Look out Mitch.....you and Tuesdays with Maury are about to be replaced. Dr. Murray delivers his book even better than he did in the classroom. As a former student of his....this book made me laugh....brought a tear to my ear and a lump to my throat. First he taught me to write. Now he teaches me about life as we all face growing older. Thank you for a great read!!

I got to know Donald Murray's writing while living in Massachusetts in the mid-90s. Ever since, I've read his Boston Globe column online, and almost always forward it to people I know, from my teenage son to my father in his 80s. I keep hoping the columns will be collected in a book. In the meantime, there's this wonderful memoir. There is more wisdom in a Donald Murray column than in most of the rest of the paper put together, but it's not WISDOM, delivered from on high and meant to make you feel inadequate. He's had a mixed life - a ghastly childhood, wartime service, professional failure and success, profound grief, enduring friendships, a satisfying marriage - but the book is not just a collection of "and then I" passages. Murray conveys so well how the past is always present, how it can be seen more clearly from the distance that decades provide, and how old age is enriched by that clarity, even as one deals with the inevitable losses and physical decline. His style is conversational-seeming, but without the extraneous matter true conversation always has. The passages about being bullied in boyhood are heartbreaking because there is no anger in his account. He doesn't need to express it; the reader will be furious on his behalf. Murray is a teacher of writing, and as a writer, I find his books on the subject are well worth reading (wish I could have studied with him). Readers will learn a great deal about good writing from "My Twice-Lived Life," as well as a great deal about living.

My Twice-Lived Life has long been in the making. Murray's first idea was to publish a collection of his Boston Globe columns that dealt with aging, the Depression, and World War II. His editor convinced him to look at the subject matter as a memoir, whole and of itself. Good idea.

I've read most of Murray's Boston Globe columns. It is often amazing what he does with these 800 word personal essays. But the memoir gives him more room to explore and develop his subject matter.

We're used to Murray writing about writing. There is a little of that woven throughout the chapters in My Twice-Lived Life. But writing isn't his primary topic here. He writes about the stuff of his life---his childhood, his parents, and World War II, in which he was a paratrooper.

One chapter is titled "The Not-So-Good-Old School Days." I'll use this chapter with my students at Miami University who are studying to be English teachers. In direct opposition to those who deify some past golden time of schooling, Don recounts his own school days and deromantizes that myth. He speaks of teachers today, how they seek further learning in summer programs and professional development, and he writes about how he came to teaching writing.

All those chapters were good reading, but the really courageous chapters are about aging. His wife, Minnie Mae, has had serious medical problems with Parkinson's, diabetes, and breast cancer. Don writes about these times of increasing care-taking clearly, compassionately, and unsentimentally.

In "Fatherhood" he ends the chapter by focusing on the death of his 20 year old daughter of Reyes' Syndrome in the late 1970s. Many of us know bits of this story, because those bits have worked themselves into Don's textbooks and columns, but here we get the most complete rendering and sense-making of that story, including one poem he wrote of Lee's passing.

In the last two chapters Don writes about the extended dying of a neighbor, what he learned as nurses and one doctor tended to her and touched her and helped her to let go. I wished I'd had this book to read two years ago during the time my mother slipped away gradually and inexorably.

A friend of mine in Utah used to say of such writing, "That's it. Write about the tough stuff."

Don Murray does that in My Twice-Lived Life. Reading it made me want to live life well, fully attuned to my senses, aware of the compassionate stories around me, learning how I might approach the coming years with courage and caring and humor.

I have been looking for a "scholarly" Catholic commentary of the Bible for awhile. Navarre is limited in complex ideas, such as the justification question presented in Romans, and Collegeville is not detailed enough. Other commentaries, of course, come with a decidedly Protestant interpretation, watering down several key verses. With the Sacra Pagina Romans book, however, I have found an outstanding book. It details the many key words necessary to explore Romans, such as Paul's use of justification, salvation, and the righteousness of God. These terms are key (and what separates Catholic from Protestants, to a large degree, on faith/works, justification, etc.) to understanding Paul. The theological depths of the book is just what I was looking for. While Catholic, there is not a "Catholic apologetic" tone. The facts are laid out in a very user-friendly way. I am still debating whether to continue purchasing books of the Sacra Pagina series, as I didn't much care for the Matthew book. But the Romans book is an outstanding scholarly approach that details many lines of theological thought that ALL Christians will find useful. A well done book.

This is a truly outstanding book by one of the more profound thinkers on Pauline theology working today. The format of the book is extremely helpful as well--clear, logically laid out, and the relationship between text and commentary is robust and very useful for both the casual browser and the scholar seeking to elucidate a particular passage.

One of the most interesting features of this commentary are the author's thoughts on one of the thorniest, but potentially most exciting issues in Christian theology today--the relationship between early Christianity and Judaism. There is much misunderstanding and sorrow associated with this subject, and there have been extremely exciting and potentially healing advances made in the scholarship in this area over the last twenty years or so.

This book can serve as an introduction to, or a companion to, the books of Krister Stendhal, W.D. Davies (including the Cambridge History of Judaism which he edited), E.P. Sanders, and others from the Christian side, as well as the works of Segal, Mark Nanos and Daniel Boyarin from the Jewish side. Paul's central role in the relationship between Judaism and Christianity--much misunderstood--is well worth revisiting, and has implications for the spiritual life and personal conduct of any reader today.

This is a humane, stimulating and apposite work. Highly recommended!

As the final gospel commentary in this series (Sacra Pagina) this volume will serve as a very helpful commentary to many who are pursuing a study of the Marcan text. This series stands between the highly critical, scholarly commentaries which many find intimidating or excessive and those commentaries which leave many wanting more.
After nearly fifty pages of introductory material, the authors, in following the design of the series, provide commentary and exegesis for each successive pericope in the text. Their information will be helpful to preachers, teachers, students and anyone who wants to do a careful examination of the Marcan text.
I am currently using it as a primary resource for my class notes for an eleventh grade honors course in Scripture Studies and most of the material is accessible to my students.
The scholarship is solid and the bibliographies are very helpful for anyone who wants to pursue a particular topic to a further depth.

The distinguished scripture authority, Wilfrid Harrington presents a thorough and detailed commentary on the Book of Revelation. Although some read Revelation and find a glipse of perdition, Harrington reads Revelation and finds hope for all of humanity.

Jesus Christ, the Lamb, slain for our salvation, has come back to rescue, not to condemn. It is God's intention, and the Lamb's, that all will be saved!

Going line by line through the text of Revelation, Harrington explains how his underlying premise is derived. With scholarly attention to the original Greek text, Harrington constructs an understanding of Revelation that is filled with joy and hope for eternal life.

Harrington's work measures up nicely in comparison to the other volumes in the commentary series, Sacra Pagina. This volume is well worth the investment, particularly for the homilist, the teacher, the pastoral counselor or those attempting to help others understand the Book of Revelation.

A solid work based on the form of the Johannine text as we now have it. The commentary is divided into two parts: Interpretation and Notes, the former offering the main body of argument, and the latter the justification for the Interpretation. Some of its strengths include the following. First, although it belongs to a catholic series, there is nothing that is overtly "catholic" about the interpretation. Second, is not too large, as commentaries on John are inclined to be, and yet it offers significant new insight into the text. Third, Moloney tries and succeeds for the most part in interpreting the main thread of logical argument made in the Gospel. A pastor or scholar can quite easily look up a passage and trace its meaning and development.

I have a single criticism. Although the series is NOT meant primarily for the scholar, Moloney battles to write in a non-academic manner. He is clearly a highly intelligent man whose style is logical and deductive. I find the experience a little too clinical. Moloney seldom becomes existentially involved with the text. Some may see this as a flaw, and others as strength. One gets the impression that Moloney is trapped within the very strict confines of his methodology. The result: a scholarly and sane interpretation that lacks vigour.

Australia's leading Catholic biblical scholar, Francis Moloney, is the latest contributor to Liturgical Press' acclaimed series of New Testament commentaries, 'Sacra Pagina'. The series is being written by an international team of Catholic biblical scholars under the general editorship of Daniel J. Harrington SJ.

Fr Moloney's contribution is the commentary on the Gospel of John, a subject on which he is a world authority. His expert publications on John range from the 'Johannine Theology' article in 'The New Jerome Biblical Commentary' through to an innovative three-volume scholarly commentary on the Gospel of John being published by Fortress Press.

Which begs the question, why do we need another commentary on John from Professor Moloney? The answer lies in the distinctive approach adopted by the 'Sacra Pagina' series.

Produced with the needs of clergy, preachers, biblical professionals, graduate students, theologians, and religious educators in mind, the volumes present detailed, substantial exposition of the biblical texts, based on the best of modern Catholic scholarship while not bogging the reader down in the minutia of academic debates and references.

Moloney's volume is indicative of the well-structured nature of the books in the series. It begins with an introductory chapter that concisely examines general matters such as the Gospel's authorship and structure, as well as its theological contribution and contemporary significance.

The body of the commentary follows, the text broken down into major sections and subsections, according to the perceived intention of John's author. For each section, the book begins by presenting the text of John under consideration in English translation (Moloney uses the RSV with some alterations, including inclusive language; some other volumes have original translations). This is followed by the 'Interpretation', which is the core commentary, and in turn by the 'Notes'. The latter are where one finds the arguments for the particular positions adopted in the commentary, as well as presentations and evaluations of alternative points of view. Each section ends with a list of references and suggested further reading.

The beauty of this approach is that readers can easily access the level of commentary that they wish or require. Indexes of scripture texts, other ancient writings, and authors are also included.

Moloney's distinctive approach is to focus on the narrative design of John, aiming to trace the impact the Johannine form of the Jesus story makes on a reader, which brings its readers to a point of decision.

As with the other 'Sacra Pagina' volumes, the intention is to present the best of Catholic biblical scholarship, but also never to lose sight of the faith context, to continue to see the scripture as 'sacred page'.

Francis Moloney SDB is Foundation Professor of Theology at Australian Catholic University and was recently reappointed by Pope John Paul II to the International Theological Commission for a third five-year term, making him one of the commission's longest-serving members. [Book of the Month Selection, John Garratt Catholic Book Club.]

I have been looking for a "scholarly" Catholic commentary of the Bible for awhile. Navarre is limited in complex ideas, such as the justification question presented in Romans, and Collegeville is not detailed enough. Other commentaries, of course, come with a decidedly Protestant interpretation, watering down several key verses, such as Mat 16: 18-20.

As far as I am concerned, the jury is still out on the Sacra Pagina series. The Romans book was outstanding. Matthew, however, is more concerned with the relationship with Mark and the Synoptics Problem. The author presents as FACT the common synoptic solution that Matthew copied Mark. While the author shows some of the argument of the "traditional" side (written in Aramaic/Hebrew for example), he limply explains it away. Father Raymond Brown did a much better job in presenting both view points, while not totally dismissing either side. I don't think the Synoptic solution should be presented as fact, as the author poorly refutes the "traditional" side, merely dismissing it. No one has yet been able to explain to me, for example, WHY someone would write an Aramaic/Hebrew gospel AFTER 70 AD to the Jewish diaspora, who spoke Greek. Many scholars seem to forget the massive destruction caused by the Roman punitive actions, virtually destroying the Jewish nation. Jews in Antioch were mostly Greek speakers, so why and to whom would Matthew be writing AFTER 70 AD in Greek? Perhaps this book needs a second edition, as scholarship of today is beginning to question the dating of Matthew to before 70 AD.

The book actually doesn't have a lot of theological use in of itself. For example, the Beatitudes is explored in a limited fashion. The book is very good in its explanations and comparisions with the Jewish community and Old Testament relationships. However, time and again, Matthew is compared with Mark. While this has its place, I think the theological issues should have been explored more, rather than how the two gospels are similar and different. Also, I found the author's explanations of particular "Catholic" verses, such as Mat 16: 18-20 very limited. The author doesn't take a stand one way or the other, merely presenting the 500 year old argument from a neutral position. Although this might be a more ecumenical manner of doing things, I believe it again shows the author's limited desire to pursue theological issues or pursue ANY sort of point of view regarding Catholicism. If the author is Catholic, you wouldn't know it by reading this book.

Again, I was personally disappointed by the coverage of the book, as I hoped for a Commentary concerned more with theological issues, such as Matthew's concern with ecclesiastics, not the Synoptic problem. Whether the Sacra Pagina series will be the answer to the limited Catholic Commentary available on the Bible remains to be seen. I only have two, and Romans is outstanding in this regard. The Sacra Pagina Matthew is of limited use to someone desiring to read the Bible for its intend purpose. Read with the Navarre Bible, however, this book does have potential, as it does address many Jewish questions very well that Navarre doesn't.

As someone just getting acquainted with the Scriptures, I found this book extraordinarily helpful. First and foremost, Harrington excels at putting Matthew in its historical context. By tracing changes within the Jewish community from Old Testament times through circa 70AD, he clearly shows how this Gospel was intended to solidify Christian identity and Scriptural validity after the destruction of the temple, when competing theologies were battling for the hearts and minds of the Jewish people. His extensive translation notes are also helpful, as they explain nuances of meaning that would go unnoticed by a lay reader using a thinly-annotated text.

Two other themes of this commentary stand out. First, Harrington takes great pains to demonstrate that Matthew is not an indictment of the Jewish race and has been totally misinterpreted by some as a call to anti-Semitism--an important message in any age. Second, he continually compares Matthew to Mark, pointing out virtually all similarities and differences. While this is interesting (and indirectly useful in understanding Mark), I'm not sure how important these distinctions are in terms of grasping the historical and theological significance of Matthew. On the other hand, presenting Matthew and Mark in this way does highlight the uniqueness of each Gospel--no doubt a worthy end in itself.

While I'm only part way through volume 1. I will be purchasing more of this series. This is state of the art. Multiple opinions and views are considered and each position is well-argued and supported. There is a great deal of attention to detail. Those familiar with older commentaries will be pleasantly surprised by this.

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.

I would like to retract the last 2 star review that I gave, it is somewhat excessive. I stand by my comments from the first review that I gave, and I would suggest that those interested in the Catholic Study Bible also consider purchasing the St. Joseph's Edition of the New American Bible instead. The Doctrinal Index and Dictionary are very helpful, while the information in the reading guides of the New American Bible can be obtained in an inexpensive introduction to the bible. The Catholic Study Bible is a fairly good edition of the Bible, unfortunately it lacks the excellent Doctrinal Index of the St. Joseph's Edition. Also, in some of the reading guides, there is perhaps, I slight tendency to overemphasis the distinction between the Bible as lived in the Church today and the bible in the history of the Tradition.

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.

I bought this book because I was particularly taken with authorLuke Johnson's "Reading Romans" and because I was equally delighted with the first book I purchased in the Sacra Pagina series, "John" by F. Maloney.

The commentary seems a bit thin in this volume to me, and I found it distracting that each section of the book presents first the scriptural passage to be discussed, then notes on the translation second, and finally the commentary. For me, this broke the cadence of the text -- inserting the "end notes" between the passage and the analysis -- and made the book feel more like a companion guide to a text on learning historical Greek.

Sad to say, as much as I enjoyed this book's thorough discussion, I took away more understanding and a more cohesive sense of Luke's Gospel from reading the one chapter about Luke in Raymond Brown's last work on the New Testament. I looked to Sacra Pagina to provide a more in-depth exegetical and hermeneutic commentary.... and it did.

It provides a clear and concise summary of the Gospel. I am a deacon in the Catholic Church and I use it for both homily preparation and teaching. It uses plain english to present what many complicate.

One of the most revealing insights of this commentary on Paul's Epistle to the Galatians is that it is not the supposed legalism of the Pharisees. Matera points out that recent archeoloigcal evidence has placed Paul's words about the Law and the application of it to the problem of circumcision of the Gentiles is not about applying the letter of the law. The Law of circumcision, sabbath observance and dietary regulations had to do with maintaining one's status as a member of the Jewish race. The imposition of circumcision in this view is the imposition of a cultural practice upon those for whom this practice has no historical, social or religious relevance. This insight opens up the concept of what evangelization means and entails. The early Jewish Christians would not be the only or the last Christian form tradition to impose cultural imperatives on people. Europeans did the same in the imperialistic invasions of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Christianity that accompnaied these incursions was strictly European and did not respect the faith of the indigent people. Paul's view then of Christ living in the Christian applied in this way creates broader boundaries for evangelization and helps missionaries to see Christ in the face of the people already there.

Fr. Senior tries to persuade any catholic christian reader that its possible that scripture is full of embellishments therefore one needs to rely on todays scripture scholars to peel away the truth from those things which as he puts it "smacks of the art of story telling". Fr. needs to reread the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation from Vatican II more closely in that the content of his book opposes this important document and is therefore true heresy. This document states "Holy Mother Church has firmly and with absolute constancy held, that the four Gospels just named, whose historical character the Church unhesitantly asserts, faithfully hand on what Jesus Christ, while living among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation until the day He was taken up into heaven" (Chapter V (19) from the above document). If you really want a gospel portrait of Jesus I would highly recommend Frank Sheed's TO KNOW CHRIST JESUS or Bishop Fulton Sheen's classic LIFE OF CHRIST.

Fr Donald Senior, a Passionist who has taught for many years at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, has produced an effective, readable introduction to Jesus Christ as shown to us in the Gospels. For those who want to build a view of the Son of God as presented in Christianity's most sacred texts, this book serves as an accessible, inspiring guide.

Yes, Fr Senior makes ample use of his understanding of the best scholarship in looking at scripture. And yes, his straight-forward, interesting style challenges me to continue to grow in my Christian faith. In this I am certain not that the best scholarship and research will support my preconceptions and prejudices about Jesus, but that following Jesus Christ sincerely means following the truth.

By faith we know, after all, that truth leads us ever more deeply into the mystery of God's infinite love -- love shown clearly to us in the life and most especially in the suffering and death of Jesus. Who better than a Passionist such as Donald Senior, who has devoted his life to spreading this message, to encourage us to look at Jesus of the Gospels.