Online Ignatius Catholic Bible Study

Adam Janke, who is the Coordinator of Religious Education at St. Mary Catholic Church in Williamston, Michigan, and webmaster of CatecheticsOnline.com, recently sent the following note:

I have gathered some interest in doing a new online Bible study using the Ignatius Press "Catholic Study Bible" series co-authored with Commentary, Notes, and Study Questions by Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. This Bible study will take place over the Internet and we will be working through 1 chapter per week. I believe this study can be useful for those of us with very busy schedules. It will also be an opportunity for others who are not as educated to learn from those who are. The studies themselves are fairly inexpensive - it would take us about 6 months to finish Matthew and the booklet costs $10.

To register for the online Bible Study, go to this page on CatecheticsOnline.com. Joining the Bible study does require forum membership, but forum membership is free.

To learn more about the Ignatius Study Bible commentary series, read the introduction, written by Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. And:


The Ignatius Study Bible series provide Commentary, Notes, and Study Questions by Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Also included are an Introductory Essay, Topical Essays, Word Studies and Charts. The Introductory Essay covers questions of authorship, date, destination, structure and themes. The Topical Essays explore the major themes of the book, often relating them to the doctrines of the Church. The Word Studies explain the background to important Bible terms, while the Charts summarize crucial biblical information "at a glance".

PUBLISHED SO FAR:

• Gospel of Matthew
• Gospel of Mark
• Gospel of Luke
• Gospel of John
• Acts of the Apostles
• Romans
• 1 and 2 Corinthians
• Galatians and Ephesians
• Philippians, Colossians and Philemon
• Thessalonians, Timothy, and Titus

Comments

[Paul H]

Hi Carl,

I really like this series, and I have been slowly working my way through it for a while now. I have fallen several books behind with respect to the release schedule (I'm halfway through Romans, and I also have 1 & 2 Corinthians sitting on my shelf waiting to be read), but I do plan to get through all of them sooner or later.

I have several questions, mostly pertaining to the future plans for the series:

(1) Will you continue publishing individual volumes for the remainder of the New Testament and for the entire Old Testament?
(2) Will a full Bible or at least a full NT and/or OT volume be published at some point? And if so, will this supersede any of the individual volumes (e.g., would you possibly release the full NT in the near future, without first releasing the individual volumes for the remaining NT books)?
(3) Is there a tentative timetable for all of this?
(4) As a follow-up to the previous question, is the timetable determined mostly by publishing considerations (e.g., not wanting to flood the market with too many volumes at once), or by limits in how quickly the authors can produce the study notes?

My reason for asking question (2) is just that I would love to have the entire study Bible, or at least the NT (if the OT study notes will not be finished any time soon), in one volume. This would be much more convenient for carrying it around as a reference, and also for cross-referencing passages in different books of the Bible.

Thanks in advance for any answers!

Paul

[Mark Brumley]

My answers to Paul H's questions:

1. For the remainder of the NT, yes, we will do individual volumes--which should all be published, I think, in 2008. For all of the OT, probably--remembering that "individual volumes" doesn't necessarily mean "individual books of the Bible". For instance, we combined 1 and 2 Corinthians. We'll do more of that with the NT for certain. I'm not sure about the OT.

2. The plan is eventually to have a full Bible, probably prior to that a full NT. However, neither collections will be done before all the booklets for the correspoinding section--NT and OT--that are going to be published are published. At least that's the plan right now.

3. There is a tentative timetable but Sauron and Voldemort want to know too and we're keeping it a secret from them.

4. Timetable is mostly determined by editorial process.

[Adam Janke]

Thank you for this "plug" Mr. Olsen. Hopefully it will make the study all the more successful!

Adam

[Paul H]

Hi Mark,

I'm sorry for all of the nosy questions, but many thanks for your answers! :-) I'm really looking forward to getting the full New Testament in one volume (or the whole Bible in one volume would be even better, but one step at a time). I'm also very much looking forward to getting some of the Old Testament volumes.

Of course, I realize that I haven't even read all of the ones that you have already released, so technically I have no need to be in such a hurry. But I tend to enjoy biting off more than I can chew when it comes to buying books -- I always have a stack of at least four or five books waiting to be read. :-)

Paul

[Sharon]

I too am working my way slowly through the series. Here in Australia the books cost $20!

I like the individual volumes because I have arthritis in my hands and arms and am finding some books increasingly difficult to lift and use easily, the series so far is light (in ounces/grammes) and easily managable.

[Ressourcement]

I was in the "market" for a new Bible a few months ago. After coming to the conclusion that the Study Bible wouldn't be out for 50 more years, I decided on a new one and am using it. I rarely change Bibles (only 2 in 10 years) because I pretty much cake them with notes, which makes it difficult to get rid of.

ONE THING THAT IGNATIUS PRESS SHOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER: I have seen NIV study bibles that have blank note pages inserted every few pages and have 1 inch margins ALL the way around the page. In fact, I was even thinking of using the NIV JUST for that reason... but... in the end... the fact that they didn't have all of the OT and it isn't a great translation changed my mind. I WOULD HOPE THAT IGNATIUS WILL CONSIDER THIS. To me, a "study bible" isn't as much the notes that come with it, but the amount of notes ****I**** can add to it. ;)

[cranky]

Ressourcement is SO RIGHT!!! Also, add a concordance. Protestant Bibles have spaces and margins and concordances. Catholic Bibles have no room.

[Adam Janke]

That is true. It is extremely difficult to write notes in my hardcover RSV from Ignatius. It especially drives us converts nuts. There is not even all that much room for note taking in the 1 volume study bibles.

[Ressourcement]

I think that publishers must think that they wouldn't be able to recoup the money or something. I would gladly pay an extra $15, $20, $30 for a Bible that had "room to grow". The REASON I had to get a new Bible is because my old IGNATIUS one had basically no room left to write notes. The unfortunate thing is that there really weren't that many notes.

A Bible isn't just a "book". I don't care if it is $75. If it is a good translation, won't fall apart after abuse, has wide margins (all the way around), has note pages and good notes from editors, etc. I will pay a lot for it. It is MORE than worth the money.

PS. WHEN I WAS SAMPLING NEW BIBLES, I TRIED THE NEW RSVCE THAT IGNATIUS PUBLISHES. I DIDN'T USE IT FOR ONE REASON: THE PAGES WERE GLOSSY. While that is nice (and the font is easy to read), I can't use a drylighter in it very well (a sort of color pencil) and pencils and pens don't work that well either. I love the fron't, but the new Ignatius Bible "isn't there yet".

[Brian John Schuettler]

I love the cool comments from converts. Their love for the Bible is so infectious!

[Mark Brumley]

We'll see what we can do about accomodating the range of desires regarding Study Bible formats.

[phatcatholic]

Personally, the slowness with which they are releasing the individual volumes is getting on my nerves. I can't help but see it as a money-making scheme. I hear Scott Hahn himself is frustrated with it. Apparently, a lot of the work is done already, and Ignatius Press is just holding on to them. There's obviously a readership that is getting very impatient with this. Give us the content already!!

[IngoB]

I entirely agree with previous comments on the need for completing this project ASAP, and then for publishing the entire bible in one volume (or perhaps up to three volumes, if that just becomes too big). I have read through the Matthew volume my previous priest lend to me when I was a catechumen (I'm an adult convert), and it was excellent. But I have no real interest in buying the individual volumes. *In particular* because there are tons of cross references, both aside and integrated into the commentary. The only way one can make proper use of the individual volumes now is if one has the entire bible at hand as well. And even then it's impossible to explore the bible by flowing from one cross reference and commentary to the next (a bit like "clicking through the links" web surfing) - because after all one only has the cross references and commentary of that individual volume, not of the rest.

I guess Ignatius Press thinks individual volumes are a good way of making money. But it's not what I want, so I just won't buy any of it. And unfortunately it doesn't look like IP is going to get my money any time soon...

[Mark Brumley]

If we had all the individual books done, we could publish them as a Bible. Unfortunately, we don't. We have part of the NT done. The part that isn't done is in draft form. Draft form. Not edited. These drafts have to be reviewed and edited. Yes, even Scott Hahn has to be reviewed and edited.

Most of the OT annotations haven't been written yet. So those can't be published in any form. Those which have been written are in draft form. They need to be reviewed and edited.

In the interest of producing a quality, reliable and complete Study Bible, Ignatius Press won't be getting IngoB's "money soon." I guess it's a good thing we're not just doing this for the money.

[Tony]

Ignatius Press does not strike me as the embodiment of laissez-faire capitalism. I don't think it is holding onto its books only to drive up prices or appease its shareholders. Wow, now we are complaining about particular Bibles not meeting our specificities, so we won't buy them! I wonder how such petty gripes would strike those individuals who could be or have been thrown into prison for even possessing a Bible?

[Mark Brumley]

"Apparently, a lot of the work is done already, and Ignatius Press is just holding on to them."

"Apparently," we can make all sorts of accusations and post them on the internet so long as we preface things with the word "apparently".

"A lot of work is done already" but a lot more work needs yet to be done.

[Matthew W. I. Dunn]

Honestly, I haven't found the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible to be that good. I bought the guide on St. Mark's gospel. There's a difference between displeasure with atheistic, skeptical biblical scholarship and almost no recognition of legitimate biblical scholarship at all. Unfortunately, the authors lean towards the latter attitude . . . which is odd given that the series is (after all) intended for a deeper _study_ of the biblical text. The notes reminded me of the notes I once saw in a NKJV Study Bible: merely a repetition of what a verse already clearly said. I mean, it does promise "commentary, notes, and study questions," doesn't it? But, whatever material there is is pretty thin. What purpose does this "Study Bible" serve, then? The scriptural cross-references are certainly not better than what one could find in a copy of the NAB -- better notes in the NAB, too. I like Dr. Hahn; I've heard him talk passionately about scripture. However, these volumes are just not recommendable for real Bible study. One would do better buying the 2-volume Collegeville or NJBC commentary.