Are you thinking of becoming a priest? Have you bought into the notion that priests of the Catholic faith are unhappy and not content? Well, this book is for you. The book is a short, quick read and not for those looking for an academic examination of the priesthood. Instead, this is for the everyday reader and in many ways it touches ones heart. Thirty faithful men have written their reasons for becoming and remaining a priest. They are from dioceses all around the country. Even with their diverse backgrounds they all seem to have a common thread throughout their stories--God called them. Many of their stories describe that they are called and sustained by God Himself. After years and years of ministry they each have come to the conclusion that God called them the priesthood! This book is greatly encouraging for those discerning the priesthood and should be especially recommended to high school youth. This would also be a great gift for priests themselves as I think it would inspire thoughtful reflection on their own calling and entrance into the priesthood. It could be a springboard for greater renewal and contemplation of what God has done in their life. Additionally, I pray that this book would help change the preception of priests by many laity and secular. Many priests are thankful for their calling and would make the decision again. They are happy!

30 American men wrote short synopses on the reasons that they are Priests and why they have remained in the Priesthood. Their 'callings' varied. Some knew they wanted to be a Priest from a very early age while others didn't know until their 30's and 40's. They come from various backgrounds bringing with them their individual talents. The challenges they face are as unique as each individual Priest.

They all experienced the second Vatican Council at some point in their career. The book aptly demonstrates the various ways in which the Council has affected their Priestly ministry.

The vignettes presented in the book show that the missions and commitments of these 30 Priests are as diverse as the people they love and serve. They belong to a variety of Religious and Priestly Orders. Their Priestly activites involve parishes, universities, foreign countries, national and local church councils, publishing houses, seminaries, catholic newspapers, armed services, labor, and elementary and high schools. They are called in their witness to Christ as writers, teachers, authors, missionaries, professors, leaders, parish and diocesan ministries, pastors, administrators, editors, canon lawyers, columnists, labor mediators, chaplains, campus ministers, spiritual directors, lecturers and Bishops.

What struck me the most was the common agreement among them of their love for Jesus, the Eucharist, the Pope and the People of God. It is especially for the people, the laity-you and me, that they remain.

There are some surprising answers in this book. Don't miss the opportunity to read it! It presents an excellent overall view of the Priestly life and challenges. As a lay person, this book really opened my eyes to the dedication of our Priests. It may even be a book you will want to read more than once.

Boadt's book is a masterpiece of introducing critical, theological methods to the professional or casual theologian. It is simply the best OT book I've read and several friends that I have recommended it to have agreed. Although it was intended to be graduate level, it is being used increasingly at the undergraduate level, even at some more traditionally fundamentalist schools.

Boadt is Catholic? I only know that from the reviews, and it is a testimony to his scholarship and objective approach to theology that you will not notice his Catholicism from reading this work. He is not a liberal either, I would best describe him as neo-evangelical in that he is not an inerrantist but neither is he a secular scholar. His love and respect for the Bible shows in his treatment of it. Although he is not afraid to utilize critical techniques to deal with issues of date, authorship and meaning of the Bible, he is not a text-critic by profession and so avoids that fields' tendency to dismember the Bible from over strenuous application of their pecular model.

I believe the best part of the books are his explanation of Jonah as in the genre of "Hebrew comedy" and his introduction to and application of source crit (JEPD) to the Torah. I never understood how overwhelming is the case for JEPD nor did I understand why the theory is so compelling until I read Boadt. He has converted me to an understanding of source criticism and has greatly matured and formed my theology.

This is a great introduction to the Old Testament. Those who label Boadt a "liberal" or "heterodox" either haven't read this book or don't understand what the Catholic Church teaches. Typically the criticism against Boadt comes from two arenas, fundamentalist Protestants or fundamentalist Catholic "popologists" like those from EWTN or Catholic Answers. While Boadt is a Roman Catholic, his book will benefit those of any denomination. His scholarship is first rate. Boadt places the OT in its proper historical context. He provides concise summaries of the books, the process by which the books were redacted and shaped, and how the message of each book contributes to the OT as a whole. You can't go wrong with this solid piece of scholarship.

This book is probably the best Inrto to the OT I've seen. It is highly readable, the suggested scripture readings are excellent, and one really does marvel at how neatly themes are woven to the entire Old Testament, almost to the point of being tied up with a bow! Readers who take from this book that its author sees biblical texts as "not inspired by God" would do well to read it again! The whole point of the book is to show how the Israelites used their historical experiences as a lens through which to view their relationship with God, and ultimately God's relationship with all of mankind. As such, it traces the evolution of the development of the biblical texts through Israel's history. Of course Israelites were influenced by other cultures: they were continually surrounded by, at war with, and often oppressed by them! It would be a very strange thing for these influences NOT to be evidenced in the text! Granted, as witnessed in my recent "Intro to the OT Class" that used this book as a primary text, the need to separate "faith" and "history" temporarily to see how these books developed is a daunting undertaking; however, one's individual faith can only be enhanced by realization that it was Israel's faith in God that provided the impetus for the eventual writing down of oral tradition in the first place.

After a more thorough review, I realize now that I gave this edition of the New American bible a rating which was too high. Really it should get 2 stars, perhaps 3 at best. A much better edition of the New American Bible would be the St. Joseph's Edition, Classic edition. The St. Joseph's Edition and the Catholic Study Bible have the same introductions and notes, except that the additional materials in the St. Joseph's Edition are better. The Catholic Study Bible's reading guides and the guide to the lectionary reflect current trends among some popular theologians, but do not do much to illuminate the Church's teachings. The material in these reading guides one can get out of a decent introduction to the Bible. In addition to the good introductions and decent notes of the New American Bible, the St. Joseph's Edition provides a bible dictionary, a biblical/doctrinal index with citations to key texts supporting Catholic doctrine, and helpful illustrations and maps. The St. Joseph's Edition also contains the text of the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation from Vatican II and a helpful guide to reading the Bible. I would say that the St. Joseph's Edition is, for the money, a much better buy and a safer guide to reading the Bible from an orthodox Catholic perspective.

This is, overall, a good study bible, but difficult for me to rate. I give it 4 stars, but really I would prefer to give it 3.5 stars. In addition to extensive notes and good introductions to the biblical books, it includes a lengthy reading guide which can serve as an introductory textbook to the bible. Really, this is a bible and bible commentary built into one handy volume. The addition of the Latin Rite 3 year lectionary is also a nice touch.

Weaknesses: The New American translation is fairly good and it is the official english translation for Latin Rite Roman Catholics in the United States (Eastern Catholics use the Revised Standard Version). But it is at times excessive in its use of inclusive language and is not as literary as the Revised Standard Version. The notes are for the most part good, but tend to rely too much on modern historical criticism with not enough attention to how the Tradition has interpreted passages of scripture. I would recommend that Catholics get the New Jerusalem Bible to use with this study Bible. The notes in the New Jerusalem Bible are more thorough and more explicitly Catholic. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is also recommended (the 1977 Revised Standard Version, not the NRSV). This edition includes the entire Canon of Scripture as accepted by the eastern Churches as well as the Western Canon. The Revised Standard Version is a literal and elegant translation that has not been infected with the "political correctness" of inclusive language. The notes to the Oxford Annotated Bible are fairly good, but relect a liberal protestant bias. However, read with the Catholic Study Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible, the three make for a nice group of texts to use for bible study. Catholics should also consider the Christian Community bible commissioned by the bishops of the Phillipines. This Bible has excellent notes which combine current scholarship, devotional exegesis, and a third world concern for social justice into one package.

The beauty of this NAB is that it offers two services in one. First, it is a faithful translation of the ancient and ever-new inspired scriptures. This is the product of the finest Catholic Biblical scholars in the English-speaking world today. Secondly, it provides helpful footnotes and excellent introductory articles which offer readers an orientation to the Bible ingeneral, contemporary study and scholarly conclusions, as well as a sketch of the issues and background that concern each book of the Bible. I differ with the two other reviewers above in regard to this Bible. I believe it is not only for the serious scholar, but indeed can help the new Bible reader and the "average" reader appreciate the Scriptures more deeply. This version of the Bible can help support Catholic Christians, and Christians of any denomination by helping them to appreciate the important place of the Bible in their life of faith, and to incorparate this timeless wisdom into their everyay life more faithfully. I have found it helpful personally in my own study, and I always recommend it to people who ask what Bible they might purchase.

This book is split into four sections. The first three sections (I am counting the foreword as one) give additional "general" insight into Job, the relevancy of the different characters and famous quotations from Job. The bulk of the book is the KJV version of Job without chapter and verse broken into seven parts.

I found this book interesting from an academic point of view but disappointing from a spirit study guide. While the text in poetry format gives a new perspective on Job, it doesn't give study guidance to the Biblical text. I also found their interpretation of Job traditionally "safe".

All in all, Job with explanation but no interpretation.

This is not a traditional commentary on Genesis. Lawrence Boadt first introduces you to Genesis, then separate the 50 chapters of Genesis into four parts:

Part One: The World and Its Beginning (Chapters 1-11) Part Two: Abraham - Chosen by God (Chapters 12-25) Part Three: Isaac and Jacob (Chapters 24-36) Part Four: Joseph and His Brothers (Chapters 37-50)

Next he explains each section briefly, so you will understand how the parts fit together as a whole and why it is the first book of the Bible. Finally, he takes you through 12 "Themes and Images" in Genesis (Apple, Eden, Serpent, Flood etc.) and 16 major characters of Genesis (Adam, Eve, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, etc.). The uniqueness of this book is how Boadt references the literary tradition found in each theme and each major character. For example, he notes that Noah's figure appears in Chaucer's 'Miller's Tale', in Hardy's 'Far from the Madding Crowd', in Melville's 'The Confidence Man', and again in Twain's 'The Mysterious Stranger', etc. etc. Those that are literature buffs and/or speakers will find this ruminating and insightful. This alone is worth the purchase of the book.

For many who believe the Bible must be read literally, Lawrence Boadt will be difficult to read. Boadt sees the narratives in Genesis 1-11 as "Myths." He goes on to explain that myths are "a story using traditional motifs and themes". Boadt sees the creation passage, the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, Noah etc. as myths that the Hebrews used to offer a theological explanation of events and our relation to God. Genesis: The Book of Beginnings' is a book that can enhance traditional commentaries on Genesis, especially with Boadt's literary contributions to themes and characters which bring contemporary relevancy to otherwise historic text. Recommended