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What distinguishes Catholic exegesis from other approaches to interpreting Scripture? This study examines the Pontifical Biblical Commission’s document, "The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church," and derives from it twenty principles of Catholic interpretation. The meaning of each of these principles is explained and its significance is discussed in light of commentary on the Biblical Commission’s document, magisterial documents on Scripture, and contemporary scholarly discussion. Part I considers the foundational principle, that Sacred Scripture is "the word of God expressed in human language." Part II addresses the "human language" dimension and the use of "scientific" or scholarly means to interpret it. Part III presents principles which consider Scripture as "the word of God" and relates the interpretation of Scripture to Christian faith. Part IV treats the literal, spiritual, and fuller senses of Scripture. Part V discusses the methods and approaches used by exegesis and the ways in which their use is conditioned by the unique object of their study. Part VI treats the role of the exegete and the theoretical and practical principles that guide actualization, inculturation, and the use of the Bible in the life of the Church. The study concludes with an evaluation of the Biblical Commission’s achievement, an agenda for further discussion, and remarks on the challenge ahead for Catholic exegesis. This volume includes a preface by Albert Vanhoye, Secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, a bibliography of works about the Commission’s document and of works cited, a general index, and a glossary.
Peter S. Williamson received his M.A. in theology from Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, and his S.T.B., S.T.L., and S.T.D. in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is a married layman who has been involved for nearly thirty years in evangelization and pastoral ministry in the United States, and more recently, in Lithuania and Kazakhstan. He presently serves as a mission associate of Renewal Ministries and teaches Scripture at Sacred Heart Seminary and at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario.
Choose Life!: A Rhetorical-Critical Investigation of Deuteronomy 28, 69-30, 20Rhetorical criticism approaches a biblical test from the point of view of rhetoric. This work is based on ancient rhetoric and on the work of Chaim Perelman and Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca.
One Flesh: EPH.5.22-24, 5.31: Marriage and the New CreationThe address to wives in Eph. 5, 22-24 represents an expansion of Col. 3, 18. What guided the expansion? An answer emerges from an investigation of Pauline and Jewish reflection.
Our Fathers Have Told Us: Introduction to the Analysis of Hebrew NarrativesAn analysis of Old Testament narratives, whose purpose is to give students some examples of texts analyzed in compliance with this new methodology.
Modus et Forma: A new approach to the Exegesis of Saint Thomas Aquinas with an application: to the Lectura super Epistolam ad EphesiosA study of the biblical dimensions of the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas.
A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament: 5th Edition, Second PrintingA carefully made translation and adaptation into English of Zerwick's Analysis philologica Novi Testamenti graeci, a classic that analyzed the Greek text of the New Testament word by word.
A Late Egyptian Grammar: 4th EditionA follow-up edition on the grammar of the 20th and 21st Dynasty of Egypt.
A Manual of Palestinian Aramaic Texts: (Second Century B.C.–Second Century A.D.)This is an attempt to gather Palestinian Aramaic texts of various sorts and lengths from the first two centuries B.C. and the first two centuries A.D.
A Philological Analysis of Jeremiah 4-6 in the Light of Northwest Semitic: In the book of Jeremiah, the Hebrew and Greek texts diverge more widely than in any other Old Testament book. Many scholars maintain that it is the shorter Greek text which is the older.
A Structured Translation of the Epistle to the Hebrews: The authors simply give the text of the epistle in a rather literal translation, in a manner which makes the structure clear to the modern reader.
A Sumerian Reader: Second Revised EditionThis book contains an anthology of 44 Sumerian texts of various kinds. Its purpose is to help the student, under the guidance of a teacher, learn Sumerian.
An Introduction to the Study of New Testament Greek: Part One: Morphology - Volume I - Lessons, Volume II - Key, Lists, Paradigms, IndicesThis introduction to New Testament Greek grammar has been written especially for the person who must study without the benefit of a teacher, although it can be used as a class text as well.
An Introductory Bibliography for the Study of Scripture: This third edition builds on the preceding two and has been "internationalized" whenever possible.
Apostasy and Perseverance in the Theology of Luke: This study by Fr. Brown of the Lucan parenesis reveals a notable divergence from the parenesis found elsewhere in the New Testament, especially in epistolary literature.
Aspects of Nonverbal Communication in the Ancient Near East: 2 VolumesGruber's book accounts for the multiplicity of homonymous anatomical idioms in the Hebrew Scriptures and in Akkadian and Ugaritic by utilizing the discoveries of R. Birdwhistell.
Biblical Greek: Illustrated with ExamplesA discussion of various points of Greek syntax of the New Testament with constant references to examples from the text. Of interest to all students of New Testament Greek, beginners and specialists.
Bibliography 1936-2002: This bibliography lists the numerous publications of the Rev. Robert Grady North, S.J., Professor Emeritus of Archaeology and Geography at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.
Breaking the Bread of the Word: Principles of Teaching ScripturesHill has written a provocative book about communicating the results of the modern study of Scripture.
Christ's Proclamation to the Spirits:: A Study of 1 Peter 3:18-4:6This work, originally published in 1965, was accepted as an important contribution to the study of 1 Pet. 3:18-4-6. This second edition is a new work.
Collected Studies on Pauline Literature and on the Book of Revelation: This work offers an analysis of Scripture and a broad synthesis of biblical thought.
Comparative Studies in Recent Greek New Testament Texts: Nestle-Aland's 25th and 26th EditionsNestle-Aland is the standard edition of the Greek text of the New Testament used by most scholars. A new edition of this text is a major event in the world of biblical scholarship.
Coptic Grammatical Categories: Structural studies in the Syntax of Shenoutean Sahidic.This work aims at a corpus-based description of certain central subsystems of Coptic grammar by using a structuralist method of analysis.
Corporate Elements in Pauline Anthology: A Study of Selected Terms, Idioms, and Concepts in the Light of Paul's UsageThe author contends that modern western biblical scholarship has not paid sufficient attention to the corporate dimension of Paul's anthropology.
Creation and the Teaching of the Qur'an: This study tries to determine the Qur'anic teaching on creation as an activity attributed properly to God and said to originate from "nothing."
Declaration and Covenant: A Comprehensive Review of Covenant Formulae from the Old Testament and the Ancient Near East"Covenant" has been a key theme for Old Testament study for many years. The traditional Hebrew word on which such study was based has been berit, but the author shows other ways of interpretation.
Do This As My Memorial: The Semantic and Conceptual Background and Value in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25This is a study of the text of the institution of the Eucharist as found in 1 Corinthians 11, 24-25.
Elenchus of Biblica Vol. 11: Vol. 11, Part I, 1995This bibliography treats all areas of investigation that involve the scientific study of the Bible - Volume 11.
Elenchus of Biblica, Vol. 4: This bibliography treats all areas of investigation that involve the scientific study of the Bible - Volume 4.
Elenchus of Biblica, Vol. 5: This bibliography treats all areas of investigation that involve the scientific study of the Bible - Volume 5.
Elenchus of Biblica, Vol. 6: This bibliography treats all areas of investigation that involve the scientific study of the Bible - Volume 6.
Elenchus of Biblica, Vol. 7: This bibliography treats all areas of investigation that involve the scientific study of the Bible - Volume 7.
Elenchus of Biblica, Vol. 8: This bibliography treats all areas of investigation that involve the scientific study of the Bible - Volume 8.
Elenchus of Biblica, Vol. 9: This bibliography treats all areas of investigation that involve the scientific study of the Bible - Volume 9.
Elenchus of Biblica, Vol. X: This bibliography treats all areas of investigation that involve the scientific study of the Bible, Volume 10.
Ezekiel's Oracles Against Egypt: A Literary and Philological Study of Ezekiel 29-32By making use of modern studies in the Northwest Semitic languages, this book presents a clearer portrait of the individual style and method of the prophet Ezekiel. Thoroughly indexed.
Foundations of the Christian Way of Life According to 1 Peter 1, 13-25: An Exegetico-Theological StudyThis study is a contribution to examining particular parts 1 Peter and brings to the fore the distinctive Theology and its functional dimension.
Genesis: An Authorship Study in Computer-Assisted Statistical LinguisticsThe Pentateuch is commonly viewed as made up of four "traditions": J, E, D, and P. Using computer-assisted statistical linguistics, a research team has produced a new interpretation of authorship.
Genesis and the "Jewish Antiquities" of Flavius Josephus: Current religious belief and practice in Palestine during the century beginning with 50 B.C. are of interest not only to the historian of religion but to the interpreter of the Christian Scriptures.
Institution and Narrative: Collected EssaysFather McCarthy was professor of Old Testament at the Pontifical Biblical Institute at the time of his death at age 58. This volume republishes 30 of his articles and presents two others for the first time.
Introduction to Akkadian: Third, revised editionThis present edition is more fully revised, and supplied with indices to the Akkadian vocabularies and signlists, and English-Akkadian glossary, and a paradigm of the strong verbs.
Introduction to Luke-Acts: A Study of the Role of LK 1, 1-4, 44 in the Composition of Luke's Two-Volume WorkA study of the relationship between the four initial chapters of Luke's Gospel and the rest of Luke-Acts.
Jesuit Encounters in the New World: Jesuit Chroniclers, Geographers, Educators and Missionaries in the Americas, 1549-1767
Job 29-31 In the Light of Northwest Semitic: A Translation and Philological CommentaryJob 29-31, sometimes referred to as "Job's apology," is a key passage for the moral teaching of the Old Testament.
Job in the Light of Northwest Semitic: Volume I - Prologue and First Cycle of Speeches Job 1:1 - 14:22Since the discoveries at Ugarit (1929) and at Ebla (1974), hundreds of new suggestions have been made, especially by M. Dahood, for the understanding of Job based on these texts.
Koinonia in the New Testament: A Dynamic Expression of Christian LifeThe author comes from India, where the cultural background indicates the contribution the Church can make in terms of fellowship. Hence this study of "fellowship" (koinonia) in the New Testament.
Lexicon Linguae Aramaicae Veteris Testamenti:
Lexicon of Inscriptional Qatabanian: Qatabanian, a dialect of the Epigraphic South Arabian group of dialects, was used by one of the pre-Islamic peoples of southwest Arabia and is known to us through extant inscriptional evidence.
Life "Anew": A Literary-Theological Study of Jer. 30-31This book is a study of the Hebrew text of Jer. 30-31 using techniques of poetic analysis and having as an underlying focus the question of exegetical method.
Medicine in the Biblical Background: and Other Essays on the Origins of HebrewFrom a study of medical terminology, Fr. North has been led to the conclusion that biblical Hebrew was never a "used" language, but was a scribal combination of elements from languages used in the environs.
Moses' Veil and the Glory of the New Covenant: Analyzes a single Pauline text, II Corinthians 3:1-4, 6, from the point of view of its logical and literary structure as it can be discovered from the its use and interpretation of the Old Testament.
Our Priest is Christ: The Doctrine of the Epistle to the HebrewsToday the meaning of priesthood is questioned and some changes in liturgy have become a matter of controversy. This book is a brief but substantial presentation of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Paul Outside the Walls:: A Study of Luke's Socio-Geographical Universalism in Acts 14:8-20A study in the re-examination of the Acts within the literary context of the "first missionary journey."
Primitive Conceptions of Death and the Nether World in the Old Testament: Death and the underworld as they are viewed by the authors of the Old Testament are here subjected to a thorough discussion.
Prophet Confronts His People: The Disputation Speech in the ProphetsA study of the prophetic technique of quoting the people's words in order to refute them. A detailed analysis is given of those texts where the people's words are quoted in order to be refuted.
Ras Shamra Parallels, Vol. I: The Texts from Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible.This volume's main purpose is to list and discuss the parallels between the Ugaritic and Akkadian literature from Ras Shamra and the Hebrew Bible.
Ras Shamra Parallels, Vol. II: The Texts from Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible.This volume's main purpose is to list and discuss the parallels between the Ugaritic and Akkadian literature from Ras Shamra and the Hebrew Bible.
Ras Shamra Parallels, Vol. III: The Texts from Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible.This volume's main purpose is to list and discuss the parallels between the Ugaritic and Akkadian literature from Ras Shamra and the Hebrew Bible.
Reading Ecclesiastes: Old Testament Exegesis and Hermeneutical TheoryThis volume explores the interface of hermeneutics and biblical exegesis while keeping its focus on the reading of Ecclesiastes.
Romans-Paul's Letter of Hope: By considering not only the "hope" (elpis) word-field but other expressions and statements of hope, as well as the opposites of hope—despair and presumption—this work demonstrates Paul's concerns.
Sin, Redemption, and Sacrifice: A Biblical and Patristic StudyThe reality of sin, the meaning of redemption and the role of sacrifice in the Christian economy - these are the major themes treated in this study.
Somatic Comprehension of Unity:The Church in Ephesus: This work describes the particular character of the unity of the Ephesian Church. The book proposes a new description of the unity of the Church in terms of a "somatic" comprehension.
Spelling in the Hebrew Bible: Dahood Memorial LectureThis book is an outgrowth of the Dahood Memorial Lectures delivered at the University of Michigan, February 8-10, 1983.
Structure and Message of the Epistle to the Hebrews: The author simply gives the text of the epistle in a rather literal translation, in a manner which makes the structure clear to the modern reader. The book is designed as a companion piece for conventional translations.
Studies in Northwest Semitic: Fifteen years after the death of Mitchell Dahood, it seems appropriate to consider some of his very original suggestions for interpreting the Hebrew text of the Old Testament.
Studies in Third Millennium Sumerian and Akkadian Personal Names: The Designation and Conception of the Personal GodPersonal names have played a major role in the investigation of the language and culture of ancient Semitic peoples. This study assesses the contribution to the religion of Mesopotamia.
Synopsis of the Greek Sources for the Hasmonean Period:: 1-2 Maccabees and Josephus, War 1 and Antiquities 12-14This volume makes available the major sources for the history of Palestine from 175-37 B.C.
The Ambiguity of Death in the Book of Wisdom 1-6: A Study of Literary Structure and InterpretationThe first six chapters of the book of Wisdom contain some rather daring and bold declarations on the nature of death. A careful reading of the text opens the reader to the author's metaphor of a trial scene.
The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire: Revised EditionThe first edition of this commentary has been the subject of much discussion, interpretation and study. The plates included will enable one to judge readings proposed by other scholars.
The Beginning of Jesus' Ministry According to Mark's Gospel (1,14-3,6):: A Redaction Critical StudyThis study is divided into three parts: part one concerns the place of 1,14-3,6 in Mark's Gospel; part two offers a literary analysis and interpretation of Mark's Gospel; part three covers literary relations and thematic progress.
The Biblical Commission's Document "The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church": Text and CommentaryThis work is a clarification of the Pontifical Biblical Commission's publication on the interpretation and use of the Bible in the Church.
The Biblical Jubilee: ... after fifty yearsThis volume is not a second edition of the author's earlier publication on the topic, but a survey of the numerous recent views.
The Claremont Ras Shamra Tablets: This publication incorporates three basic elements: Transliteration, English Translation and Commentary, including critical notes and historical analysis.
The Destruction of Jerusalem According to Luke's Gospel:A Historical-Typological Moral: This monograph attempts to answer questions posed by the Third Gospel's remarkable concern with the destruction of Jerusalem. It makes it interpretations in the light of recent developments in Gospel scholarship.
The Formula Quotations in the Infancy Narrative of Matthew: An Enquiry into the Tradition History of MT. 1-2An attempt to explore the tradition-history of Matthew's Infancy Narrative using the five formula quotations in it as a starting point.
The Fragment-Targums of the Pentateuch According to Their Extant Sources: The first comprehensive edition of the extant primary sources of the Palestinian Fragment-Targums to the Pentateuch, this work constitutes the Editio Princeps of the Fragment-Targums according to the Vatican.
The Genesis Apocryphon of Qumran Cave I: A CommentaryThe Genesis Apocryphon was the last of the major scrolls from Qumran Cave I to receive an extended commentary. The present commentary contains an introduction which discusses a variety of topics.
The House with Many Rooms: The Temple Theme of Jn. 14, 2-3This careful study of Jn. 14, 2-3 reveals significant temple implications. The term "place" is taken to mean sanctuary or temple.
The Message of the New Testament and the Aramaic Bible (Targum): The message of Jesus and the New Testament is presented as the fulfillment of the Jewish Scriptures. It is therefore vital to know how the latter were interpreted in the Jewish world of the first century A.D.
The Mind of Mark: Interpretation and Method Through the Exegesis of Mark 6, 52.Here are illuminating historical studies along with close criticism of many familiar techniques of interpreting through analysis of structures, parallels, allusions, and symbols.
The Renewal of Revelation Theology (1960-1962):: The Development and Responses to the Fourth Chapter of the Preparation Schema De Deposito FidelThis volume studies the background to the pastoral renewal of revelation theology represented in the first chapter of the Constitution Dei Verbum.
The Song of Songs and Ancient Tamil Love Poems: Poetry and SymbolismThe main scope of this study is to bring together two sets of literatures on the same theme of Love: the Songs of Songs in the Bible and ancient Tamil love poems.
The Transfiguration of Jesus:: Narrative Meaning and Function of Mark 9:2-8, Matt 17:1-8, and Luke 9:28-36This monograph is devoted to all three accounts of the transfiguration of Jesus.
The Vocabulary of the Old Testament: This book is a reference work designed to provide easy and accurate access to vocabulary distribution information. It presents the entire Hebrew and Aramaic vocabulary of the Old Testament in several distinct ways.
Ugaritic Textbook: Grammar, Texts in Transliteration, Cuneiform Selections, Glossary, IndicesA thorough introduction to the Ugaritic language.
Ugaritic-Hebrew Philology: Marginal Notes on Recent PublicationsThe present work is a series of observations by the late Fr. Dahood, a well-known Ugaritic scholar, on the classic grammar of the Ugaritic language.
Understanding BHS: A Manual for the Users of Biblia Hebraica StuttgartensiaThis manual is designed to be used in conjunction with the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS). A selected bibliography is provided for further study in depth.
Weep, O Daughter of Zion:: A Study of the City-Lament Genre in the Hebrew BibleThe present study seeks to call attention to a literary genre whose existence in the Hebrew Bible, until recently, has gone largely unnoticed, or at least not fully appreciated.
Word Order Variation in the Akkadian of Byblos: According to typological classification, the homeland Akkadian is a SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language. In contrast to this, the Akkadian of Byblos exhibits an overwhelming tendency to SVO order.