“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me.”—John 5:39 It takes some real imagination to go back fifteen or twenty centuries to an age when ordinary people didn’t have Bibles. But if we don’t put in that work, we’ll misunderstand the early Christians completely. The early Christians didn’t live in our world, and their encounters with Scripture happened in one main context: the liturgy. That was where they heard Scripture. And just as important, that was where they heard Scripture interpreted. In How the Fathers Read the Bible: Scripture, Liturgy, and the Early Church, Mike Aquilina takes readers back to the first centuries of Church life to show how the liturgy became the home of—and the interpretative lens for—Scripture. Aquilina shows how, both then and now, Scripture is only understood through the life of the Church—and in particular, through the liturgy.

Read the Scriptures with the insight of our forebears Christians live in the house built by the church fathers. Essential Christian doctrines were shaped by how figures such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Augustine read the Bible. But appreciating patristic interpretation is not just for the historically curious, as if it were only a matter of literary archaeology. Nor should it be intimidating. Rather, the fathers gleaned insights from Scripture that continue to be relevant to all Christians. How the Church Fathers Read the Bible is an accessible introduction to help you read Scripture with the early church. With a clear and simple style, Gerald Bray explains the distinctives of early Christian interpretation and shows how the fathers interpreted key Bible passages from Genesis to Revelation. Their unique perspective is summed up in seven principles that can inspire our Bible reading today. With Bray as your guide, you can reclaim the rich insights of the fathers with reverence and discernment.

Cycle of daily Gospel and Epistle readings based on the movable calendar, which starts with Easter (Pascha), includes the fifty days after the Resurrection, Pentecost and the 37 weeks that followed, the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee, followed by the Triodion, which begins 10 weeks before Easter, and includes the Preparation for Lent, Graet Lent and Holy Week. This work is particularly addressed to those who set aside an hour daily for prayer and meditation. Appendices are added for Sunday matins, major fixed feasts such as Nativity, Theophany and other Feast days of Martyrsm saints. But since this volume is not arranged according to the fixed calendar which lists all the saints and fixed feasts for each day of the month, a suitable companion would be a Menaion, which provides a fuller treatment of the major feast days, and the flow of church seasons.

A comprehensive survey of the doctrine and practice of baptism in the first five centuries of Christian history, arranged geographically within chronological periods.

Tertullian (c. AD 160 - 225) was one of the first theologians of the Western Church & ranks among the most prominent of the early Latin fathers. His wide-ranging literary output offers a valuable insight into the Christian Church at a crucial stage in its development.

Participant Workbook Revised and reformatted! Genesis to Jesus opens the door to deeper understanding of Scripture for all Catholics, especially those who find reading the Bible a daunting task. The book leads the reader on an overview of salvation history in order to give the "big picture," the single plot that runs through the books of the Bible. What is that overarching story? God's plan to bring all humanity into his covenant family. This overview of key covenants from creation to the New Covenant established by Jesus not only helps the reader see how various biblical stories fit together in God's plan, it also provides a foundation for ongoing Bible study. Genesis to Jesus is the first in a series of study guides produced by The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, based in Steubenville, Ohio. The Center, founded in 2000, develops materials to help Catholics deepen their faith through Scripture study. KIMBERLY HAHN is the author of Life-Giving Love: Embracing God's Beautiful Design for Marriage, the Life-Nurturing Love series published by Servant Books, and coauthor, with her husband Scott Hahn, of Rome, Sweet Rome: Our Journey to Catholicism. DR. SCOTT HAHN teaches theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. He is the author of A Father Who Keeps His Promises: God's Covenant Love in Scripture and many other books. They are the parents of six children.

This is the seventh annual volume of the remarkably popular journal of biblical theology edited by Scott Hahn and his St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. This volume responds to the call of Pope Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini for a thoughtful return to the Fathers of the Church and how they approached Sacred Scripture. This is not in any way to jettison historical-critical methods and the valuable insights that modern biblical scholarship has brought to light. It is simply to acknowledge what Pope Benedict calls for, a measured return to the interpretive methods employed by the Church Fathers as well as the theology that flowed from their exegetical labors. As he said, "The Church Fathers present a theology that still has great value today because at its heart is the study of sacred Scripture as a whole. Indeed, the Fathers are primarily and essentially commentators on sacred Scripture." Highlights include original articles by Fr. William Kurtz, SJ, Matthew Levering, Father Stephen Ryan, OP, Stephen Hildebrand, Owen Phelan, and Michael Barber, as well as an original translation of Joseph Ratzinger's (Pope Benedict XVI) foundational essay "Vicarious Representation" by Father Jared Wicks, SJ.

Using the words of the early Christians themselves, from documents and inscriptions, Aquilina traces the Mass's history from Jesus' lifetime through the fourth century.

Our society is struggling with what Pope Benedict has called "profound crisis of faith that has affected many people." In response, the Holy Father has called us all to a Year of Faith from October 2012 to November 2013. We see the signs all around us: the demand for science to prove everything before we can believe it, the role of media and celebrities who deny the existence of God and denounce the role of the Church, and the ease in which we can all isolate God and faith into only one part of our life. In a follow-up to his best selling St. Paul Bible Study for Catholics during the year of St. Paul, Fr. Mitch Pacwa once again leads Catholics to a deeper understanding of Pope Benedict's call to action for the year. Perfect for individual or group study, this book is a wonderful guide to experiencing a conversion, growing in faith, and following Jesus Christ more closely. It shows us how to integrate every component of our life – relationships, morality, work, recreation, and all – into a meaningful whole. Make the most of Pope Benedict's Year of Faith, walking hand in hand with Fr. Pacwa as he guides you through the beauty and insights of Scripture in relationship to your everyday life.