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Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke
With Commentary, Annotations and Topical Essays by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch Based on the Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition, this volume leads readers through a penetrating study of the Gospel of Luke, 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 St. Luke often assumes. Or they provide rich historical, cultural, geographical or theological information pertinent to the Gospel – information that bridges the distance between the biblical world and our own. The Ignatius Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies and Charts. The Topical Essays explore the major themes of Luke's Gospel, often relating them to the doctrines of the Church. The Word Studies explain the background to important Bible terms, while the Charts summarize crucial biblical information "at a glance". Each page also includes an easy-to-use Cross-Reference Section that runs between the biblical text at the top of the page and the annotations at the bottom. Study Questions are provided for each chapter of the Gospel that 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. An outline of Luke's Gospel and several maps are also included. Contents Introduction to the Ignatius Study Bible Introduction to the Gospel according to Luke Outline of the Gospel according to Luke The Gospel according to Luke Word Informed Herod's Kingdom at Jesus' Birth Topical Mary, Ark of the Covenant Topical The Censu
82 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2001
7 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Scott Hahn
415 books1,339 followersScott Hahn is a renowned Catholic theologian, apologist, speaker, and bestselling author whose work has had a profound impact on contemporary biblical theology and Catholic thought. A former Presbyterian minister, Hahn converted to Catholicism in 1986 after an intense personal and theological journey, which he details in his popular book Rome Sweet Home, co-written with his wife, Kimberly Hahn. Their story of conversion has inspired countless readers around the world and remains a landmark in modern Catholic apologetics.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 5, 2026
Luke 1:37: "For with God nothing will be impossible."
Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives... and to set the oppressed free."
Luke 12:22: "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life..."
Luke 6:27-28: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."
Luke 23:43: Jesus's promise to the good thief: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives... and to set the oppressed free."
Luke 12:22: "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life..."
Luke 6:27-28: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you."
Luke 23:43: Jesus's promise to the good thief: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
October 22, 2008
This is a very helpful book. I have to read it slowly because it is packed with so much information in the notes. Since we are reading Luke at Mass right now, I like to read the notes to the verses we are going to read at Mass that day. It helps open it all up for me. If you have been studying Scripture for some time, this book might not add much, but it is a great help for newbies like me. I think I will gradually order the other books in this series, so that I can study the entire Bible this way. After about six years I should know a little bit, lol.
January 26, 2011
Superb! Very well done, Cudos!!
December 24, 2025
Yearly Advent reread.
August 3, 2024
AN APOLOGETICAL COMMENTARY TO LUKE'S GOSPEL
The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (also available in the complete edition) is intended to "lead the reader through Scripture according to the Church's guidelines---faithful to the canon, to the tradition, and to the creeds. The Church's interpretive principles have thus shaped the component parts of this book, and they are designed to make the reader's study as effective and rewarding as possible." (Pg. 10)
Authors Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch note about 1:5, "Israel's Levitical priesthood was comprised of 24 divisions of priests (1 Chron 24:7-19). Each division served at the Jerusalem Temple two different weeks each year, and those represented by Abijah were the eighth group in the priestly rotation." (Pg. 17)
They state about 1:28, "Alternative translations like 'favored one' or 'highly favored' are possible but inadequate. Because of the unparalleled role that Mary accepts at this turning point in salvation history, the best translation is the most exalted one. For God endowed Mary with an abundance of grace to prepare her for the vocation of divine motherhood ... Luke's Annunciation narrative is an important indicator of Mary's lifelong holiness. God is her 'Savior' (1:47) in the most perfect way possible: he sanctified Mary in the first instance of her conception and preserved her entirely from sin and even from the inclination toward sin that we experience." (Pg. 19)
About the Census of Quirinius in Luke 2:1-2, they observe, "The opening verses of Luke 2 have long baffled interpreters of the Bible... Thankfully, recent research is beginning to shed more light on this issue. It involves a reinterpretation of three essential pieces of the historical puzzle: the year of Herod the Great's death, the nature of Caesar's decree, and the role of Quirinius... several scholars are favoring a date for Herod's death in the early spring of 1 B.C.... this alternative chronology would push the date of Christ's birth into full agreement with the testimony of the early Christians. By calculating the Nativity according to the years of Caesar Augustus' reign, several Church Fathers... fix a date for Christ's birth between 3 and 2 B.C. If accepted, this chronological revision... opens new possibilities for understanding the circumstances described by Luke." (Pg. 23)
They go on, "Caesar's decree has long been a problematic detail in Luke's narrative ... there is said to be no indication that any [registration] was taken in the closing years of the first century B.C. or that such a census would have embraced the entire empire... These commonly accepted views are currently coming under fire. The Jewish historian Josephus recounts that during the last years of Herod's rule, Judea was required to swear an oath of loyalty to Caesar. Archaeological evidence confirms that he same type of oath was sworn elsewhere in the empire about 3 B.C. This might well mean that the registration described in Lk 2:1 involved an oath of allegiance sworn to the emperor, not a census taken for the purpose of taxation..." (Pg. 23)
Finally, they argue, "The role of Quirinius is perhaps the most difficult detail to interpret in Luke's narrative (Lk 2:2). It is well established that he initiated a taxation census soon after he was appointed the provincial legate of Syria in A.D. 6. Yet evidence is lacking that he held this position more than once or that he ever conducted more than one census... [Lk 2:2] leaves open the possibility that Luke is referring to an administrative role assumed by Quirinius that had nothing to do with his later position as an imperial legate... It may be that Quirinius was an administrator of a Judean census (i.e., the 3 B.C. oath-registration) several years before conducting another census for taxation in A.D. 6." (Pg. 23)
Hahn's/Mitch's commentaries will be of great use to conservative Catholics---particularly those with an apologetic interest.
The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (also available in the complete edition) is intended to "lead the reader through Scripture according to the Church's guidelines---faithful to the canon, to the tradition, and to the creeds. The Church's interpretive principles have thus shaped the component parts of this book, and they are designed to make the reader's study as effective and rewarding as possible." (Pg. 10)
Authors Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch note about 1:5, "Israel's Levitical priesthood was comprised of 24 divisions of priests (1 Chron 24:7-19). Each division served at the Jerusalem Temple two different weeks each year, and those represented by Abijah were the eighth group in the priestly rotation." (Pg. 17)
They state about 1:28, "Alternative translations like 'favored one' or 'highly favored' are possible but inadequate. Because of the unparalleled role that Mary accepts at this turning point in salvation history, the best translation is the most exalted one. For God endowed Mary with an abundance of grace to prepare her for the vocation of divine motherhood ... Luke's Annunciation narrative is an important indicator of Mary's lifelong holiness. God is her 'Savior' (1:47) in the most perfect way possible: he sanctified Mary in the first instance of her conception and preserved her entirely from sin and even from the inclination toward sin that we experience." (Pg. 19)
About the Census of Quirinius in Luke 2:1-2, they observe, "The opening verses of Luke 2 have long baffled interpreters of the Bible... Thankfully, recent research is beginning to shed more light on this issue. It involves a reinterpretation of three essential pieces of the historical puzzle: the year of Herod the Great's death, the nature of Caesar's decree, and the role of Quirinius... several scholars are favoring a date for Herod's death in the early spring of 1 B.C.... this alternative chronology would push the date of Christ's birth into full agreement with the testimony of the early Christians. By calculating the Nativity according to the years of Caesar Augustus' reign, several Church Fathers... fix a date for Christ's birth between 3 and 2 B.C. If accepted, this chronological revision... opens new possibilities for understanding the circumstances described by Luke." (Pg. 23)
They go on, "Caesar's decree has long been a problematic detail in Luke's narrative ... there is said to be no indication that any [registration] was taken in the closing years of the first century B.C. or that such a census would have embraced the entire empire... These commonly accepted views are currently coming under fire. The Jewish historian Josephus recounts that during the last years of Herod's rule, Judea was required to swear an oath of loyalty to Caesar. Archaeological evidence confirms that he same type of oath was sworn elsewhere in the empire about 3 B.C. This might well mean that the registration described in Lk 2:1 involved an oath of allegiance sworn to the emperor, not a census taken for the purpose of taxation..." (Pg. 23)
Finally, they argue, "The role of Quirinius is perhaps the most difficult detail to interpret in Luke's narrative (Lk 2:2). It is well established that he initiated a taxation census soon after he was appointed the provincial legate of Syria in A.D. 6. Yet evidence is lacking that he held this position more than once or that he ever conducted more than one census... [Lk 2:2] leaves open the possibility that Luke is referring to an administrative role assumed by Quirinius that had nothing to do with his later position as an imperial legate... It may be that Quirinius was an administrator of a Judean census (i.e., the 3 B.C. oath-registration) several years before conducting another census for taxation in A.D. 6." (Pg. 23)
Hahn's/Mitch's commentaries will be of great use to conservative Catholics---particularly those with an apologetic interest.
July 28, 2019
ICSB is the first commentary I go to. Solid, orthodox, and always enlightening. A great intro and plenty of word studies, maps, charts, and topical essays add to the outstanding notes for key verses.
July 5, 2024
Great bible study.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews