A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament

by Jeff Cavins, Jeffery Morrow, Biff Rocha

Illuminate your understanding of the Old Testament with introductions and context for each of its 46 books.

The Old Testament makes up over half of the Bible and spans the vast majority of Scripture’s historical timeline, yet the ancient culture in which it was written and the unspoken context of its books mean that much of its wisdom can be difficult for readers to understand.

Now Catholics can be invigorated in the study of Scripture, connect with the story of God’s Chosen People, and uncover new meaning in the Old Testament’s narrative with A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament.

This comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the Old Testament seeks to unveil the mysteries of divine revelation contained in the Old Testament and unlock the hidden details of this God-given text. It helps Catholics become better acquainted with each book’s human author, main characters, and important points in order to transform their understanding of the “big picture” of Scripture and its meaning for their lives.


Written by 4 highly regarded biblical scholars, this guide to the Old Testament contains:

 46 introductions to each of the Old Testament’s books, including
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  the book’s relationship to the New Testament and Catholic Tradition,
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  its significance to the greater story of salvation,
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  who wrote it and when,
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  major characters, key events, and themes,
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  and more!
 Over a dozen full-color charts outlining major feasts, kings and prophets, covenants, genealogies, and more.
 15 full-color maps depicting the journeys of Abraham, desert wanderings of the Israelites, major kingdoms and empires, and more.
 Over 20 articles on the topics of geography, laws, sacrifice, literature, the canon of Scripture, archaeology and the accuracy of the biblical narrative, and more.
 The Bible Timeline® color coding—the same system used in the chart-topping podcast The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)™ featuring Jeff Cavins.

With this Catholic guide, readers will no longer wonder how each of the Old Testament’s books contributes to the narrative of Scripture or struggle to understand its main characters, historical context, and literary forms.

The only introduction to the Old Testament based on The Bible Timeline Learning System, A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament is the perfect companion to The Great Adventure Catholic Bible and the various studies of The Great Adventure® Bible Study program.

Genres: Catholic

483 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2023

About the author

After twelve years as a Protestant pastor, Jeff returned to the Catholic Church under the guidance of Bishop Paul Dudley. His conversion story, one of the best known and inspiring stories of its kind, is chronicled in the best-selling book, My Life on the Rock.

Over the past several decades, Jeff has dedicated his life to developing The Great Adventure: A Journey through the Bible, a practical, interactive program that helps people read the “big picture” of God’s plan in Sacred Scripture and understand its meaning for their lives. The Great Adventure presents the entire sweep of the Bible in a way that is easy to understand and genuinely fun. Its unique Bible Timeline learning system has revolutionized Catholic Bible Study for hundreds of thousands of Catholics since 1995.

Jeff received his MA in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Reviews

[Jill Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Now this is written more in an easy textbook style, but it gave me a greater understanding of the books of the old testament. It breaks it down by explaining who write it and when. They is breaks it down into key events and themes, including the characters and structure, highlighting important parts and noting the correlation to the new testament. I took a long time to read this, a little at at time. I would recommend reading this with the Bible passage.

[JohnL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Cavins connects the dots across 2000 years of Biblical history and shows us the key and recurring themes. He teaches us how the New Testament is hidden in the Old and how the Old Testament is revealed in the New. The Old Testament and New are not separate books. The New Testament fulfills the prophesies in the old.

You will learn the big picture.

[Dan Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful resource for connecting the dots in the Old Testament. Part 2 and it’s graphic visualization of concepts was great!