Well-respected New Testament scholar and popular speaker Mary Healy unpacks the Letter to the Hebrews, making its difficult and puzzling passages accessible to pastoral ministers, lay readers, and students. Her commentary shows how Hebrews reveals the meaning of Christ's death in light of the Old Testament figures, rites, and sacrifices that foreshadowed it. Healy explains that Hebrews, when fully understood, transforms our understanding of who God is, what he has done for us, and how we are to live as Christians today.
About the Series The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (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. The series will include seventeen volumes, offering readable, informative commentary on each book of the New Testament. The CCSS implements 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 is packed with features designed to help readers use the Bible more effectively in teaching, preaching, evangelization, and other forms of ministry. Each volume provides exegesis as well as reflection and application sections. Cross-references link each passage to the Catechism, the Lectionary, and related biblical texts. Sidebars present information on the background of the text and on how the text has been interpreted by the Church. Abundant quotations from saints and Church Fathers enable readers to glimpse the continuity of Catholic tradition. Each volume includes a glossary, a list of suggested resources, an index of pastoral topics, and an Index of sidebars. Further resources are posted at the series website, www.CatholicScriptureCommentary.com.
Endorsements
"Dr. Mary Healy has a way in her books of skillfully presenting Scripture and the Church's teaching in a clear, accessible, and engaging manner. In her commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, she brings rich insight, depth, and understanding to this ancient teaching on how the perfect sacrifice of Jesus--the divine high priest who is also one of us, sharing in our human frailty--has definitively achieved our redemption and eternal salvation. Dr. Healy's commentary is a masterful treatise that offers significant assistance to those of us who seek to better know our faith as we make the journey toward the heavenly kingdom amidst all the struggles of the human condition." - Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington
"In the New Testament the Letter to the Hebrews is a work of singular theological richness. Dr. Mary Healy has provided an accessible and insightful commentary, beneficial to seminarians, priests, and laypeople alike. The truths of the Sacred Scripture touch the very core of our lives, and this work, like the others from the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, makes it possible for more of the faithful to experience the life-transforming power the Word offers them." - Allen H. Vigneron, Archbishop of Detroit
"This superb commentary contains an ideal mix of academic and devotional content, admirably fulfilling the series' goal of presenting 'scholarship illumined by faith.' Mary Healy's solid exegesis wonderfully leads us into the exceptional theological richness of Hebrews. Especially noteworthy are the 'Reflection and Application' sections, the numerous sidebars, and the enrichment provided by quotations from the Church Fathers. This is a commentary not merely for the mind but for the nurture of one's spiritual life. I recommend it enthusiastically!" - Donald A. Hagner, George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary
Mary Healy (STD, Pontifical Gregorian University) is professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, and a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. She is the author of several books, including The Gospel of Mark in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture, for which she serves as coeditor.