Introduction to the Holy Bible for Traditional Catholics: A Beginner’s Guide to Reading the Scriptures for Spiritual Profit

by Timothy Flanders

Whether you are a cradle Catholic learning the Holy Bible or a Protestant convert divesting yourself of your Protestantism, this book on the Scriptures is for you. The only book of its kind from a traditional Catholic perspective, it cuts through the fluff and gets to the heart of the spiritual realities which are fundamental to all discussion on the Holy Bible. It also tells the story of how the rejection of these spiritual realities has led directly to the current crisis in the Church. Part spiritual, part historical, part linguistic, this introduction provides the traditional Catholic with the tools to understand and profit from the Holy Scriptures. The book includes an original translation of St. Melito of Sardis, an annual reader based on the traditional office of Matins, as well as the foundational guide to Refute Protestants in Five Minutes.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Nonfiction

335 pages, Paperback

Published December 12, 2019

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023: As good a read as the first time, a great introduction but might be well-served by an external editor to tighten up structure. My only conctent quibble is the title-I wish it had left "Traditional" out because it's really a great intro for ALL Catholics and non-trads would benefit from it as much as trads would.

[Peter Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this book through Hoopla. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Let me preface this review by saying that I consider myself a traditionalist, and by no means is this an attack on Timothy Flanders or the work of The Meaning of Catholic.

This book is not at all what I expected it to be. I listened to this book thinking that it would be a guide to reading the Scriptures and establish principles for prayerful reading of such. To be fair, Flanders does cover this in the first part of this work, but the majority of the book is more of a history of the establishment of the Biblical canon and controversies in the interpretation of Scripture (covering heresies existing in the early Church; to the Protestant Revolt; and leading up to the present-day, from the "fruits" of the Enlightenment's hyperationalism to the fallout arising from some factions of Nouvelle theologie leading up to and following the Second Vatican Council).

I agree with many of the concerns that Flanders has regarding the contemporary Church, notibly, that recent pontiffs' unwillingness to censor or excommunicate heretical/heterodox thinkers has led to the proliferation of their ideas within the Catholic mainstream. Alongside this, I am likewise critical of the Communio camp siding with the Concilium camp against the Neo-Scholastics at Vatican II. But I think Flanders dwells too much on Twitter fights with regard to prominent Catholics who are manifestly heterodox and beats the idea that many prideful "theologians" reject the total inerrency of Scripture to death.

I learned a decent amount from this work, such as how to understand varient texts in the "original translations" of the Scriptures as protected by the Holy Spirit through the inspired oral tradition, as well as Benedict XVI's inconsistencies in applying the "hermeneutic of continuity." And always a good reminder that humility is necessary for the reading of Sacred Scripture faithfully.

I was also glad that Flanders took the time to discuss the four senses of Scripture and the Pontifical Biblical Commission's responses to dubia in the early 20th century (which are well worth a read on their own). But overall, I think the points discussed in Flanders' book (principles of biblical interpretation, faithful reading of Sacred Scripture, and Biblical controversies in the history of the Church) have been written better (and as separate works) elsewhere. Additionally, I think his treatment of Nouvelle theologie and the Masoretic texts are a bit too critical, as I think think a lot can be gained from reading Ratzinger/Benedict XVI and Henri de Lubac, as well as the influence of the KJV on English Christianity, respectively (even if there are valid criticisms on both these points).

[Alan Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am truly grateful for having read this book. It is a natural sequel to Taylor Marshall’s Infiltration. It is however a more technical read than Marshall’s. The book stresses out the importance of approaching Scripture with humility. The author argues convincingly that a lack of humility is behind much of the errors that have crept both outside the Church and among some of its members when it comes to interpreting and translating the Bible. Particularly insightful were chapters number ten (The Triumph of the Theologians) and number eleven (Linguistic Analysis of English Translations). Traditional Catholics will most likely find chapter ten the most interesting, since it discusses issues around Scripture study and interpretation within the Church, covering the Second Vatican Council and its aftermath.

[Kevin de Ataíde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful, short introduction to Holy Scripture, with a description of the trends in the production of English translations from the late medieval period to the present time. I'm not entirely convinced that the venerable Douai-Rheims translation is the best suited to the Church at the moment, but it is certainly a good reference, alongside the clever Knox version of the mid-twentieth century. Having these two hanging about my quick-use, RSV-Catholic-edition has been the best combination of them all. Four stars, going on five.