The Bible and the Gospel: The Meaning of Scripture—From the God Who Speaks to the God Made Man

by Louis Bouyer, Michael Heintz (Editor), Mary Perkins Ryan (Translator)

The Bible and the Gospel expresses the unified nature of God’s revelation to mankind within the the continuity of the history of Israel and the life of the Church. Eschewing both sterile historicism and gratuitous allegory, Bouyer provides an illuminating initiation to reading of the Old and the New Testaments. For this new edition, Michael Heintz has revised the original English translation, added the previously untranslated Preface, written numerous editorial annotations, and contributed an Introduction that illuminates Bouyer and his theological vision. To paraphrase St. Jerome, “Knowledge of Scripture is knowledge of Christ.” With Bouyer as their trustworthy guide, readers can become rich in that knowledge. Equally erudite and accessible, The Bible and the Gospel is the perfect gift for students and scholars, preachers and parishioners, and anyone who seeks to know and love the Word of God.

319 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Rev. Louis Bouyer (1913-2004) was a member of the French Oratory and one of the most respected and versatile Catholic scholars and theologians of the twentieth century.

A friend of Hans Urs von Balthasar, Joseph Ratzinger, and J.R.R. Tolkien, and a co-founder of the international review Communio, Bouyer was a former Lutheran minister who entered the Catholic Church in 1939.

He became a leading figure in the Catholic biblical and liturgical movements of the twentieth century, was an influence on the Second Vatican Council, and became well known for his excellent books on history of Christian spirituality. In addition to his many writings, Bouyer lectured widely across Europe and America.

Woman in the Church (with an epilogue by Balthasar and an essay by C.S. Lewis), was one of the first three books published by Ignatius Press, in 1979. Other Ignatius Press books by Bouyer include The Word Church and Sacraments in Protestantism and Catholicism, Women Mystics, and the introduction to John Henry Newman: Prayers Verses Devotions (Bouyer wrote a biography of Newman).

He was chosen by the Pope to be part of a team to initiate the International Theological Commission in 1969.