Introduction to the Bible: A Catholic Guide to Studying Scripture

by Stephen J. Binz

Catholics are often reluctant to begin reading the Bible, this for various reasons. Perhaps we hang on to the notion that the Bible is a book meant for display, for recording the dates of family members’ births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths. Or perhaps we once attempted to read the Bible and discovered there a culture entirely different from ours’and came to the conclusion that the Bible had nothing relevant to say to us in this place and time. Attentive to these and the many other reasons Catholics might give for not reading Scripture, Stephen Binz offers practical explanations that will make the Bible less foreign and more familiar. Introduction to the Bible allows readers to discover how the Bible came to be, how to choose a Bible translation, how to interpret the Bible within Catholic tradition, and how to benefit the most from Bible study. Readers will find practical explanations that will make the Bible less foreign and more familiar.

90 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Stephen J. Binz is a biblical scholar, writer, and speaker, with graduate studies from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and Jerusalem. He has written over three dozen books in biblical theology and spirituality. His books have earned first and second place awards from the Catholic Press Association and three First Place awards from the Catholic Publishers Association’s Excellence in Publishing Awards.

As a popular speaker, Stephen Binz addresses audiences at national and regional conferences, offering keynotes, seminars, and workshops. His audiences include the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, the National Catholic Education Association, and Fashion Me People. He is also an active member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Catholic Biblical Association.

He is the founder and author of Threshold Bible Study (Twenty-Third Publications), Ancient-Future Bible Study (Brazos Press), Lectio Divina Bible Study (OSV Publications), and the Conversing with God in Scripture series (Word Among Us Press). All of his books in print may be found at his website: www.Bridge-B.com

He lives in Baton Rouge, LA, where his wife Pamela is a member of the School of Music faculty at Louisiana State University.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not what I was expecting. Literally an introduction to the Bible, which is unnecessary for any who have attended catholic school in the last 50 years.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was assigned for a course I’m taking on Sacred Scripture at a Catholic seminary. The book accomplished its goal of introducing the reader to the Bible as Scripture and prayerfully studying it from a Catholic perspective. The book was designed to be helpful to someone who has never read the Bible before and knows nothing about it. As I’m not in that target audience, I found some of the initial chapters to be monotonous. Even so, it was helpful for how I might introduce someone with no background in reading the biblical texts to various conventions and help them approach Scripture with less apprehension.

Overall, the book accomplished its stated objectives well and was helpful to me as to how to introduce others to Scripture. I appreciated the balance of incorporating scholarship and understanding the biblical texts as human products while also recognizing them as Sacred Scripture.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

helpful insights for studying scripture with a critical mind

[John Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was deadly dull at the beginning. “How to Choose a Bible Edition” taking a whole chapter, for instance. I couldn’t imagine spending six weeks discussing the book. But as it went on and explained why sitting by yourself and reading as if you were reading a novel or a biography shouldn’t be the only way you approach it—it’s important also to know the historical, geographical, archaeological setting; the culture in which the author lived; the audience to whom and events about which he was consciously writing—it began to get intriguing and indeed to sound like a guide to studying scripture.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and a good start to begin my study of the Bible, but it is clearly just enough to whet the appetite and not make one nervous to take on the study of the Bible.

[Tom Yake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish it was available on Kindle but it is worth turning these 90 pages, though!

[Arlene Cruz-Peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the two books for our Catholic Bible Study.