Genesis: A Bible Study Guide and Commentary

by Stephen K. Ray

Everything in the Bible—and in the Catholic Church—starts with the Book of Genesis. The Greek word genesis means "beginning", and this inspired text reveals to us not only our origins, but our purpose, our meaning, and God's plan for mankind. Yet Genesis can be daunting, especially given the scientific discoveries of the last few centuries. Stephen K. Ray, author of Crossing the Tiber , breaks down this sacred and profoundly influential book, wrestling with the complex intersection of history and theology. Thoroughly Catholic in his approach, Ray is unafraid to draw from sources of all from Jewish and Protestant commentaries, from archaeology, from geography, and even from modern literature. A Bible Study Guide and Commentary uncovers the excitement and drama of this ancient narrative, so often ignored or misunderstood. In Ray's reading, the Book of Genesis is a shout of "We can know where we came from! We can know who we are! We can know our destiny! And we are not alone in the universe!"

434 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2023

About the author

Stephen K. Ray was raised in a devout, loving Baptist family. His father was a deacon and Bible teacher and Stephen was very involved in the Baptist Church as a teacher of Biblical studies and lectured on a wide range of topics. Steve and his wife Janet entered the Catholic Church in 1994.

In addition to running a family business, Steve spends time researching, writing, and teaching about the Catholic Faith. He is the author of Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historical Church, Upon This Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church, and St. John's Gospel: A Bible Study and Commentary.

He is currently producing a 10-video series for Ignatius Press called The Footprints of God: The Story of Salvation From Abraham to Augustine, filmed on location in the Holy Land.

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I really liked Steve Ray's commentary on the Gospel of John published back in 2002, I much prefer the approach he took with his new commentary on Genesis.

This new commentary is more seamless when reading it integrating the previously separate theological/cultural/historical notes/etc into a more of a storytelling narrative. While still dense with information, I was entering more deeply into the story of Genesis without the feeling that I was just studying in a more abstract way.

[Luke Schiltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Stephen Ray’s commentary on John some years ago and really enjoyed it. I was pleased to hear about this book when it recently was published. I wish Stephen Ray had more books in this format. He does a really good job of covering the content in a way that is deep and meaningful while still being very approachable for people at all levels of Bible study.

This is the most comprehensive book on Genesis that I’ve read. Ray covers all 50 chapters, so no content is missed. This makes the book a good companion for a Bible study on Genesis.

Ray does a good job navigating the various interpretations of the more debated and controversial passages in Genesis. He walks the reader through how to interpret some of these passages by showing how they are referenced throughout scripture, how the Church Fathers interpreted them, and how they have been interpreted by the Church up to the present day.

If you’ve also read Ray’s commentary on John’s Gospel, the format is slightly different, moving away from the strictly question-and-answer format used in the commentary on John, instead using a more typical paragraph form in this book. That being said, the books both read very similarly and follow essentially the same format, going chapter by chapter and then breaking each chapter down into subsections.

I really love Ray’s commentaries and I wish he had more! Hopefully there will be more to come!