. . .which is equally useful for the Protestant or Catholic academic.

If you desire an academic commentary which covers the entire corpus of Scripture in a single volume, this is the book for you. Named after the premier Scripture scholar of the Patristic period, it is an update of the Jerome Biblical Commentary of more than a quarter century ago.

Not only is every book of the Bible discussed in detail, there are numerous scholarly articles dealing with history, critical methods, contemporary issues and the like. It's perspective is honestly centrist; catering to neither the fundamentalist, nor to the deconstructionist. Controversial issues are handled in an appropriate manner, giving numerous bibliographic citations representing a wide range of learned opinions.

Although Catholic in orientation, the book is equally valuable to believers from other faith traditions, and indeed, to non-believers as well. Its editors, especially the late Raymond Brown and Joseph Fitzmyer represent the very best of Catholic critical scholarship.

This book is probably not the best choice for the average layman; it presupposes a certain familiarity with theological academics. However, it is indispensible for the seminarian, the graduate student, the clergy, and the academic.

(For an "informed layman's" version, please see my review of the excellent "New Jerome Biblical HANDBOOK").

I heartily endorse this book.

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary is a great reference book for scholars and pastors who need a single volume of biblical commentary near at hand. The articles are written by some of the greats of biblical scholarship, and offer remarkably in-depth analysis, considering that one volume covers the entire Christian Scriptures. Of special help to students and scholars are the bibliographies at the end of each article. While not up-to-the-minute (the most recent edition of the NJBC is 1991, I think), the bibliographies often point out the most important books and articles written on the Bible in the past 30 years. I heartily recommend this book!

This is the revised and updated version of the famous volume named for St. Jerome, the great Christian biblical scholar who insisted that "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." I am certain that he would be honored that his name graces the title of this commentary, which has been helping pastors and students for decades.

Inside this work you will find the books of the Bible listed individually, with detailed commentary on verses and even partial verses. Prior to the detailed commentary, a helpful historical sketch is given to assist the reader in situating the particular biblical book in its context. It includes maps and charts.

Though this volume comes highly recommended, it is not always on the "cutting edge" of biblical scholarship. If you choose to utilize this volume, you have made a wise choice, but you should not limit your library to this commentary alone.