The Navarre Bible: The Catholic Letters
Overview
In the early 1970s the theology faculty of the University of Navarre embarked on the project of making a new Spanish translation of the Bible—a volume accompanied by commentary designed for the general reader. This project was entrusted to the faculty by St. Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei and the university’s first chancellor. The first volume, St. Matthew, appeared in 1976; the project was completed February 2005. The Navarre Bible series is considered by many the best Catholic commentary on the Bible available today.
More comprehensive than the The Navarre Bible: New Testament, this volume features notes and introductions—rarely very technical—designed to illuminate the spiritual and theological message of the Bible. The Standard Edition is replete with quotations from commentaries by the Fathers, as well as excerpts from other spiritual writers—not least among them, St. Josemaría Escrivá—provided to show how they read Scripture and made it meaningful in their lives.
The “Catholic Letters” include James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1–3 John, and Jude. These letters are grouped together to distinguish them from the Pauline corpus (the 13 previous letters, plus Hebrews). The letters, for the most part, address the Church as a whole—rather than specific churches or individuals—and contain religious instruction and moral teaching to encourage their readers to lead deeply Christian lives.
The Navarre Bible New Testament, Standard Edition is both scholarly and readable, presenting an intellectual, historical, and applicable survey of the riches of the New Testament. In the Logos edition of Catholic Letters, each Scripture passage links to your favorite translation, and is easy to study side-by-side with your other commentaries. You can search by topic or Scripture with split-second results!
This commentary does not include the Bible texts. The print edition cites the RSVCE and the Nova Vulgata, each available separately, or in select Verbum packages.
Key Features
- Provides an introduction to James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1–3 John, and Jude
- Draws on numerous Catholic resources
- Contains a table of sources cited, maps, and informative notes
Contents
- Preface and Preliminary Notes
- Abbreviations
- General Introduction to the Catholic Letters
- Canonicity
- Common Features
- Introduction to the Letter of St. James
- The Author
- Canonicity
- Date of Composition
- Immediate Readership
- Content
- Doctrinal and Moral Questions
- The Letter of James: English Version, with Notes
- Introduction to the First Letter of St. Peter
- St. Peter the Apostle
- The Author
- Immediate Readership and Date of Composition
- Content
- Trials
- Baptism
- Other Doctrinal Concepts
- Introduction to the First Letter to Timothy
- The Church of Ephesus
- Content
- The First Letter of St. Peter: English Version, with Notes
- Introduction to the Second Letter of St. Peter
- The Author
- Immediate Readership and Date of Composition
- Links between 2 Peter and the Letter of St. Jude
- Content
- The Final Coming of the Lord
- The False Teachers
- Moral Conduct
- The Second Letter of St. Peter: English Version, with Notes
- Introduction to the First Letter of St. John
- Immediate Readership
- Date of Composition
- The Reason for the Letter
- Content
- Teaching
- The First Letter of John: English Version, with Notes
- Introduction to the Second and Third Letters of St. John
- The Author
- Special Introduction to 2 John
- The Second Letter of John: English Version, with Notes
- Special Introduction to 3 John
- The Third Letter of John: English Version, with Notes
- Introduction to the Letter of St. Jude
- The Author
- Authenticity
- Canonicity
- Immediate Readership
- Background and Purpose
- Plan and Content
- The Letter of Jude: English Version, with Notes
- New Vulgate Text
- Explanatory Notes
- Headings Added to the Biblical Text
- Maps
- Sources Quoted in the Commentary
Top Highlights
“Summing up, it is fairly clear that the letter was written by James, ‘the Lord’s brother’ and bishop of Jerusalem, who was probably the same person as the James, son of Alphaeus, listed in the Gospel as an apostle (cf. Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18).” (Page 14)
“because it very clearly points up the unity between the Old and New Testaments.” (Page 13)
“knowing God means being united to him by faith and love—by grace” (Page 136)
“every sin involves a pretentious desire to be like God” (Page 146)
“Therefore, it is not just a matter of a metaphorical title, or a legal fiction, or adoption human-style: divine filiation is an essential feature of a Christian’s life, a marvellous fact whereby God gratuitously gives men a strictly supernatural dignity, an intimacy with God whereby they are domestici Dei, ‘members of the household of God’ (Eph 2:19). This explains the tone of amazement and joy with which St John passes on this revelation.” (Page 145)
Praise for the Series
[The Bible is] presented unambiguously as the inspired Word of God and, with the help of the commentaries, we are introduced to 2,000 years of contemplative Christian reading and living of the sacred Word.
—Osservatore Romano
. . . Superb volume for adult Bible Study . . . most helpful, enlightening, and fascinating.
—Catholic Transcript
Product Details
- Title: The Navarre Bible: The Catholic Letters
- Translator: Michael Adams
- Edition: Revised
- Publisher: Four Courts Press
- Publication Date: 2005
- Pages: 224
About Michael Adams
Michael Adams was a graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast, and the University of Navarre, Pamplona. Michael’s first significant involvement in publishing was with Irish University Press. He was also instrumental in setting up Irish Academic Press, where he served as managing director until 1995. Michael was the author of Censorship: the Irish experience (the subject of his PhD thesis), as well as two short books on religion. In recognition of his contribution to academic studies in Ireland, Trinity College, Dublin awarded him an honorary doctorate in Letters in 2005.
