The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is complete: A conversation with Scott Hahn

After nearly 25 years of work, and the publication of dozens of individual volumes, the complete Ignatius Catholic Study Bible has finally arrived. St. Jerome famously wrote “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,” and the Church recognizes and emphasizes the importance of Catholics having a deep love for, and familiarity with, holy writ. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible is a tremendous contribution to that effort.

The complete Ignatius Catholic Study Bible features introductions and outlines for every book of the Bible; 17,500+ explanatory footnotes; 20+ topical essays on major topics in the Bible; 140+ word studies on some of the most important vocabulary in the Bible; 25+ charts detailing the chronology, kings, parables, and other features of the Bible; 50+ maps; 1,700+ cross-references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church; and more.

Numerous Catholic Biblical scholars contributed, including Michael Barber, John Bergsma, Mark Giszczak, Jeffrey Morrow, and Andrew Swafford, among others.

Scott Hahn served as the general editor of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, along with co-editor Curtis J. Mitch. Hahn is widely recognized as one of the foremost Catholic scholars of Scripture and has been involved in shepherding this monumental project for two and a half decades.

Hahn recently spoke with Catholic World Report about the new complete Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, the importance of being familiar with Scripture, and what sets this study Bible apart.

CWR: This Study Bible is a long time coming. Tell us a little about how the whole project began.

Scott Hahn: I came out of the Protestant Reformed tradition. I was a pastor in the evangelical orbit. The world I knew was rich with study Bibles, and I saw the good that they could do—as aids to personal growth and as a support for evangelization. The best of them ground you in history, piety, and theology.

When I discovered the Catholic faith, I discovered a new world of rich biblical interpretation. I found the Fathers. I found the scholastics—especially Aquinas. And in their pages I sounded depths I didn’t know were there.

But I didn’t find a study Bible—none, at least, that could compete with the anti-Catholic products that were out there. So I approached the good people at Ignatius Press, and I approached Curtis Mitch, and everyone was game to make it happen and make history.

CWR: There is still a widespread misconception that Catholics aren’t all that familiar with the Bible, and even that Catholics don’t need to be (or that the Church discourages knowledge of Scripture among the faithful). Why is it important for Catholics to be familiar with Sacred Scripture?

Hahn: Well, you said it yourself: it’s a misconception. So it’s not true to reality. Catholics who go to Mass are familiar with Scripture. They hear four readings every Sunday, plus homilies on those readings, and much of the rest of the liturgy out of the pages of the Bible.

Catholics know the Bible and feel at home in it. But they often feel they don’t see the big picture. They don’t see how all those various books fit together to make a single story. They also—like everybody else—would like to know more about the historical background of the stories. They’re looking for an imaginative entry into the world of the Chosen People. I think that’s why people are tuning in to “The Chosen.” Like the Greeks in John’s Gospel, they want to see Jesus.

Curtis and I wanted to produce a Bible where they could see him on every page—through a newfound understanding of the tradition of exegesis, through a deeper sense of typology, through maps and charts and definitions and essays. I think we delivered.

CWR: There have been a number of Biblical scholars involved in the project over the years. What exactly has your involvement been, and how has that changed over time?

Hahn: I’ve been involved at every stage, though Curtis is the one who kept the project moving and on track. Curtis is also the one who rounded up most of the scholars we spotlighted.

At the beginning, the vision was mine. It broadened and developed because the project became a two-decade conversation between Curtis and me. He challenged me, and that sharpened me—and it sharpened the Study Bible.

He also helped to build up the team of contributors, outstanding Catholic scholars and collaborators.

CWR: There are a number of study Bibles out there, with different intended audiences, different translations, different approaches. What sets the Ignatius Study Bible apart?

Hahn: It’s Catholic. It takes into account the fullness of the tradition as it’s expressed in every century and in the East and the West. That’s what “Catholic” means: universal—and not only in space but also in time. Our reading of the Bible is based not on the vision of some European men in the second millennium, but through a consensus of all the saints from everywhere and from every age.

It’s also Catholic in the sense that we highlight the teachings of the Church’s magisterium that are relevant to every book of the Bible. The Catechism, for example, is everywhere.

CWR: Why is it important to have a specifically Catholic Study Bible?

Hahn: Because the Catholic Faith is true. Its object is truth in its fullness.

CWR: In recent years, there really has been a resurgence among Catholics (and other Christians) of Biblical study and devotion. What do you think accounts for this? Why do people seem to be thirsting for Scripture more and more lately?

Hahn: I have to say we Catholics owe a debt to Evangelicals, Pentecostals, and Fundamentalists. They called us out. They shook us up. They challenged us and our beliefs until we felt compelled to find answers. Believe me, I know. I was on the other side of those conversations for years after I was “born again.”

Catholics might experience that “witness” as an annoyance. But it’s really an occasion of grace—if we allow it to be. If we take up the challenge and respond with our own witness, grounded in Scripture.

So many Catholics are doing this. So many more need to.

But there are other, and deeper, reasons why people are thirsting for Scripture. It’s true. And our hearts are restless until they rest in its truth, the truth of Christ. It’s also good and beautiful, and people are living today in a culture that exalts cynicism and ugliness.

CWR: Now that the project has come to fruition, what do you hope will be the fruits of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible?

Hahn: I want it to be used. I want God to use it. I want people to use it—for generations. It’s an expression of love, and I want it to find its object, which is God and souls.