Catholic Introduction to the Old Testament Can Be Pre-Ordered!

If anyone has been wondering why Brant Pitre and I haven't been writing and doing more than we have for the past four or five years, it's because a lot of our time has been taken up quietly working on a massive project which Ignatius Press has now rolled out on Amazon: A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: Old Testament.

There are good Catholic introductory texts on the OT out there (those by Boadt and Jensen come to mind), but there has been a need for some time for a more recent and thorough treatment of the Old Testament which takes advantage, from the ground up, of recent developments in Old Testament interpretation from the 1990's on, especially the growth in literary studies like narrative and canonical criticism, the impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and new archeological discoveries.


Also, the teaching of Benedict XVI during his pontificate did a great deal to spur Catholic biblical theology.  Works like Jesus of Nazareth, and the apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini, have helped foster and new Catholic approach to Scripture which takes seriously the inspiration and historicity of the text as well as what is good and useful from modern scholarly methodologies.  

In A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: Old Testament, Brant and I provide a thorough introduction to every book of the Catholic Old Testament, working through its (1) literary structure, (2) basic content, (3) historical issues, (4) theological significance, (5) appropriation by the Fathers and the tradition, and (6) use in the Lectionary.  Our effort was to provide a completely well-rounded Catholic perspective on each OT book, dealing with literary, historical, theological, magisterial, and liturgical dimensions, in such a way as to prepare the reader to teach and preach from the text.  

We have designed this text primarily for use in seminarians and graduate programs in theology, but believe it can also be used for undergraduate education and as a reference for priests, catechists, pastoral workers, and lay people interested in biblical literacy.  We think it's a book many Catholics will want to have on their book shelf as a resource to support devotional reading and catechesis in the home and parish.

The book is in the production process now, and Ignatius estimates April 2017 for the shipping date.  Pre-orders are already being taken.  At less than $40, Brant and I think it is very reasonably priced relative to comparable introductions at this depth of detail.