Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testaments

I will qualify my review by stating that I am Catholic-adjacent, and considering entering into the Catholic church soon. I will also add that I am a lifelong student of the Bible. Studying scripture is my single biggest hobby, and I am also a Christian author. Anyways, here's my review. The Ignatius Press Study Bible is unbelievable. I've had mine for 3 weeks, and I'm convinced this is the best study Bible on the market (perhaps only second to the Word on Fire Bible, which isn't really the same). Before I bought it, I borrowed several competing study Bibles from friends and the Library, and there's really no comparison – the Ignatius Press Study Bible, which took around 25 years to complete from what I've heard, is the only one of its kind. I've read about 5-6 of the included essays, and they were all brilliantly written, and I learned quite a bit from them. The commentary strikes a good balance between modern scholarship and traditional beliefs. It doesn't shy away from the tough questions (i.e. the divine council in the OT, the glorification of killing in Joshua, the multiple authors of Isaiah, etc.) That said, it mostly leans conservative with its interpretations (e.g., it never hints at parts of Genesis or Joshua as being ahistorical, or anything like that). The style of interpretation didn't feel surface level at all. Unlike many of the competing study Bibles I read, the Ignatius Press Study Bible has already taught me a ton. It has notes on the cultural contexts, the Hebrew and Greek wording, quotes from the Church Fathers, etc. In fact, some of the pages had so much commentary that there were more footnotes than actual Scripture (the first page of Genesis only gets through three verses because the commentary is so stacked!) It has the typical notes you'd expect (e.g., explaining difficult passages), but also, typological and anagogical interpretations that I'd never have come to on my own. That said, I still find myself googling often. There aren't a ton of notes on the poetic and chaistic structure of the text. There also aren't Strongs numbers for looking up Hebrew and Greek words. The style of commentary is definitely a better fit for a Catholic than for a Messianic Jew or someone who really skews towards the Jewish roots of the faith. In fact, this study Bible is unapologetically Catholic. But that is its greatest strength. This Bible is a behemoth. It's almost as wide as a tin can. I can't imagine getting the floppy leather version – hard back is the only way to go. In fact, while looking into which version to get, I learned that many people returned their floppy leather versions to get the hardback version. So maybe do yourself the favor and do that ahead of time. One strange omission is that there are no bookmark ribbons. Also, there are no tabs on the side to easily find the book you're looking for. That's not a big deal, but I wanted to mention it. As far as the RSV-2 translation goes, I find it to be very readable except for the way it translates the names of people and places. There's often weird apostrophes (e.g., Abraham's brother is Na'hor instead of Nahor.) Otherwise, I find it to be just as readable as ESV, NASB, and other mainline translations.

36 years old and I never read a Bible. I did try as a child- the ancestry chapters lost me. I never really had a guide. Catholics don't typically do Bibles. But now I have been moved to try again. I didn't even know a Catholic Study Bible was a thing until I stumbled across it. Can I call it a Godsend without sounding like a pun? It is the word of God, passed through centuries of faithful scholars and Saints. Every page of scripture has the verses on the top and a corresponding analysis on the bottom. There are NUMEROUS essays that have really helped me understand. Many of my questions have been answered. There are some WEIRD things happening in the Bible. But now I see- it's not the Bible that's weird- it all makes perfect sense when it's explained. If you're wondering why on earth is there a part about the family escaping Sodom and Gomorrah only for the surviving daughters to get their dad drunk and betray him- the answer is here. If you're wondering why Noah is bumbling around naked and yelling at his sons, the answer is here. If you're wondering why everybody is washing each other's feet- it's here. If you're wondering what part of the Red Sea was parted in Exodus- they have maps. If you want to know if that's what someone REALLY meant- it's here. This Bible provides asterisks throughout whenever a word has more than one possible translation- they explain WHY they chose the meaning that they did. It often has to do with following the writer's patterns of use with that word in other areas. It's also a great history lesson. Why are these specific books included in the Catholic version and not others? It's here. Timelines are provided for Adam to Noah to Jesus. MANY maps are included of the Holy Land to include the various name changes over the centuries. You will learn God's word and so much more. It also tells us who the authors REALLY are- by providing most common beliefs, theories, and evidence. It always provides a few possible options. Did you know the Old Testament features one righteous line of descendants and one wicked? It is laid out here. So if you're wondering why we are reading about horrible people, what is the purpose- it's to illustrate the wicked blood line who will later be enemies of Israel. If you're wondering why Abraham's wife, Sarah, tells him to sleep with her maid to have a child- this explains it. Back then it was basic surrogacy. I could NOT comprehend the morality of it all without context. I can't imagine how anyone could. There is also an AMAZING index. I posted a photo of one. There's also an index of parables and metaphors of Jesus. A chart that will list miracles of Jesus and then reference each Gospel it was featured in and compare. The cover and binding are still perfectly intact despite being dragged all over the place, trampled by my dog, attacked by my toddler, and shared with my six year old. It's full of underlining, flag notes, and post-its. It's not cheaply made. It will last years of reading, re-reading, and sharing. I feel confident this book will allow me to answer my children's questions one day. I had those questions and the answers were not to my satisfaction. I took a sad pause from religion for 20 years or so- mainly because of unanswered questions. I am back, praise and glory to God. I am so glad I found this book. Seek Him and you will find Him. He is waiting for you.

Very useful with detailed explanations. Perfect companion for bible studies.

Me gustan sus comentarios al pie de página aunque estén escritos en inglés

Great notes , I didn’t expect it to be as big as it is but I took a look at the notes and I was impressed with them 👍 Also most as big as one chad mode from choq

So happy to have it.

I don't normally do reviews but as I have been looking for a particular catholic bible for some time and this is the one I've been waiting for I cannot help leave a review. First of all the package itself, it travelled well. The dust sleeve it comes with tuck the brunt on the impact through travel. The bible itself, beautiful leather and fantastic quality. Now on opening the bible I have heard people say they are missing pages. John being the affected pages on page 1883. I can confirm that the pages are all intact in my copy. Inside the bible is the contents pages, abbreviations, contributing writers, Introduction to the Ignatius Catholic study bible, The Catholic church and sacred scripture, The Catholic canon of scripture, overview of salvation history, introduction to the Pentateuch and then before every story in the bible is an introduction to the story. Half the pages are bible stories other half is bible study. There are fantastic charts and charts scattered throughout, word study the list goes on. Highly recommend this bible to everyone. A must have for any catholic but also worth an investment for people of different faiths due to the extra apocrypha. I am having so much fun reading this and studying the bible in a never before way. Thank you to Ignatius for working over the 20 something years to create this.