Publication date: January 3, 2012, National Catholic Register by Dan Burke
St. Jerome, once said that, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” Resonating in the truth of St. Jerome’s words, Scott Hahn has undertaken a prolific and acute commentary of Holy Scripture. Taking the Revised Standard Version – Second Catholic Edition by Ignatius Press as their basis, Hahn and his former student Curtis Mitch have compiled multiple commentaries on Scripture.
The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Book of Genesis is the 14th volume in the acclaimed series and demonstrates all the same lauded attributes of its predecessors. It contains abundant notes drawn from both biblical scholars and the Fathers of the Church, and is a trusted source of historical, geographical, cultural and theological insight. In harmony with the intellectual decorum now associated with a Hahn text, the volume over Genesis contains “topical essays, word studies and charts.” Extrapolated from the observable themes in Genesis, the essays illuminate both those important biblical threads within Genesis and those holistic biblical narratives that find their origin within the Genesis text.
For those who have either not been introduced to the works of Dr. Hahn or are not familiar with his Scripture commentaries, the volume on Genesis would an excellent place to begin. Genesis is the beginning of God’s self-revelation, and the figures and covenants therein give shape to the entirety of Scripture. Jesus Christ is the full revelation of God, and those who seek a deeper understanding of him should look to the words of Genesis.
Another excellent starting place would be the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. A compilation of 13 individual scholarly booklets, the New Testament edition gathers these together in one stunning display of all the same study materials. In the in the midst of a multitude of biblical commentaries steeped in various pernicious ideologies, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament offers faithful
Catholics a faithful guide to the Holy Writ. The text offers the reader colored maps and footnote icons that clearly denote thematic elements within the New Testament.
Along with the Register, EWTN is bringing attention to these excellent works by hosting Dr. Scott Hahn on its literary program Bookmark on January 8th. The good doctor will be discussing both his Genesis commentary and his commentary on the New Testament. Bookmark airs on Sunday at 9:30am ET and then again at 11:30pm ET. If you miss these you can catch them again on Monday at 5:30am ET and then Wednesday at 5:30pm
Calling to mind the words of St. Jerome, we should remember that Christ is the Word, and Ignatius Press and Scott Hahn have offered the faithful a clear path to dissipate our ignorance and fall deeper into the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
All of these works are available at EWTN’s Religious Catalogue.