The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels

The Word on Fire Bible #1

by Robert Barron (Other)

‘The Word on Fire Bible’ is a new series offering a fresh new take on the strange, colorful world of the bible. Four years in the making, this Bible has been written specially to appeal to not just Christians, but to non-believers, searchers, seekers, and those with many unanswered questions.
These spiritual books, with their many events and characters, engage those unfamiliar with scripture and provide rich insight for even the most biblically informed. It's not just a Bible, it's a cathedral in print—the highest-quality Catholic Bible ever produced for mass distribution.

Genres: Catholic, Nonfiction, Religion, Theology, Christian, Christianity, Spirituality

592 pages, Hardcover

Published June 24, 2020

About the author

Bishop Robert Emmet Barron is an acclaimed author, speaker, and theologian. He is the former Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago and also is the founder of Word On Fire (www.WordOnFire.org).

Bishop Barron is the creator and host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking ten-part documentary series and study program about the Catholic faith. He is a passionate student of art, architecture, music and history, which he calls upon throughout his global travels in the making of the documentary.

Word On Fire programs are broadcast regularly on WGN America, Relevant Radio, CatholicTV, EWTN, the popular Word on Fire YouTube Channel, and the Word on Fire website, which offers daily blogs, articles, commentaries, and over ten years of weekly sermon podcasts. In 2010, Father Barron was the first priest to have a national show on a secular television network since the 1950s.

Fr. Barron received his Masters Degree in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America in Washington DC in 1982 and his doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Institut Catholique in 1992. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1986 and has been a professor of systematic theology at the nation's largest Catholic seminary, the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary since 1992. He was visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame in 2002 and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 2007. He was also twice scholar in residence at the Pontifical North American College at the Vatican.

In addition, Fr. Barron lectures extensively in the United States and abroad. Cardinal Francis George calls Fr. Barron “one of the Church’s best messengers.

Fr. Barron was baptized at Queen of All Saints Basilica in Chicago and grew up at St. John of the Cross parish in Western Springs, Illinois.
WordOnFire.org - Fr. Barron's website launched in 1999 and currently draws over 1 million visitors a year from every continent. Fr. Barron posts weekly video clips, commentaries and radio sermons and offers an audio archive of over 500 homilies. Podcasts of his sermons are widely used by tens of thousands of visitors each month.
TV - EWTN (The Eternal Word Television Network) and CatholicTV broadcasts Fr. Barron's DVDs to a worldwide audience of over 150 million people.

Radio - Since 1999, Fr. Barron's weekly Word on Fire program has been broadcast in Chicago (WGN) and throughout the country (Relevant Radio - 950 AM Chicago) to 28 million listeners in 17 states. Fr. Barron also is a regular commentator on the "Busted Halo Show" on the Sirius satellite radio network based in New York.

DVDs - Fr. Barron's DVDs are used as powerful faith formation tools in universities, schools, churches and homes around the country. The series includes Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Lively Virtues; Faith Clips; Conversion: Following the Call of Christ; and Untold Blessing: Three Paths to Holiness.

YouTube - With over 180 online video commentaries by Fr. Barron, over 1 million viewers worldwide have made him the most popular of any evangelist on YouTube. These frequent, high-quality productions include brief and lively theological reviews of contemporary culture, including movies such as No Country for Old Men, Apocalypto, and The Departed, a three-part critical review of Christopher Hitchen's book God is Not Great, The Discovery Channel's The Jesus Tomb, the HBO series "The Sopranos", "Rome" and more.

Missions - MISSION CHICAGO features evangelization lectures by Fr. Barron at the behest of Cardinal George. These special missions and presentations throughout the Archdiocese are centered in downtown Chicago and attract business, civic, and cultural leaders.
Books - His numerous books and essays serve as critical educational and inspirational tools for seminarians, priests, parishioners and young people worldwide. His published works are also central to the numerous retreats, workshop and talks that h

Reviews

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am trying to think of the last time I waited so excitedly for a chance to sit down and read the Bible. That's because my new Word on Fire Bibles arrived. We got the evangelization pack which had one leather-bound version and 4 paperback copies.

As soon as the box was opened we all began excitedly showing each other various features.

It is above and beyond anything I could have asked for myself. I mean to say, they designed a typeface for the pull-quotes. That is my kind of commitment to beauty.

Even the paperback is really great, which is what I'd expect but I was curious to see for myself. The pages are high quality paper, the gold type is there just as in the leather version. I was wondering if it would stay open in your hand without forcing the spine — and it does!

I've dipped in a little here and there and the commentary is as good as the design and thought provoking yet accessible.

It truly is, as they said when it was announced, a cathedral in print. Thank you, Bishop Barron!

UPDATE:
Upon using this daily I am pulling back just the slightest on my previously unabated enthusiasm for the layout. I understand that the commentary is important but it has been emphasized in layout to the point where it can be difficult to follow the scripture when simply trying to read through before turning to the commentary. Partly this is because the commentary is in large san-serif type - not unpleasing to the eye - but it can pull attention away from the scripture if there is lots of it on the page. Partly this is because there is not a common spot to look for the scripture when turning the page. It may begin halfway down the next page, it may be on top, it may begin a page or two later - and only for a few paragraphs. I like all the content but think this is just an unintended visual difficulty in squeezing everything in.

I am still using and liking it and recommend it highly, but I did change the rating to 4 stars instead of 5 because of the difficulty it causes me.

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was like reading the Gospels again for the first time. I read every page, learned so many new things and poured over the artwork. Fantastic. That it was a gift from a dear friend for my Final Promise to become a Secular Carmelite will always make it all the more special.


March 15, 2021: Bishop Baron offers 5 strategies helpful in interpretive reading of the Bible (assuming of course the reader wants* to glean the most from his/her reading):
1) Always be critically attentive to the variety of genres on display in Scripture, i.e., recognize that the Bible is more than just one book, it is actually a library of individual books.
2) While the Bible is a library in one sense, Scripture is also—in another sense—one book. The individual books within the cover of the Bible support each other to all tell the ‘story’ of God’s Love for humankind.
3) The correct interpretation of the Bible is always Jesus’ command to love God above all things and our neighbor for the sake of God. Any and every story, poem, doctrine, or saying in Scripture should be read as ultimately designed to inculcate love of God and neighbor.
4) Distinguish what is in the Bible from what it teaches, i.e., sift the ancient cultural chaff (wind blows away) from the timeless wheat (saved, savored and basis for one’s life).
5) The Bible is the Church’s book. Each of the individual books was culled from dozens of other potential books during the canonization process.

January 17, 2021: Received this as a gift from a fellow Carmelite for my Definitive Promise. THANK YOU Lou! This is a stupendous gift and I love it! God bless you!

*Hostile readers, and there are always those too, will not gain any good because that is not their intention.

[Rebecca Shook]

This is beautiful! The inclusion of art made it for me, and I wish it had even more. Perhaps I'd just like to read an art history book focusing on art about faith. I also appreciate the single column text, the leather didn't break while reading it and sometimes the commentary helped my understanding of the Word, and I appreciated the historical commentary. For me, an improvement would be to include modern commentary from other people than just Bishop Barron, but this is his bailiwick so I suppose it's to be expected.

This is advertised as the Bible for those who have never read it, and most theologians suggest starting with the Gospels, and so if you are seeking one to try, I'd give this a go. It is a beautiful volume and I enjoyed learning from it over the last few months.

[JP Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. As a Catholic Christian going to mass every weekend, I would always hear readings at Sunday or weekday masses, but I had never read through the gospels in their entirety. I came across new stories I did not remember. It was much easier to see the bigger picture of Jesus's life on earth and his mission.

Bishop Barron's commentary is also priceless. I am not a biblical scholar, but Bishop Barron is. Without that knowledge it is easy to miss political issues or important themes and prophecies being revealed. You would miss out on so much by reading through the bible by yourself without any guidance.

Now the hard part comes of trying to imitate Jesus and grow in greater communion with him!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful edition of The Gospels with a lot of great commentary. It is encouraging to see a Catholic Bible that is so beautifully designed (even if this is just the first volume). I was hoping for more from the Church Fathers and Recent Authors than from Bishop Barron, but it is his project. I *loved* the Via Pulchritudinis Art Commentary and think a collected volume of those at the end of this project - once all the volumes of the Bible are completed - would be amazing.

[Matt Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an excellent study Bible. I was so impressed with the reflections, quotations from Church Fathers and Saints, as well as the artistic reflections on works related to the Scripture. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to go a little deeper into the Word.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many beautiful features of this bible: first off, the art. I love the art, and I think it's one of the best parts of the Bible!
The layout is superb--great paper, and also one column, which makes it easier to read. No footnotes or tiny print or squinting to see what's going on.
The essays from Catholic authors and theologians, as well as the bishop himself, enhance the reading experience. I can't wait for the rest of the volumes!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really beautiful. Love the art and the weaving of commentary by lots of voices old and new. It is definitely more thematic and less deep textual commentary but it's very pleasing to read.

[Matt Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the Gospels with first volume of the Word of Fire Bible was like going through a guided meditation on these 4 narratives bearing witness to Jesus Christ. Each of the 4 Gospels are printed to be read like a story, with reflections from various authors and Word on Fire's founder interjected in a way that strongly compel the reader to pause and think about the significance of the events unfolding.

The marketing from Word on Fire advertises this as a "cathedral in print". True to that apostolate's ethos, it is indeed a beautiful book. The incorporation of art pieces, with brief reflections on those works, add to the via pulchritudinis that Word on Fire believes is the best path for bringing people in the modern age towards an encounter with Christ and his Church. That feature is the most successful part of this project.

If I had one small gripe, it's that I hoped for a little bit more of the art and a little bit wider selection of Church fathers reflecting on the Gospels. It seems that modern publishing rights reared their head a bit in that regard, which is a mild shame.

But every time I pried open the box and smelled the leather, I enjoyed methodically going through these Gospels one at a time. Volume 2 is already on my shelf. Volumes 3-7 will follow when published.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a joy to read through. For starters the effort to bring such a high-quality physical book from the cover, binding, and page. Just aesthetically masterful and meant to be read and re-read without falling apart.

Bishop Barron provides the majority of the commentary. There is plenty of commentaries also from the Church Fathers along with later masters of scriptural interpreters. I especially appreciate the inclusion of more modern voices such as G.K. Chesterton and Venerable Fulton J. Sheen.

Since Bishop Barron has always had a focus on the way of beauty and how beauty can be integral to evangelization it is no surprise that the pages include paintings from the masters. What is included with this are helpful keys and interpretation to understanding the artists and what they were trying to achieve with the specific presentations included. Just about everything from the font to the layout was aimed at aesthetical beauty.

So looking forward to subsequent volumes to be published.

[Jens Kristian Wikstøl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Det er så mye bra her! Kommentarer fra kirkefedre og teologer, utlegginger fra Barron og ikke minst de nydelige artiklene om kunst knyttet til tekstene i evangeliene. Opplevelsen forstyrres dessverre av dårlig grafisk design. Kommentarene og andre innlegg kommer i «hytt og pine», som gjør det vanskelig å fokusere på å bibelteksten. Men alt i alt, en god opplevelse!

[Stephen Carrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best spiritual resource I have ever used. This bible that the Word on Fire has put together really brings scripture to life. There were several mornings over the past year and a half that I went through the gospels that I sat with a beautiful painting and used it for "visio" divina. Cannot recommend this enough for your daily prayer.

[Kylee May Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading the Gospels from the Word on Fire Bible. Being a cradle Catholic, I had previously read all of the Gospels numerous times, but the commentary in this was great (though at times drawn out) and gave me plenty of new things to consider. My only gripe is that there are a few points in which a sentence is interrupted by commentary right in the middle of it on the next page. I would have absolutely given five stars if it weren’t for that minor inconvenience.

[Manuel Weinkauf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshingly new English translation of the new testament with a plethora of comments by Bishop Barron and plenty of other great church figures throughout the ages

[Bud Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! Took lots of notes and will buy the rest of the volumes. Glad I bought this

[William Shamai · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Gospels come to life in this live action remake of veggie tales.

[Casan Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. I’m 36, and studying the Gospels after many years is quite an experience. This is such a beautiful Bible with amazing commentary and artwork. A truly cherished book.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork, articles, sermons, and other commentary included greatly enrich one's Scripture reading, and the book is beautiful. I look forward to reading the remaining volumes.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my estimates, the Word on Fire Bible consists of approximately 70% commentary and theology and 30% Bible text (the gospels). It’s nearly impossible to go more than half a page into God’s word before you’re hit with man’s word. On numerous occasions throughout, Catholic doctrine feels forced into places it doesn’t belong, especially in regard to the Eucharist. For Protestants and non-believers, this may come across as off-putting as it did for me.

In addition to that, Bishop Baron is incredibly verbose. As someone who majored in English, I’m no stranger to challenging language, but it feels completely unnecessary in a Bible meant for those reading it for the first time. Often Bishop Baron quotes Latin or Greek words then subsequently places their translation in parenthesis. You’re constantly left wondering why he quoted the foreign language to begin with as it serves no purpose in an English language Bible. The feeling I got was that the commentary wants to come across as being smart for the sake of being smart rather than illustrating a meaningful point.

Of course, the gospels themselves are excellent. The Bible is also beautiful. I love the opacity of the pages, the gold art gilding, the gold foil stamping on the cover, the black leather (even if it has a cardboard liner) and more. Despite my criticism that there’s too much added text that often comes across as unnecessarily verbose, there was still a fair amount of commentary that added to my knowledge and understanding of the Bible. The analysis of various pieces of famous art and buildings was always a refreshing breather as well.

I’m left torn between rating this a 2 and a 3, however I’ve sided with a 3 for now.

If you’re already a Catholic, I suspect you will appreciate this Bible more than Protestants and non-believers. However, if you’re new to Christianity, I would suggest reading either the gospels by themselves or another “study” Bible. It’s not to say that the Word on Fire Bible is bad but rather to say that it’s marketing would lead one to believe that it’s for first time readers of the Bible when in reality, it’s meant for those interested in copious amounts of commentary and Catholic doctrine. Which is fine. Just not my personal preference nor what I expected based on their marketing.

The best way to summarize my feeling towards the Word on Fire Bible is to say that by the time I reached the book of John, I was thoroughly burnt out and only finished it for the sake of finishing it because I hate the idea of reading 400+ pages only to give up with 20% to go. I sincerely wish I had just re-read the gospels by themselves. I easily could have read through them 2-3 times in the amount of time it took me to slog through the Word on Fire Bible’s commentary.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an incredibly beautiful edition. Growing up as a Christian, the gospel stories are the ones I have known the best, but Bishop Barron brings them to life in a unique way. The commentaries are so insightful and skillfully compiled. The art descriptions were so valuable for an untrained eye like mine. I am almost sad to have finished reading the gospels yet again for the reality of missing my freshly understood heavenly friends.

[Jason Zimdars · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute masterpiece as an object. Looks and feels premium in every single detail. This is not a Bible for lengthy reading, it's instead broken up by commentary from Bishop Barron and an array of Saints, Doctors of the Church, and more contemporary writers (Fulton Sheen, G.K. Chesterton). Very little goes by without some exegesis or spiritual refection. This is a Bible for understanding the Gospels. It also includes regular interruptions to consider significant art related to the scriptures. An enjoyable and edifying reading experience. Not to be missed.

[Mike Pohlman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb commentaries on the Gospels. Augmented with spectacular historical art with explanations of relevance to the scripture. Moving next to Bishop Barron’s commentary on the rest of the New Testament.

[Kushtrim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved most of it, but there were parts that were not for me.

first of i think its important to note that this is not a study Bible, but a Bible with added commentaries from Bishop Barron, added commentariew from early Church Fathers, Saints, scholars, and other figures. while I really loved most of these there were 2 things that bothered me throughout the book that made me remove 2 stars from the review.

first one was that very often the verses would be cut in the middle so that a small commentary could be put in the page, and then youd have to go to the next page, sometimes skip even 2 or 3 pages, so you can read the verse to a point and then go back and read the commentaries. often the commenraries were based on verses that were AFTER the commentary so you would have no choice but doing this. going back and forth kinda annoyed me after a while.

the second point is more of a writing style/preference, while this is not for me it could very well be what makes the book good for someone else. I didnt like the more modern commentaries as they would include figures i dont care about or people I think very lowly of. carl jung was mentioned more than i could care for and sometimes there would be 3-5 pages of text that felt as if it was meant for some reader other than me. i dont know how to explain it but i could not relate to the examples or i would not care for them. kinda america-centric sometimes and i just didnt like the style of writing. i would dread whenever these long commentaries came ip because i read these many times slower than the other parts of the book.

other than this i LOVED the book

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became a Catholic on April 1st, 2017, and I consider becoming a Catholic one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’m always striving to be a good Christian, sometimes succeeding, sometimes coming up short, but I can feel the Lord guiding and rooting for me. One of the daily habits I’ve developed is reading scripture. I like to follow Bible-in-a-Year plans, and I’ve been pretty good about incorporating them into my daily routine. It’s a centering exercise, bringing my life into focus with the Lord.

I’m always open to different ways of presenting the Bible and its books, and when I came upon this presentation of the Gospels I thought I’d give it a shot. I’m so glad I did, because I couldn’t put it down, reading the whole book in 3 days. The way this book of the Gospels with evangelical supplemental material is set up really speaks to me spiritually. Basically, the author gives homilies on almost every section of the Gospels; homilies that are spiritual and comforting. The Gospels are my favorite part of the Bible, and this is my favorite presentation of the Gospels. God bless all of you.

[know1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous edition. Genuine leather, quality binding and paper. Reproductions of Catholic art and art commentaries are great. Wonderful selection of scripture commentaries from the Church Fathers and other saints, but mostly bishop Barron's commentaries, which are excellent so far (I'm halfway through Matthew). Highly recommended, especially if you like Robert Barron's approach to catechesis and theology and if you're a potential revert or convert to Christianity.

If I were to find any drawbacks, the only one that comes to mind is the following. For a New Testament of this quality, book edition so beautiful that it is worthy of passing on through generations, NRSV-CE translation feels out of place. I wish it had been Douay-Rheims or Knox translation. NRSV-CE is excellent if you're non-native English speaker or new to Bible, though. And some (only 5-10%) of Robert Barron's commentaries contain references to present times, which also does not get with the timeless feel of this edition.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art commentaries are the primary reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5. Not to say that they weren't good, but some of them spent more time describing the technique the artist used rather than the biblical images portrayed and that felt tangential, pulling me out of where I was in the bible. Bishop Baron's words comprise a majority of the commentaries, but there is a wide range of saints and scholars quoted as well.

I really liked having the commentary interspersed with the bible text. Though this required a lot of flipping back and forth to finish one section or reread a line of reference, it forced me to slow down and focus on the words. I have mixed feelings about the use of the RSV translation here. On the one hand, I prefer the NAB and am more familiar with that wording since we hear it at mass. On the other hand, reading the slight variations in wording here was another reason to pause and ponder some of the meaning. I missed the amen amens though. Very truly doesn't have the same punch.

[Ľudovít Ján Čalfa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s set aside any evaluation of Bp. Barron’s persona and focus solely on his presented work.

I was gifted this edition of the Gospels by my confirmation sponsor on the day of that sacrament. I had heard of Barron’s project and was intrigued by this practical idea of reviving interest in Catholicism through the promotion of its beauty. This new rendition of the Holy Scriptures is part of that effort, with the Gospels as the launching ship of a “New Evangelization” through art.

It took me over three years to get through all four accounts of Christ’s life, and it was worth it. The book is beautifully bound in leather, enriched by commentary from the Saints (we can ignore the VII boxes) and valuable essays with full-color artwork—overall a solid job. Yet, while Barron’s style is eloquent, there’s too much of him; I’d prefer more Fathers.

One must beware the subtle Vatican II influence within otherwise solid works. Despite that, this edition certainly does a good service to promoting the faith’s timeless artistic and spiritual beauty.

[Colleen A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This is a beautiful Bible (gospels). I really like the commitment to beauty and quality.
I had read the goal was to have about 50/50 gospel to commentary ratio so I was expecting the flow of scripture to be interrupted as others have commented. Before purchasing one of my reasons for buying this was the mention that there would be commentary from the church fathers. There is but it’s very minimal and I was hoping for more from the early church fathers. Most of the commentary is Bishop Barron’s own which is fair since it’s “The Word on Fire” Bible not “The Church Fathers Bible”.

The intro by Bishop Barrón also states it is “geared towards those who, for a variety of reasons are not affiliated with the Christian faith…” thus if you are looking for more in-depth theological commentary this Bible may not be for you. Likewise if you just want to read the gospels uninterrupted then this Bible is not for you.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful edition of the Gospels. I appreciated the commentaries from Church Fathers, saints throughout history, and more contemporary Catholic figures on scripture. I also loved the sacred art displayed throughout--tied to the Gospel stories they depicted with their details being explained by someone far more educated in art history than I am.

The only reason I gave it a four-star rating instead of a five-star is because I thought there were far too many commentaries from Bishop Barron. I absolutely loved his longer commentaries that stretched for multiple pages, but I could do without some of his shorter ones, which appeared almost every other page. With so many of his short commentaries, I felt my reading of scripture was interrupted and hindered at some points rather than helped.

Despite this small drawback, I fully plan on purchasing the rest of the Word on Fire Bible volumes as they are released.

[Derek Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it seems strange to "rate" the gospels, since I'm a Christian, my writing is actually about this edition. While I'm fairly well versed in scripture, this edition with Bishop Barron's commentary, selections from Church Fathers and more recent theologians, and great artwork and commentary is a great edition. Aimed at those with little background in scripture or faith, Barron is not seeking to present an exegesis of scripture; instead, he is seeking to present the gospels in the context of faith. Nearly half of the text is not the gospels but someone's thoughts on what we are reading, which you can always ignore if so desired! This is a very readable and enlightening edition.