The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century

 

Finalmente! I received my copy of The  Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century.

For those who are fans of The Jerome Biblical Commentary (JBC, 1968) and The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (NJBC, 1990) – two valuable resources of a Catholic Bible teacher like me – the latest, third, fully revised edition of The Jerome Biblical Commentary (published 2022 by T&T Clark) is a wonderful paschal gift.

For those who are not familiar with this book, The Jerome Biblical Commentary contains in one volume an in-depth analysis and interpretation of the Bible from a Roman Catholic point of view. The latest edition has reached 2196 pages! 

The authors come from an international team of Catholic scholars led by John J. Collins; Gina Hens-Piazza; Barbara Reid, OP; and Donald Senior, CP as editors (no Filipino contributor yet, but the Vietnamese commentator on Acts is Fr, Nguyen, SVD).

In its Introduction, it says that the new edition “will become a trusted resource for individuals who study and reflect on the Scriptures as a source of their spiritual nourishment; for homilists and teachers seeking a deeper understanding of the biblical text in order to share its meaning with others; and as a resource for leaders and member of the Bible study groups wanting to explore the Scriptures in depth.”

I pre-ordered my copy, hardback edition, on July 31, 2021, dispatched from the UK on January 27, 2022, and received it just a few days ago (QC). The pre-order cost was P4,510.27, the standard price is P5,254.28 and free delivery. The Philippine Postal charged me P212 for what, I don’t know. It’s my first time to be charged since I’ve started ordering my books from  bookdepository.com (the online seller) more than 10 years ago.

The paper quality is not so pleasing, very thin (like onion skin, translucent, understandably to reduce its weight and thickness because of the number of pages).  The digital (still forthcoming) will certainly be a better option (for those who are used to it).

An important note: Why a Catholic resource? It does not mean that we are suspicious of Protestant or Jewish biblical scholarship, but as the editors assert, “we want to offer to our colleagues within and without the Catholic Church the distinctive perspectives that may characterize Catholic approaches to biblical interpretation."

In any case, I’m excited to begin reading The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century (how it’ll be officially abbreviated, let’s wait)—for my Lenten penance.