Bible Study - Introduction

The 2000 years of Christianity is extremely rich in writings of the Apostles, the direct disciples of the Apostles, the Early Christians who were still very close to the event of the Passion of Jesus Christ. Then we have gifted theologians and Doctors of the Church such as St Jerome, St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas, St Catherine of Siena, St John of the Cross, St Teresa of Avila, St Therese of Lisieux ... and there is a good chance to count Pope John Paul the Great among the Doctors of the Church.

It is difficult for one person life-time to study all the writings, especially when one starts late like I do. This is an indirect message to young folks and teenagers to use your free time to study and to read as much as you can ;-)

There are so many books out there that I would like to read, but with a family life, my reading time is limited. My focus for now is the Bible, because it is the Word of God. But how can I understand the Word of God unless someone teaches me ? How do I know if I am not getting the wrong interpretation ? The writings of the Early Church Fathers, the Saints and Doctors of the Church, and the teaching of the Church are there to help me to understand the Word of God.

Ideally, it would be nice to study the Bible under the direction of a priest who could explain to us the interpretation of the Catholic Church on verses or chapters of the Sacred Scripture. Most of all, the priest would help us not to err in wrong interpretations.

However, there are many situations where we can not join our local parish Bible study: our work schedule does not allow us to be present; some of us are constantly on the road, I think about airline pilots, truck drivers, folks who are on night shift (i.e. sleeping during daytime ;-), etc.

Bible study time is a time I cherish everyday. It is my joy. In this Bible Study section, I hope to share with you some materials that allow you to study the Bible at your own convenience and time, without leading yourself to erroneous interpretations of the Sacred Scripture. Please keep in mind that self study will never replace the help that you could receive from a priest.


What you will find in the following sections

• Books that explain how the Bible came to be, and which Bible to choose from.
• Criteria to consider when choosing a Bible translation.
• Some Catholic Bibles that I use.
• Books that help me understand the interpretation of Scripture as taught by the Catholic Church.
• A short review of the Navarre Bible series.