Scripture Studies

How Well Do You Know The Bible?

In 101 Surprising Facts About the Bible, Rick Rotondi recounts the story of how the Bible was written, translated, published, and proclaimed. Join him as he explores the mysteries of the Bible, unpacks its prophecies, and examines how this ancient text is a living word -- a rule of life and a letter from God addressed personally to you.

Read and learn...

How Alexander the Great helped shape the Bible (Fact 14)

The age of the oldest Bible (Fact 16)

God's other means of Revelation (Facts 24 and 25)

When Christ appeared in the Old Testament (Fact 38)

The striking prophecy of the Crucifixion, 1,000 years in advance (Fact 65)

How the Bible has a sense of humor (Fact 82)

How the Bible transformed civilization (Fact 85)

...and much, much more!

101 Surprising Facts About the Bible is a fascinating guide to the Word of God. In these pages, learn new facts about the Bible, test your knowledge of it -- and make its amazing treasures your own.

Continuing the tradition of 5 Minutes with Christ and 5 Minutes with the Saints, this uplifting book of meditations by members of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the University of Notre Dame draws on inspiration from the Psalms, Proverbs, and the books of Wisdom in the Bible. These timeless insights of scripture can provide inspiration and encouragement for all of those on the front lines of Catholic education.

Written by teachers for teachers, this book is a valuable resource not only for teachers, but also for pastors, principals, administrators, and school board members as they seek to motivate others and to reflect on their own role in education. More than seventy meditations will help you get back in touch with Jesus, the source of all wisdom who gives meaning and coherence to your life as a teacher.

With contributions from teachers who work in a variety of subject areas at all levels of elementary and high school, 5 Minutes with the Psalmsand the Wisdom Books will be a welcome reminder of the dignity of the teaching vocation and a gentle source of encouragement for educators struggling to meet the needs of their students each day.

Guidelines for using the Psalms as prayer.

For anyone who thinks that comfort is equivalent to pity and that it is only priceless to those who need an emotional crutch, best-selling author Warren Wiersbe applies the words of the prophet Isaiah to prove that God's comfort is no such thing. The word comfort actually translates "to repent" in Hebrew; our English translation, however, adds another dimension to the word since it originated from two Latin words meaning "with strength."

With definitions and insights like this, the "pastor of pastors" and phenomenal author Warren Wiersbe continues to enliven the Scriptures as he weaves the words of Isaiah with historical explanations and thought-provoking questions for every chapter, creating a study guide that can be used in personal Bible study or with a group. With over 4 million copies of his "Be" series alone in circulation, he is a man who has given his life to a deep examination of the Word of God, to communicating it in such a way that the masses see its relevance for today.

The 12 disciples who followed Jesus offer us wonderful lessons on what it means to be modern-day disciples of Jesus, but we also gain great insight into the cost of discipleship by looking at Jesus' mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. In this Bible study, we follow the 12 disciples and the two Marys through the Gospels so that we can make their way of discipleship our own way of discipleship.
A Guided Discovery of the Bible
The Bible invites us to explore God's word and reflect on how we might respond to it. To do this, we need guidance and the right tools for discovery. The Six Weeks with the Bible series of Bible discussion guides offers both in a concise six-week format. Whether focusing on a specific biblical book or exploring a theme that runs throughout the Bible, these practical guides in this series provide meaningful insights that explain Scripture while helping readers make connections to their own lives. Each guide

- is faithful to Church teaching and is guided by sound biblical scholarship
- presents the insights of Church fathers and saints
- includes questions for discussion and reflection
- delivers information in a reader-friendly format
- gives suggestions for prayer that help readers respond to God's word
- appeals to beginners as well as to advanced students of the Bible

By reading Scripture, reflecting on its deeper meanings, and incorporating it into our daily life, we can grow not only in our understanding of God's word, but also in our relationship with God.

From biblical scholar Bergsma, two-time teacher of the year at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, comes this fresh, creative, and authentically Catholic introduction to the big picture of salvation history.

The Bible is central to our faith as Catholics. It is literally the word of God, and, along with Sacred Tradition, is one of the two pillars upon which all our beliefs and practices rest. The Bible Compass provides readers with the tools to study the Word of God with confidence and purpose. This book demonstrates how to read the Bible within the living Tradition of the Catholic Church, and it addresses all the common questions about the Bible.

"A unique and delightful way to explore the people, places, and sayings of the Bible. A fascinating tour of Scripture."--- Stephen J. Binz, biblical scholar and speaker, author of Lectio Divina Bible Study

The understanding of and appreciation for the Word of God is essential to a life of faith. It can also be a lot of fun. God is interesting. God has a sense of humor. And God's book has been on the best-seller list for centuries.

This book is intended to open Scripture in a brand new way. By organizing important people, places, and events into lists, we can reframe our experience and understanding of God's Word, while serving as a memory aid or providing ideas for further reading and study.

Discover the top ten Bible misunderstandings, the top ten things to know about the Bible, the top ten animal stories, the top ten angelic appearances, or the top ten miracles.

Get introduced to the top ten women with attitude, the top sibling rivalries, the heroes, or the villains.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus has so many names? It's not an accident. Each one is invaluable in helping us to understand, as best we can, the full nature of Jesus Christ.

Paul Thigpen dives deep into Scripture from Genesis to Revelation to illuminate the many names of Jesus found therein and explain how each one reveals something new and essential about Our Lord.

The Biblical Names of Jesus is like no other book. It is an engrossing trek through Scripture spanning the entire Bible, focusing on the typologies of Jesus through 18 of his unique names. You will come away with a deeper knowledge of Christ, and a fuller understanding of how the whole of the Bible points toward Jesus.

With his expert, yet accessible prose, Paul Thigpen will help you:

Deepen your understanding of Jesus through his more familiar titles, such as Christ, Lord, Savior, Son of God, and Son of Man.

Ponder the life-changing beauty and mystery of less-familiar names such as the Bride-groom, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Dawn from on High, Alpha and Omega...and how they show aspects of Jesus' love for us, his Kingship, and His desire to lead us to heaven.

Examine - like each brilliant facet of a diamond - the One who holds you in existence, and come to know Jesus better than ever before.

Uncover the types and prefigurements of Christ throughout Scripture...and take your personal relationship with Our Lord to a new level!

We have all faced times of crisis. The key is to respond with faith and trust in the Lord. And who better to learn from than the heroines of the Bible? Keys to the Bible series author Jeanne Kun presents us with six different situations in which biblical women are caught up in difficult, surprising, or uncertain situations. The choices they make to face or embrace those situations are models for us when we are confronted with such events in our own lives. Among the women studied are Hannah, Naomi and Ruth, Martha, and Jesus mother, Mary.

Even though it's the most read book in the world, reading the Bible has often been difficult or confusing for Christians, causing many of us to miss the sweeping story of God's love and mercy and its personal meaning for each of us.

Now you can read the New Testament in a new way ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚ƒƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚"ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚ƒƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚€ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚ƒƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚ƒƒ‚‚‚ƒƒ‚‚ƒ‚‚" almost like your favorite book. By removing chapter and verse numbers, and placing the books in chronological order, you will find yourself drawn into the amazing story of our salvation. Each of the four Gospels is placed at the beginning of a group of related books including the letters and wisdom books, forming a cross, as it were, that points to Christ.

Bound for Freedom demonstrates that the book of Exodus presents a defining act of liberation not only in Judaism, but also in the Christian understanding of salvation history. That defining act, Larsson argues, takes place at Sinai with the giving of the Torah. Thus Exodus is not about unconditional freedom; rather, as the title of this book suggests, there is no freedom without boundaries. While doing justice to the historical setting of Exodus, Larsson stresses the history of theological interpretation, beginning with early Jewish interpretive traditions. The results illustrate both the vitality of those traditions and the spiritual and moral relevance of Exodus for today's reader.

"This book will prove to be a most effective weapon... against the debunking and skeptical attitudes toward the Gospels that are so prevalent, not only in academe, but also on the street, among young people who, sadly, are leaving the Churches in droves." - Robert Barron, author of Catholicism

For well over a hundred years now, many scholars have questioned the historical truth of the Gospels, claiming that they were originally anonymous. Others have even argued that Jesus of Nazareth did not think he was God and never claimed to be divine.

In The Case for Jesus, Dr. Brant Pitre, the bestselling author of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, goes back to the sources--the biblical and historical evidence for Christ--in order to answer several key questions, including:

- Were the four Gospels really anonymous?
- Are the Gospels folklore? Or are they biographies?
- Were the four Gospels written too late to be reliable?
- What about the so-called "Lost Gospels," such as "Q" and the Gospel of Thomas?
- Did Jesus claim to be God?
- Is Jesus divine in all four Gospels? Or only in John?
- Did Jesus fulfill the Jewish prophecies of the Messiah?
- Why was Jesus crucified?
- What is the evidence for the Resurrection?

As The Case for Jesus will show, recent discoveries in New Testament scholarship, as well as neglected evidence from ancient manuscripts and the early church fathers, together have the potential to pull the rug out from under a century of skepticism toward the traditional Gospels. Above all, Pitre shows how the divine claims of Jesus of Nazareth can only be understood by putting them in their ancient Jewish context.

Discover the fascinating meanings behind Christian symbols! This pamphlet explains the most common symbols in Christianity: What do they mean, where they came from, and how they're used.