How Do Catholics Read the Bible?

by Daniel J. Harrington

Do Catholics really read the Bible? If so, how do they read it and is there anything unique about their approach? What role does the Bible play in Catholic life, teaching, and culture? As a leading Scripture scholar who also teaches students and preaches to everyday people, Fr. Daniel Harrington, S.J., has made it his life's mission to answer these and many related questions about the Bible and its relationship to Catholic life. Accessibly written, How Do Catholics Read the Bible? blends biblical scholarship with compelling personal anecdotes to equip readers with the tools they need to more fully engage Scripture and the Catholic tradition. With chapters on how the Catholic canon came to be, what the Church teaches about the Bible, appropriate methods for analyzing Scripture passages, and how to incorporate the Bible into everyday life, this book is ideal for individual or group use in parishes and classrooms. Each chapter concludes with questions for reflection and recommendations for further reading.

Genres: Theology, Catholic, Faith, Religion, Scripture, Christian

176 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2005

About the author

Rev. Father Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, was a professor of New Testament studies and chairman of Biblical Studies at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry. He received a PhD in biblical languages and literatures from Harvard University. A past president of the Catholic Biblical Association, he wrote more than two dozen books about the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Reviews

[Derek Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for an online class, and found it to be a great balance of being accessible, yet scholarly. So often these books either "dumb down" the content, or are so abstract it is hard to connect. Harrington takes his reader's intelligence seriously, but assumes you know little about the Bible. I've studied Scripture in the past, but even when I knew something already (e.g. Synoptic Gospels), Harrington added something new.

[Drew Meisel · Rating 3 out of 5]

How Do Catholics Read the Bible is written by a Jesuit priest and professor. In reading this book, I found it to have great explanations for key concepts for people who may not have a great understanding of how scripture was put together. For instance, it gives a detailed look into the Historical-Critical Method of biblical study with a great example and gives great insights into why the Catholic Bible is different from the Protestant one. I especially enjoyed him mentioning lots of recent councils that express the importance and need of scripture in the Church.

With that being said, I do wish he was more detailed in several of the topics he discussed. For instance, he brings up Sacred Tradition but gives no examples of it. He also mentions modern ideas behind the authorship of some books such as the gospels, but never goes into the arguments against the ideas of Source Q, later dates of writing, and authentic authorship of the gospels. It is important to not just give the views of himself but also biblical scholars who might disagree with these points.

I think this book is a great resource for Protestant Christians who are curious about the Catholic understandings of scripture at a very basic level or Catholics who want to know a base level of scripture study and interpretation. However, for Catholics who know a lot about scripture, there isn’t much in here that they wouldn’t already know.

[Marc Plazola · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, a Jesuit and Catholic Priest, having a substantial knowledge of the Catholic faith, does not write pedantically to his readers. He is upfront and direct when presenting the material in his book. Now, by personal conviction from the Scripture, I make no apology for being a Protestant; so, I do not agree with the Catholic approach to the Bible, as Harrington prescribes. However, I appreciate Harrington's sincerity, clarity, and careful handling of Catholicism's disposition toward the Bible.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

With concise detail, Harrington is able to explain the differences in how Catholics read and interpret the bible compared with other religions. The chapters are each a different topic, yet all go together to understand how Catholicism has always been a religion about God, not a book. This should be required reading of anyone who reads the bible, regardless of which faith he or she follows.

[Teena Kuriakose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book as a part of a course. As a beginner Bible reader, this book give me a whole new perspective on how to read the Bible. It gives a good history of how the Bible came into being and emphasises on the fact that contrary to the popular belief, Christianity is not really a religion of the book, but of a person to whom to book bears witness.

Really enjoyed the book!

[Michelle Luplow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the scholarly writing of this book. I grew up Catholic so a lot of the concepts were familiar to me, although the way the topics are covered were more in-depth than I expected or wanted.

Overall, I believe it's a common sense approach to reading the Bible (Catholic or not).

[Bernie Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good basic overview off the Bible and Catholic teaching.

[tana · Rating 1 out of 5]

propaganda

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Basic overall understanding of interpreting the bible.