Ascension Catholic Church | Books of the Bible with Fr. Eamon Tobin

	Bible Study Resources Dear Reader, Reading the Bible, especially some of the books of the Old Testament, can be a difficult and daunting task. It is my hope that my commentaries on each book will be helpful as you pursue your study of scripture. Embedded in each of the articles are questions that seek to connect the biblical text with our daily lives. Whether you are with a small group or on your own, consider reflecting on each question as it applies to your own life. Short and long version Each commentary on a particular book of the Bible has a short and a long version. The short version has a brief description of the book's contents and focus, divisions of chapters, and suggested chapters for reading -- aimed at giving the reader a good overview of each book. It is my hope that the short version will be helpful to readers who do not have the time or inclination to read all the chapters of a particular book and the corresponding commentary. The long version contains a commentary on each chapter of the book. If you need help with some of the recommended chapters in the short version, you can read the commentary in the long version. Writing the Bible commentaries is an on-going project and will take years to accomplish. May the Lord guide you and grant you wisdom and understanding as you read and study his Word. Prayer before Bible Reading Let your scriptures be my chaste delight. O Lord, perfect me and reveal those pages to me! See, your voice is my joy. Give me what I love. May the inner secrets of your words be laid open to me when I knock. This I beg by our Lord Jesus Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. These are the treasures I seek in your books. (St. Augustine) In Christ, Fr. Eamon Tobin (For more information about Fr. Eamon Tobin, click here) Article one: Introduction to the Bible. In this article you find a summary of much of the material found in introductory books on the Bible: the five stages of how the Bible came to be, an exploration of what the church means by divine revelation, divine inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible and how the church decided to accept certain books into the Canon of the Bible, Catholic interpretation of the Bible and how it differs from a fundamentalist approach. Finally, this article gives a summary or overview of the whole biblical story with a timeline. THE PENTATEUCH GENESIS Short Version Article two: Introduction to the Pentateuch (Chapters 1-2) Article three: The Fall and the Spread of Sin (Chapters 3-11). Article four: The Patriarchs -- Abraham (Chapters 12-25) Article five: The Patriarchs -- Isaac and Jacob (Chapters 25-36) Article six: The Patriarchs -- Joseph (Chapters 37-50) EXODUS Short Version The book of Exodus is the most important book of the Old Testament because it recounts the two key events in Israel's history: her [or the Israelites'] liberation from Egypt and the Sinai covenant. There are three articles on this book: Article Seven: Israel's Liberation from Slavery (Chapters 1-12) Article Eight: Israel's Journey into the Wilderness (Chapters 12-18) Article Nine: The Sinai Covenant (Chapters 19-40) LEVITICUS Short Version Article Ten: Israel's Call To Holiness (Chapters 1-10) Article Eleven: The Holiness Code (Chapters 11-27) NUMBERS Short Version Article Twelve: Preparation for Departure from the Sinai (Chapters 1-10) Article Thirteen: Grumbling and Rebellion in the Desert (Chapters 10-21) Article Fourteen: On the Plains of Moab (Chapters 22-36) DEUTERONOMY Short Version Article Fifteen: A Call to Choose Life through Obedience to God's Word (Chapters 1-11) Article Sixteen: Rules and Regulations for Daily Life (Chapters 12-28) Article Seventeen: A Covenant Appeal -- Promise of Forgiveness (Chapters 29-32) THE HISTORICAL BOOKS JOSHUA Short Version Article Eighteen: A Promise Fulfilled (Chapters 1-6) Article Nineteen: The Conquest Continues (Chapters 7-24) JUDGES Short Version Article Twenty: Struggle between Faith and Culture (Chapters 1-8) Article Twenty-One: The Struggle Continues (Chapters 9-21) RUTH Article Twenty-two: The Faithful Woman -- God's Universal Love 1 SAMUEL Short Version (1 + 2 Samuel) Article Twenty-three: Samuel (Chapters 1-7) Article Twenty-four: The Monarchy (Chapters 8-17) Article Twenty-five: Decline of Saul and Rise of David (Chapters 18-31) 2 SAMUEL Article Twenty-six: David's Rise to Power (Chapters 1-10) Article Twenty-seven: David's Sin and its Consequences (Chapters 11-16) Article Twenty-eight: David's Troubles Continue (Chapters 17-24) 1 KINGS Short Version (1 + 2 Kings) Article Twenty-nine: Kingdom United (Chapters 1-11) Article Thirty: A Kingdom Divided (Chapters 12-22) 2 KINGS Article Thirty-one: The Prophetic Ministry of Elisha (Chapters 1-17) Article Thirty-two: The Kingdom after Judah (after 721 B.C.) (Chapters 18-25) 1 CHRONICLES Short Version (1 + 2 Chronicles) Article Thirty-three: Genealogy and the Reign of David (Chapters 1-29) 2 CHRONICLES Article Thirty-four: Solomon and the Kings of Judah (Chapters 1-36) EZRA Short Version (Ezra and Nehemiah) Article Thirty-five: The Period of Restoration (Chapters 1-10) NEHEMIAH Article Thirty-six: Rebuilding and Restoration (Chapters 1-13) 1 MACCABEES Article Thirty-seven: The Final Period of the Old Testament, Part One (Chapters 1-16) 2 MACCABEES Article Thirty-eight: The Final Period of the Old Testament, Part Two (Chapters 1-15) DANIEL Short Version Article Thirty-nine: Daniel THREE HISTORICAL NOVELS TOBIT Short Version Article Forty: Tobit JUDITH Short Version Article Forty-one: Judith ESTHER Article Forty-two: Esther THE PROPHETS Article Forty-three: Introduction to the Prophets HOSEA Article Forty-four: Hosea - Prophet of God's Unconditional Love AMOS Article Forty-five: Amos - Prophet of Social Justice Resources *Introduction to the Bible -- Stephen Binz --* This book is an excellent help with all the issues discussed in article 1. Inside the Bible - Kenneth Baker S.J. -- This excellent guide covers each of the 73 books of the Bible under the following headings: Place of the book in the Bible, key themes of the book, summary of the story, theology or message of the book, divisions of chapters. The Catholic Bible-Personal Study Edition. This excellent biblical guide also covers each book of the Bible under the following headings: What should I look for in this book? When and where did the events occur, why was the book written, what is the story. This book has very helpful commentaries on most sections of the books of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament books. Finally, this book has the text of all 73 books of the Bible. Commentaries The following books offer an introduction and overview of each book of the Bible and a commentary of each chapters of each book. The Collegeville Bible Commentary -- Old Testament The Collegeville Bible Commentary - New Testament Interpretation Series -- This is a 43 volume series on the books of the old and New Testament. The Daily Bible Study Series -- his is also a 40+ volume series of commentaries on the Old and New Testament. The Interpretation series and Daily Study series are by Protestant authors. They therefore, do not have commentaries on the seven books of the Old Testament not accepted in the Protestant Canon of the Bible.