The Navarre Bible: Chronicles to Maccabees

The Navarre Bible #3

by University of Navarra

The faith and perseverance of God’s people — explained in the Navarre Bible commentary for Chronicles, Maccabees and more This volume of the Navarre Bible commentaries unlocks the mysteries of a wide-ranging sequence of Old Testament the historical books of Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Maccabees and the little-known but pivotally important books of Tobit, Judith, and Esther. In these books you’ll find the rich and instructive stories of Kings David and Solomon, the Babylonian exile, and its aftermath; the heroism of the Maccabees who gave their lives to preserve their faith in God; and the deep faith and awareness of divine blessing that invests the books of Tobit, Judith, and Esther. This sturdy hardcover contains the complete Latin and English texts of each book; commentary based on the writings of the great saints and doctors of the Church; charts and maps; and material on each book’s historical and Biblical context.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Scripture

640 pages, Hardcover

First published November 9, 2002

About the author

The University of Navarra is a private university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of Opus Dei, as a corporate work of the apostolate of Opus Dei.

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was not a smooth, light read, but a slow, painstaking plod. Ancient historians were not bound by the same rules that modern historians follow, so the commentary section of these books was an almost constant corrective on the sequence of events. Dates of course would not be given as we know them today in BC (Before Christ), so that was another adjustment. All-in-all, it felt like a translation read.

Did I learn a lot? You bet!

Would I recommend this! Absolutely!

Do I recommend reading this as I did, cover-to-cover? No! I think this is one of those compendiums which is probably better read just one book at a time, and really as much as I spread this out, that is what I did. It is a STUDY of each of these historical books and that they are bound together is more for publishers' convenience and buyers value than anything else. Each book needs to be approached separately, which is what I will do when I return (God willing!)

I know that the entire Bible can be read in a year (God bless Fr. Mike Schmitz) and I want to do it, but I prefer reading small sections like this more in depth. However, I have read the entire Bible through three times plus done innumerable Bible studies which required reading large sections of the Bible. Anyway, on to the next Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Wisdom Books.

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading Tobit for my book club and I simply love the commentary that the Navarre Bible provides. It really helps open the books up for me.

[Damon]

"A tradition based study bible with the RSV-CE (Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition) translation. It contains multitudes of excerpts from homilies written by such holy men as St. John Chrysostom, St. Jose Marie Escriva, Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Joseph Ratizinger, etc... An in depth compilation of the prominent writings from our Church leaders on the Scriptures. Each book begins with a thorough explanation of the historical, geographical, political, and religious settings of the book and author when it was written."
-Damon