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Religious Book Store > Religious books beginning with N
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The Navarre Bible: The Letters of Saint Paul (The Navarre Bible: New Testament) |
Author: University of Navarre
Published: 2005-06 |
List price: $44.95
Our price: $44.95
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As of: January 07th, 2009 08:53:18 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Dig deeper into the writings of St. Paul
I recently had to teach a class on St. Paul for my parish, and I was looking for something to give me an overview of his letters - something that would be concise, informative, and faithful to Paul and to Church teaching. This collection was the answer.
The Navarre Bible - a project of the Theology Faculty of the University of Navarre in Spain - consists of a blend of modern scholarship, writings of the fathers and the saints, and devotional material. As such, it is perfect for the average Catholic (or non-Catholic) who wishes to dig into the Scriptures more deeply but doesn't want to worry about conclusions that contradict the Church or get bogged down with scholarly debates and technical details about form criticism, source criticism, etc. which can detract from understanding how the text has been received in the Church over the centuries.
This volume, which contains all 13 letters attributed to St. Paul, is a useful collection. Along with the RSV text of the letters, it contains the Vulgate text (included in small print in the back of the book), commentaries as footnotes to the text, as well as generous introductions to each of the letters and to the whole Pauline corpus. The introductions to the letters are helpful in that they give a brief overview of the recipient of the letter as well as an overview of the issues underlying the letter itself. The introduction to the whole corpus allows one to put the letters in the overall context of the life of St. Paul and his teachings. The Navarre faculty take a traditional stance on most debatable issues, and as such some of their conclusions go against the modern scholarly consensus, but never do they take a position without a strong defense of it, nor do they take a position contrary to the Church's teachings.
The Navarre Bible is offered in a variety of combinations. I personally prefer these hard-back collections of similarly grouped books, as they are more convenient to own than all the paper-back individual commentaries, and more in-depth than the single New Testament collection. The Letters of St. Paul is a fine example of first-rate scholarship, faithfulness to the Catholic tradition, and a devotional outlook to this most important of books.
Outstanding
I recommend every edition of the Navarre bible. If I have one complaint about the commentary, it is that the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva are a bit over represented in my opinion. However, the commentary is outstanding and plenty of church fathers, theologians, and other saints are used in compiling it.
It is an expensive bible to use. You are looking at the edition of Paul's letters. It is a thick hard bound edition that does not use "bible paper." The entire Navarre bible takes up one of my bookshelves.
However, I am so glad I own it. I refer to it all the time. The commentary is solid and orthodox. While insights gained from modern biblical criticism (such as from the scholars of the historical critical school) are included, they do not make up the entirety of the commentary (as they do in the "Catholic Study Bible" using the NAB.) The commentary therefore has something to say about all the senses of scripture: the literal, the allegorical, the anagogical, and the moral.
Worth every penny.
 Another outstanding contribution . . .
. . . to an already outstanding series.
I am thrilled that Navarre is now publishing the New Testament in hardback. However, I wish that the editors would do with the NT what they have done with the OT in including the New Vulgate as well as the RSV and the outstanding commentary.
Nevertheless, the series is great. I required the "Gospels and Acts" volumes for two upper division Scripture classes I taught last spring. I would have no hesitation using this volume as a required text as well.
Very Highly Recommended.
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