The book of Proverbs, like other books typically identified as part of Israel’s “wisdom literature,” is full of pithy, provocative statements. (Here I cannot enter into a debate about whether “wisdom literature” is an actual genre.) Consider the following set of verses from chapter 26: Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you […] The post The Book of Proverbs’ Deceptive Simplicity (Or, How to Get It Right) first appeared on The Sacred Page.| The Sacred Page
Bruce Longenecker has published the results of a survey of Pauline scholars taken this year regarding opinions of the “authorship” of the Pauline epistles. The results are interesting. Before we get there, however, we need to talk about this language about “authorship.” I put “authorship” in scare quotes because the matter is more complicated than […] The post The 2024 Survey of Pauline Scholars first appeared on The Sacred Page.| The Sacred Page
Yesterday I completed my seminar on Luke-Acts with our students in the Masters of Biblical Studies program. One aspect of our conversation was the relationship of Peter and Paul in Acts. It is abundantly clear that Acts anticipates Paul’s missionary work to the gentiles by speaking of Peter’s proclamation of the gospel to non-Israelites, especially […] The post Jesus, Peter, and Paul in Parallel in Luke-Acts first appeared on The Sacred Page.| The Sacred Page
It’s been a while since I posted here. I’ve been meaning to revive this site but, as with most things, I just don’t have the time to blog as much as I’d like. However, I’ve recently been asked: “What is the best Bible Commentary Series?” I’ve had to write up answers elsewhere, so I thought […]| The Sacred Page
These commentaries are collected in published form in my “Word of the LORD” books available here. Dr. Scott Hahn and I dialogue about each week’s Sunday Readings here. There is so much turmoil in the national and international news these days, it makes it difficult to maintain a sense of peace. Instability in our own […]|
1 Kings 3:5, 7-12Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-28, 129-30Romans 8:28-30Matthew 13:44-52 or Matthew 13:44-46 [I regret not posting these commentaries more regularly in recent months. However, they are all now published in book form and available from Emmaus Road Publishing at most online booksellers and stpaulcenter.com. I also have been spending a considerable amount of […]|
The Easter Season usually ends with a sort of “trifecta” of major feasts: Pentecost, Trinity, and Corpus Christi, as the Church celebrates the central mysteries of the faith before entering into Ordinary Time once more. In any event, this weekend is Trinity Sunday, a meditation and celebration of the central mystery of the Christian faith, […]|
I highly recommend reading the commentary I also posted on this site on the Readings for the Vigil in preparation for the Mass of Pentecost Day. The Readings for the Mass of the Pentecost pick up, as it were, where the Readings for the Vigil left off. The First Reading is, finally, the account of […]|
Pentecost is a very important feast in the liturgical life of the Church, and it has it’s own vigil. Not only so, but the Readings for the Vigil are particularly rich. I cannot think of another that has such a wide variety of options, for example, for the First Reading. Even though, in most cases, […]|
(These commentaries can be acquired in published book form here.) Every year on Good Friday, we read St. John’s account of the Passion from John 18-19, together with Isaiah 52-53 and Psalm 31. One of the themes that runs through these reading is the Priesthood of Christ. 1. There is priestly language already in the […]|