The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS)
The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture combines outstanding biblical scholarship with lively faith to help Catholics interpret Scripture and apply it to Christian life today. In seventeen volumes, the series aims to provide readable, informative commentary on each book of the New Testament. The CCSS responds to the desire of Catholics to study the Bible in depth and in a way that integrates Scripture with Catholic doctrine, worship, and daily life. Because of this, it is an invaluable resource for pastoral ministers.
Central to the commentary’s approach are the theological principles taught by Vatican II for interpreting Scripture “in accord with the same Spirit by which it was written”—that is, interpreting Scripture in its canonical context and in the light of Catholic tradition and the analogy of faith (Dei Verbum, 12). The CCSS helps readers grasp the meaning of texts both in their historical and literary context and in their relationship to Catholic doctrine and life in the present.
Leading Scholars Provide Catholic Commentaries for Ministry in the 21st Century
Conversations about the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church by the authors and editors of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. The general editors of the series are Peter Williamson and Mary Healy.
About the series: The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS) aims to serve the ministry of the word of God in the life and mission of the Church by providing accessible yet substantive commentary on each book of the New Testament. Since Vatican Council II, there has been an increasing hunger among Catholics to study Scripture in depth and in a way that reveals its relationship to liturgy, evangelization, catechesis, theology, and daily life. This series responds to that desire by providing commentaries drawn from the best of contemporary biblical scholarship as well as the rich treasury of the Church’s tradition. The CCSS implements the theological principles taught by Vatican II for interpreting Scripture “in accord with the same Spirit by whom it was written”—that is, interpreting Scripture in its canonical context and in the light of Catholic tradition and the analogy of faith (Dei Verbum 12).
Series Characteristics
- Implements the exegetical and theological principles taught by Vatican II for interpreting texts in light of the whole of Scripture and the Church’s faith
- Written for preachers and teachers of the Word and for lay Catholics interested in studying the Bible
- Distinguished by a theological and pastoral hermeneutic rather than a focus on technical questions
- Shows the relationship of Scripture to Catholic doctrine, worship, and daily life
- Employs ordinary English that does not require “translation” for preaching and catechesis
- Written in an engaging style that can be read for spiritual nourishment and personal study
Series Features
- Provides the text of the New American Bible, the translation approved for liturgical use in the United States, to facilitate use in preaching and catechesis.
- A set of references links each passage to related Scriptures, Catechism sections, and Lectionary uses of the text
- An exegesis section explains each unit of the text, employing the normal literary, philological, and historical means, in light of the “content and unity of the whole of Scripture.”
- Reflection and application sections offer theological reflection on the text or apply it to Christian life today
- Biblical Background sidebars provide historical, cultural, or philological information.
- Living Tradition sidebars provide material from the post-biblical Christian tradition that illuminates the text, including quotations from Church documents and from the writings of saints and fathers.
- Each volume includes a Glossary, a list of Suggested Resources, an Index of Pastoral Topics, and an Index of Sidebars.
