
  • The Place of the Bible in Church
  • The Formation and History of the Canon (OT and NT)
  • The Languages, Texts, and Versions of the Bible
  • The History of the Rheims-Douay Version
  • The Literary Characteristics of the Bible
  • The Inspiration and Inerrancy of Holy Scripture
  • The Interpretation of Holy Scripture
  • Higher Criticism of the Bible
  • The Replies of the Biblical Commission, with Introductory Note
  • The Physical Geography of the Holy Land
  • The Political Geography of the Holy Land
  • The History of Israel to 130 BC
  • The History of Israel, 130 BC–AD 70
  • Archaeology and the Bible
  • Measures, Weights, Money, and Time
  • Our Lady in the Scriptures
  • The Miraculous Element in the Bible
  • The Apocrypha—OT and NT

• Articles of Introduction to the OT
  • The Meaning of the OT
  • The Religion of Israel
  • The Gentile Neighbors
  • The Chronology of the OT

OT Commentaries

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy
• The Historical Books
• Josue
• Judges
• Ruth
• 1 & 2 Kings
• 3 & 4 Kings
• 1 & 2 Paralipomenon
• Esdras–Nehemias
• Tobias
• Judith
• Esther
• The Poetical and Wisdom Literature
• Job
• Psalms
• Proverbs
• Ecclesiastes
• Canticle of Canticles

• Wisdom
• Ecclesiasticus
• The Prophetical Literature
• Isaias
• Jeremias
• Lamentations
• Baruch
• Ezechiel
• Daniel
• Osee
• Joel
• Amos
• Abdias
• Jonas
• Micheas
• Nahum
• Habacuc
• Sophonias
• Aggeus
• Zacharias
• Malachias
• 1 & 2 Maccabees

• Articles of Introduction to the NT
  • The Textual Criticism of the NT
  • The Jewish World in NT Times
  • The Pagan World in NT Times
  • The Gospels and Non-Catholic Higher Criticism
  • The Synoptic Problem
  • The Person and Teaching of Our Lord Jesus Christ
  • Christianity in Apostolic Times
  • The Epistles of the NT
  • The Life of St. Paul
  • The NT Teaching on the Second Coming
  • The 'Brethren of the Lord'
  • The Chronology of NT Times

NT Commentaries

• St. Matthew
• St. Mark
• St. Luke
• St. John
• Acts
• Romans
• 1 & 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians

• 1 & 2 Thessalonians
• The Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus)
• Philemon
• Hebrews
• St. James
• 1 St. Peter
• 2 St. Peter
• 1, 2, & 3 St. Peter
• St. Jude
• Apocalypse

• Maps
• General Index

Top Highlights

“Nevertheless, the wisdom our Lord asks for does not come from study, however sacred, but from personal abandonment to him—to the Son who reveals more than the Law could ever give.” (Page 872)

“No matter how much stress others may lay on God’s absolute omnipotence or terrifying justice, the Christian owing to the spirit of Christ dwelling in his heart cannot but call out to God, first and above all, as his Father, 15; cf. Gal 4:1–7.” (Page 1064)

“Knowledge of the kingdom is a favour from God which, like all God’s graces, demands the co-operation of man if it is to be understood and to prove fruitful. The measure of understanding and fruitfulness is in proportion to the attention and goodwill with which the message is received. Those who make use of the knowledge they have received will be granted an increase. This teaching obviously has a special interest for the disciples who would have the duty of preaching to others.” (Page 913)

“In either opinion we are presented with an important lesson: suffering can be, not a terrifying enigma in our eyes, but something very precious, since it is the instrument God chose to redeem us, and we can make our sufferings serve in the cause of Christ’s Passion.” (Page 1135)

“But the force of the incident is this: that Peter and his fellow-disciples are to remember that the plan and method of that work are of God’s design. As in the capturing of fish, so in the capturing of men for God’s Kingdom, God’s way will be found at variance with human standards: a lesson Peter and the rest were very slow to learn. As for Jesus, so for his associates, absolute surrender to the will of God is required.” (Page 947)

Product Details

• Title: A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture
• Authors: Bernard Orchard, Edmund F. Sutcliffe
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Print Publication Date: 1953
• Logos Release Date: 2012
• Pages: 1326
• Era: era:modern
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible › Commentaries
• Resource ID: LLS:CATHCOMMORCHARD
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:17:56Z

About the Editor

Bernard Orchard (1910–2006) was an English Roman Catholic Benedictine monk, headmaster, and biblical scholar. After graduating from college, John Archibald Henslowe Orchard adopted the name Bernard after taking the monastic habit at Downside Abbey. He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1939, and began a fruitful career as a teacher and biblical scholar. Orchard contributed dozens of articles to leading scholarly journals and authored numerous books, including Synopsis of the Four Gospels in English, Synopsis of the Four Gospels in Greek, Born to be King—The Epic of the Incarnation, and The Origin and Evolution of the Gospels.