# Doctrinal Notes – The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament ## The Gospel According to Matthew \* Mt 1:1: The genealogy is given to show that Jesus had the descent required for Messiahship, i.e., from Abraham and, in particular, from David the King. \* Mt 1:16: Joseph\'s, not Mary\'s, descent is given here, as the Jews did not usually reckon descent through the mother. Joseph was the legal and presumed father, and it was this fact that conferred rights of inheritance, in this case, the fulfilment of the Messianic promises. \* Mt 1:25: This means only that Joseph had nothing to do with the conception of Jesus. It implies nothing as to what happened afterward. \* Mt 3:2: *Repent* implies an internal change of heart. \* Mt 3:6: Not a Christian baptism but a preparation for it. \* Mt 3:15: Though without sin, Jesus wished to be baptized by John, as this was the final preparation for his mission as Messiah. \* Mt 5:17: Jesus came to bring the old law to its natural fulfilment in the new, while discarding what had become obsolete; cf. Jn 4:21. \* Mt 5:29: An exaggeration to emphasize the need to avoid occasions of sin. \* Mt 5:32, *unchastity*: The Greek word used here appears to refer to marriages that were not legally marriages because they were either within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity (Lev 18:6-16) or contracted with a Gentile. The phrase *except on the ground of unchastity* does not occur in the parallel passage in Lk 16:18. See also Mt 19:9 (Mk 10:11-12), and especially 1 Cor 7:10-11, which shows that the prohibition is unconditional. \* Mt 6:6: This does not, of course, exclude public worship but ostentatious prayer. \* Mt 6:24, *mammon*: i.e., riches. \* Mt 8:3: The miracles of Jesus were never performed to amaze people and shock them into belief. They were worked with a view to a real strengthening of faith in the recipient or beholder, from whom the proper dispositions were required. \* Mt 8:29, *before the time*: Before the day of judgment the demons are permitted by God to tempt men and even to possess them. \* Mt 10:5: The gospel, the Messianic salvation, had first to be preached and offered to the chosen people, Israel. Later it would be offered to the Gentiles. \* Mt 11:3: The Baptist expected more obvious signs of the Messiah. By quoting the prophet Isaiah, Jesus showed that he was indeed inaugurating the Messianic kingdom ---but by doing good rather than by glorious manifestations or sudden punishments. \* Mt 11:27: This shows a profound relationship between the Son and the Father, far superior to adoptive sonship. \* Mt 12:14: The Pharisees regarded healing as work and so forbade it on the sabbath. \* Mt 12:24, *Beel-zebul*: Name of a Canaanite god meaning \"the Prince-god.\" The Jews interpreted this name as \"Prince of demons,\" because for them all false gods were demons. The form \"Beel-zebub\" is a contemptuous adaptation meaning \"Lord of the flies.\" \* Mt 12:31: To attribute to the devil the works of the Holy Spirit seems to imply a hardness of heart that precludes repentance. \* Mt 12:46, *brethren*: The Greek word or its Semitic equivalent was used for varying degrees of blood relationship; cf. Gen 14:14; 29:12; Lev 10:4. \* Mt 12:48: Jesus puts the work of salvation before family relationships. It is not said, however, that he refused to see them. \* Mt 13:12: To those well-disposed Jews who have made good use of the old covenant will now be given the perfection of the new. On the other hand, from those who have rejected God\'s advances will now be taken away even that which they have, because the old covenant is passing away. \* Mt 13:52: This is Matthew\'s ideal: that the learned Jew should become the disciple of Jesus and so add the riches of the new covenant to those of the old, which he already possesses; cf. verse 12. \* Mt 13:55: See note on Mt 12:46. \* Mt 14:33: Their realization of his Godhead was the prelude to Peter\'s confession of faith at Caesarea Philippi (Mt 16:16). \* Mt 15:5: By dedicating his property to God, i.e., to the temple, a man could avoid having to help his parents, without actually giving up what he had. The scribes held such a vow to be valid without necessarily approving it. \* Mt 15:24: See note on Mt 10:5. \* Mt 16:14: The title of prophet had a Messianic significance because the gift of prophecy, which had been extinct since Malachi, was expected to return at the beginning of the Messianic era, especially by an outpouring of the Spirit as foretold by the prophet Joel and as realized in Acts 2:16. \* Mt 16:16: The context shows that Peter recognizes the sonship of Jesus as divine and not adoptive like ours. Mark and Luke in the parallel passages mention only the confession of the Messiahship. \* Mt 16:18: The name \"Peter\" comes from the Greek word for \"rock.\" Jesus makes him the foundation on which the church is to be built. The word \"church\" means \"assembly\" or \"society\" of believers. The Hebrew equivalent is used in the Old Testament to indicate the chosen people. In applying it to the church, Jesus shows it to be the Messianic community foretold by the prophets. \* Mt 16:19, *the kingdom of heaven*: Peter has the key to the gates of the city of God. This power is exercised through the church. \"Binding\" and \"loosing\" are rabbinic terms referring to excommunication, then later to forbidding or allowing something. Not only can Peter admit to the kingdom; he also has power to make authoritative decisions in matters of faith or morals. \* Mt 16:26, *life* (both times): A play on the word \"life\" ---natural and supernatural; cf. Mk 8:35-36. \* Mt 17:4: Peter thought the glorious Messianic kingdom had come. In fact, Jesus allowed this glimpse of his glory to strengthen them for the coming passion. \* Mt 18:9: Gehenna (see footnote **b**) was the name of a valley south of Jerusalem where human sacrifice had once been practiced; cf. 2 Chron 33:6. Later it became a cursed place and a refuse dump, and the name came to symbolize the Christian place of punishment. \* Mt 18:18: To the other apostles is given a share in the authority given to Peter. \* Mt 19:9: This appears to refer to the case in Mt 5:32, though the Greek word for \"except\" is different. \* Mt 19:11-12: Jesus means that a life of continence is to be chosen only by those who are called to it for the sake of the kingdom of God. \* Mt 21:9: The crowd openly recognizes Jesus as the Messiah and he allows it for the first time. \* Mt 21:23: They object to the assumption of authority implicit in the manner of his entry into the city and in his expulsion of the sellers from the temple. \* Mt 21:33-44: This parable is really an allegory in which almost every detail represents something in God\'s dealings with Israel. \* Mt 22:11: The wedding garment represents the dispositions necessary for admission to the kingdom. \* Mt 23:5, *phylacteries*: Little leather boxes containing, on a very small scroll, the principal words of the law; cf. Deut 6:4-9. Taking the command literally, they fastened these to their arms and their foreheads. \* Mt 23:9: i.e., \"Do not use the title without reference to God\'s universal fatherhood.\" He cannot mean that the title is never to be used by a son to his father. \* Mt 24:1 ---25:46: The \"Eschatological Discourse,\" as it is called, deals with the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the world. The two themes seem to be inextricably intermingled in the Gospel as we now have it, but it is possible that originally they were in separate discourses. However, the fusion of the two does bring out their connection. The one prefigures the other. Moreover, in the reverse direction, so to speak, the language used to describe the day of the Lord in Joel and elsewhere is here applied to the fall of Jerusalem, the details of which must therefore not be taken too literally (24:29). \* Mt 25:29: See note on Mt 13:12. \* Mt 26:17: The passover supper was eaten this year on the Friday evening (Jn 18:28). Jesus must have anticipated the passover meal because he would be dead the following day and because the meal prefigured his death. \* Mt 26:26: The details of the Eucharist are superimposed on the ritual of the passover. \* Mt 26:51: It was Peter, as John in his later Gospel tells us (Jn 18:10), though Matthew is reluctant to say so. \* Mt 26:59: They sought evidence against him and this was necessarily false. \* Mt 26:64-65: For the first time Jesus speaks clearly of his own identity. Caiaphas evidently understands him to claim divinity. \* Mt 27:46: Jesus applies Psalm 22 (Vulgate 21) to himself. \* Mt 27:66: The sealing and guarding only helped to make the subsequent resurrection more obvious. \* Mt 28:1-20: The resurrection appearances. There are divergent traditions in the gospels, Galilean and Judean. Paul adds his own record (1 Cor 15). The accounts do not easily fit together, but this is surely evidence of their genuineness. There is no attempt to produce an artificial conformity. ## The Gospel According to Mark \* Mk 1:34: Throughout his ministry Jesus forbade the demons and those he healed of their infirmities to reveal his identity as Messiah, because the people, with their ideas of a national leader to come, were only too prone to mistake his true mission. \* Mk 2:14, *Levi*: Mark does not identify him with Matthew the apostle; cf. Mt 9:9. \* Mk 3:31, *brethren*: See note on Mt 12:46. \* Mk 4:12, *so that* . : One might rephrase this: \"so that the Scripture might be fulfiled\"; cf. Jn 18:32; 19:24, 28. It was not God\'s intention to prevent their understanding. Matthew avoids this difficulty by writing, \"I speak to them in parables, *because* seeing they do not see\" Mt 13:13). \* Mk 5:43: Knowing their nationalistic views about the Messiah to come, Jesus wished to avoid a tumult. \* Mk 7:3: Mark, writing for Gentiles, explains these Jewish customs. \* Mk 8:36, *life*: See note on Mt 16:26. \* Mk 9:13, *Elijah has come*: i.e., in the person of the Baptist Mt 11:14). \* Mk 10:24, *amazed at his words*: The Old Testament often records God\'s offers of material rewards for observance of his laws. This was because the future life was not yet revealed. It was therefore taken for granted, in spite of contrary evidence, that riches were a sign of God\'s favor. \* Mk 10:30: Some of the reward will be given in this life. \* Mk 14:13: It was unusual for a man to carry water; it was a woman\'s task. \* Mk 14:51-52: This young man is usually supposed to have been the evangelist himself. \* Mk 15:1: The Jews could not execute Jesus without the Roman governor\'s permission. \* Mk 15:40, *the younger*, or \"the Less.\" \* Mk 16:1: There had been no time on the Friday to anoint him before the sabbath rest. \* Mk 16:9-20: This passage is regarded as inspired and canonical Scripture even if not written by Mark. As it is missing from some important manuscripts, it is possible that Mark did not write it. On the other hand, he would hardly have left his Gospel unfinished at verse 8. Many think that the original ending was lost at a very early date and that this ending was composed at the end of the apostolic period to take its place. ## The Gospel According to Luke \* Lk 1:3: Theophilus is again referred to in Acts 1:1, but nothing is known of him. \* Lk 1:5 ---2:52: The \"Infancy Gospel,\" as it is called, is written in a markedly Semitic style, which differs from that of the rest of the Gospel. It appears to be based on the reminiscences of Mary. \* Lk 1:30: The words of the angel are drawn from Messianic passages in the Old Testament. \* Lk 1:34: *How can this be*: alternate reading is *How will this be*. \* Lk 1:46-55: The Magnificat is based on the Song of Hannah (1 Sam 2:1-10), and other Old Testament passages that describe God\'s favor toward Israel and especially toward the poor and lowly. \* Lk 1:69, *a horn of salvation*: i.e., a mighty savior. \* Lk 2:7, *first-born*: The term connotes possession of certain rights, privileges, and obligations; cf. Ex 13:1-2, 11-16. The word is used even in modern times without necessarily implying subsequent births. \* Lk 2:34, *for the fall*: i.e., in the sense that by rejecting his claims many would sin grievously. \* Lk 2:49: Jesus stresses the priority of his duty to his Father, which involves a high degree of independence of earthly ties. \* Lk 3:2: See note on Jn 18:13. \* Lk 3:7, *brood of vipers*: This epithet seems to have been directed mainly at the Pharisees; cf. Mt 3:7. \* Lk 3:23: This genealogy is more universalist than that of Matthew. Like Matthew, however, it gives the genealogy of Joseph, though Mary may well have been of the family of David. \* Lk 4:16-30: This account of the visit to the synagogue seems to be composed of the details of more than one visit. Luke is trying here to underline the contrast between Christ\'s offer of salvation and the people\'s refusal of it. \* Lk 6:20-49: Luke\'s discourse is shorter than that of Matthew because it does not contain Matthew\'s additional material collected from other occasions, or his details that would interest only Jews. \* Lk 7:28: John, by virtue of his office, belonged to the old dispensation, the time of preparation for the kingdom. In terms of spiritual status, even the humbler members of the kingdom were superior to him. \* Lk 7:47: The preceding parable suggests that she loved much because she had been forgiven much. Jesus now implies that her love is a sign rather than a cause of forgiveness, thus confirming the point of the parable. \* Lk 8:19, *brethren*: See note on Mt 12:46. \* Lk 8:39: There was no reason for secrecy (to avoid popular disturbance) in a non-Jewish area. \* Lk 9:51: Here begins the \"Travel Narrative\" of Luke, which continues up to the passion. \* Lk 9:51: *received up*: i.e., into heaven; cf. 2 Kings 2:9-11; Acts 1:2, 11. The term here includes his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension. \* Lk 9:51, 53: The Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim, while orthodox Jews, of course, went to Jerusalem, and to Jerusalem only, for sacrifice. \* Lk 10:18: Jesus refers to the fall of the angels (cf. Rev 12:9), while he speaks of his conquest of the forces of evil. \* Lk 14:26: Christ\'s disciples must be prepared to part from any one who prevents them from serving him. \* Lk 16:8: The master commended his foresight without approving what he actually did. \* Lk 17:20: At that time many persons were expecting to see the kingdom inaugurated with striking manifestations; cf. 19:11. \* Lk 19:41-44: These moving words spoken over the city are full of scriptural allusions. Moreover, the details given could apply as well to the siege of 587 B.C. as to that of A.D. 70. It is not safe, therefore, to argue from this passage that the fall of the city had already taken place when Luke wrote his Gospel. \* Lk 20:37: As elsewhere (1 Cor 15:13-19), survival after death is linked with the resurrection of the body. \* Lk 21:24, *the times of the Gentiles*: i.e., those during which the Gentiles will take the place of the unbelieving people of Israel. Evidently, therefore, the end of the world does not coincide with the fall of Jerusalem. St. Paul says that the Jews will be converted before the end (Rom 11:26). \* Lk 22:52: Matthew and Mark describe the arrest first, before Christ\'s words. Luke and John both put his address to the soldiers and officials before the arrest, doubtless to stress his command over events. \* Lk 23:2: They purposely produce political charges, as these alone would interest Pilate. \* Lk 23:14: Luke, writing for Gentiles, makes it clear that Pilate wanted to release Jesus. \* Lk 23:31: One does not burn green wood. The meaning is that, if an innocent man is thus punished, what must the guilty (dry wood) expect? \* Lk 24:38: Luke stresses this episode for the benefit of his Greek readers, for whom the resurrection of the body was both impossible and absurd; cf. Acts 17:32. ## The Gospel According to John \* Jn 1:1: John begins by giving his Gospel a theological background. By speaking at once of \"the Word\" he implies that his readers are familiar with the term. To Gentiles it indicated some form of divine revelation or self-expression. Jews would equate it with the divine Wisdom described in Proverbs, which already appears as something more than a divine quality and has some relationship with the visible world. In Sirach and Wisdom the idea is further developed. In the last-named book, Wisdom appears as a pre-existing person, taking part in the creation of the world and having a mission to reveal God to his creatures; cf. Wis 7:22 ---8:1. \* Jn 1:5, *light . darkness*: One of the familiar themes of the Gospel. \* Jn 1:29: John applies to Jesus the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53:6-7, perhaps worded more explicitly by the evangelist in later years. \* Jn 2:4, *What have you to do with me?*: What is that to you or to me? While this expression always implies a divergence of view, the precise meaning is to be determined by the context, which here shows that it is not an unqualified refusal, still less a rebuke. \* Jn 2:12, *brethren*: See note on Mt 12:46. \* Jn 3:22, *baptized*: A baptism like that of John. The time for baptism \"in the Spirit\" had not yet come. \* Jn 3:24: From the other Gospels we learn that, after John was arrested, Jesus withdrew from Judea. \* Jn 4:20, *this mountain*: Gerizim, on which the Samaritans worshiped. \* Jn 5:18, *broke the sabbath*: i.e., broke the sabbath as interpreted by them; see note on Mt 12:14. \* Jn 6:51: Jesus is the \"living bread\" both as Word of God (verses 32ff.) and as sacrificial victim for the salvation of man. \* Jn 6:52: A natural question to ask. Jesus answers, not by explaining it away, but by reemphasizing the reality, though not, of course, in the crude sense implied in their question. \* Jn 6:62: When Jesus ascends into heaven they will know that he spoke the truth. \* Jn 7:3, *brethren*: See note on Mt 12:46. \* Jn 7:53 ---8:11: This passage, though absent from some of the most ancient manuscripts, is regarded as inspired and canonical by the Church. The style suggests that it is not by St. John, and that it belongs to the Synoptic tradition. \* Jn 8:21, *die in your sin*: Theirs is that sin against the truth which is the sin against the Spirit; cf. Mt 12:31. \* Jn 8:41: They mean, \"We are not idolaters,\" and protest their fidelity to God their Father; see notes on Rev 14:4 and 17:2. \* Jn 8:56, *he saw it* either in prophetic vision while on earth or by some special privilege after death. \* Jn 8:58: The present tense indicates Christ\'s eternal existence as God. \* Jn 9:3: Jesus explains in advance the purpose of the miracle. \* Jn 10:14, *the good shepherd*: The name has Messianic significance; cf. Ezek 34. \* Jn 10:18: Throughout the Gospel, Jesus insists that he is master of his own life and no one takes it from him; cf. 18:6 (at his arrest); 19:11 (before Pilate); 19:30 (on the cross). \* Jn 11:6, *stayed two days longer*: This is explained in verse 15. \* Jn 11:50: Caiaphas agreed that, as Jesus was not (in their opinion) the Messiah, any popular insurrection now could end only in disaster; so it was better, he argued, to do away with him. He was unconscious of the deeper meaning of his words, namely that Jesus must die for the salvation of man. \* Jn 12:1: Here begins the last week of Jesus\' public life. This is described in great detail, as was the first week in chapter 1. \* Jn 12:32, *lifted up*: i.e., on the cross; but the words also contain a reference to his going up into heaven. The two mysteries are inseparable. \* Jn 13:1: John begins here to unfold the mystery of the love of Jesus for \"his own.\" Note the solemn introduction to the \"hour\" of his passion and death. \* Jn 13:34, *new commandment*: Jesus gives a new depth to the familiar commandment of the Old Testament. The standard now is, \"as I have loved you.\" \* Jn 14:26, *all things*: After Jesus has gone to his Father, the Holy Spirit will complete his revelation to the world. \* Jn 15:18: Jesus contrasts the love his disciples have with the hatred the world bears them. \* Jn 16:10: Jesus is taken from them because they did not receive him. \* Jn 17:1-26: The priestly prayer of Jesus, before his sacrifice. \* Jn 17:5 declares his pre-existence. \* Jn 18:13: According to Jewish law the high-priesthood was for life. The Romans had deposed Annas, the legal holder, in A.D. 15, and appointed another in his place, but many Jews continued to recognize Annas. \* Jn 18:28: They would have contracted a legal impurity by entering the house of a pagan. \* Jn 18:29: See note on Lk 23:2. \* Jn 18:31: Crucifixion was a Roman, not a Jewish, punishment. \* Jn 19:7: At last, because of Pilate\'s reluctance, they produce the real charge. \* Jn 19:8-9: Pilate is afraid and asks Jesus where he comes from ---not his country, but his mysterious origins, as implied in the charge. \* Jn 19:27, *took her to his own home*: Joseph must now have been dead. \* Jn 20:17: The death and resurrection of Jesus had put an end to the ordinary familiar relationships of human life, and the time of lasting companionship had not yet come. \* Jn 21:1-25: This chapter was added later, either by the evangelist or by a disciple; cf. 20:3-31 and 21:24. \* Jn 21:7: John remembered a similar miracle before; cf. Lk 5:6. \* Jn 21:15-17: The threefold question addressed to Peter alone corresponds to the threefold denial. Jesus gives Peter charge over his flock. THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES \* Acts 1:1, *the first book*: i.e., St. Luke\'s Gospel. \* Acts 1:14, *brethren*: See note on Mt 12:46. \* Acts 1:22: An apostle must be a witness to Christ\'s resurrection. \* Acts 2:14: Peter assumes the leadership in public. In this discourse we have the earliest form of the apostolic preaching. \* Acts 3:1: In the early days, the first Christians observed the prescriptions of the Jewish law. \* Acts 4:2: The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. \* Acts 4:32, *everything in common*: They freely shared what was theirs individually; cf. Acts 5:4. \* Acts 5:11, *Church*: i.e., the Christian and Messianic community; a term borrowed from the Old Testament. \* Acts 5:20, *Life*: cf. Acts 9:2, \"the Way.\" These terms recall the words of Jesus, \"I am the way, and the truth, and the life\" (Jn 14:6). \* Acts 5:34, *Gamaliel*: Teacher of St. Paul; cf. Acts 22:3. \* Acts 6:1, *Hellenists*: Greek-speaking Jews of the Dispersion, who had their own synagogues in Jerusalem and read the Scriptures in Greek. \* Acts 8:20: Hence the word \"simony,\" meaning \"buying and selling spiritual powers and privileges.\" \* Acts 9:5: Jesus identifies himself with his followers. \* Acts 9:13, *saints*: i.e., Christians, made holy by baptism. \* Acts 10:16: The vision was to prepare Peter for his reception of Cornelius the Gentile and his household into the Church; cf. also Acts 15. \* Acts 12:1: The second wave of persecution: cf. Acts 8:1. \* Acts 13:16-41: This first recorded sermon of Paul is similar to that of Peter in Acts 2:14-36. \* Acts 16:10: This is the first of the passages in Acts in which the story is told in the first person plural, indicating that Luke, the author, was there. The manuscript Codex Bezae, however, has a \"we\" passage in 11:28. \* Acts 16:13: Being a Roman colony, Philippi had no synagogue within its walls. \* Acts 19:35, *the sacred stone* or statue of the goddess which, according to legend, came down from heaven. Possibly a meteorite. \* Acts 20:7: Celebration of the Eucharist on the Lord\'s day, i.e., Saturday evening, according to the Jewish way of reckoning a day from sunset to sunset. \* Acts 20:34: Paul insisted on working for his living, though recognizing the apostle\'s right to support by the faithful; cf. 1 Cor 9:4-7. \* Acts 21:4, *told Paul not to go*: This was not a command. The Holy Spirit enlightened them about what lay before Paul and they naturally wished to spare him; cf. verse 11. \* Acts 22:20, *your witness*: Greek, \"martyr.\" Witnessing by one\'s death (i.e., martyrdom) is the supreme example. ## The Letter of Paul to the Romans \* Rom 1:1-7: The opening address and salutation are very much in the style of contemporary letter-writing, giving the name of the sender and recipient, and following this with greetings. \* Rom 1:10: Paul did not found the church at Rome. \* Rom 1:13, *harvest*: Perhaps those who founded the church at Rome had confined themselves largely to Jews and had not made much headway with Gentiles. \* Rom 3:27: Above all, it is faith, not works alone, that will justify both Jew and Gentile, and (as is made clear later) faith in Jesus. \* Rom 5:12: Physical death is a sign of spiritual death; though physical death remains after justification. \* Rom 5:15: The *felix culpa* praised in the *Exsultet* at the Easter Vigil. \* Rom 6:4, *buried*: Immersed in the water of baptism. \* Rom 6:15: As before, in the case of the law (Rom 2:17-29), so now, in the case of grace, Paul says it is not a license to sin. \* Rom 7:13-25: Man under the law of Moses and perhaps man under the natural law too. \* Rom 8:19: Material creation, too, shares man\'s destiny, made as it was for him. Many ancient philosophers thought matter to be evil and that the spirit should be freed from it. \* Rom 9:19-24: Paul\'s words here, taken by themselves, seem to leave no room for moral responsibility, but they must be taken in conjunction with other passages; see chapters 1 and 2. \* Rom 10:1: Paul is afraid he has spoken too strongly of their sins, so he declares his love for Israel. \* Rom 14:1 ---15:13: Paul is tolerant of the Jewish Christians\' reluctance to abandon the ritual prescriptions of the law of Moses, while being equally insistent that these shall not be forced on Gentile Christians. \* Rom 14:14: Conscience is the ultimate guide. \* Rom 15:15-16: Paul again justifies his writing to a church he did not found. \* Rom 16:16, *All the churches of Christ greet you*: A remarkable salutation, not used elsewhere. ## The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians \* 1 Cor 1:2, *saints*: A word commonly used for Christians in Paul\'s letters and in Acts. \* 1 Cor 1:12, *Cephas*: i.e., Peter. It does not follow from this that he had even been to Corinth, but it does indicate his authority there. \* 1 Cor 2:1-2: Paul\'s failure at Athens convinced him that lofty words and worldly wisdom were less effective than Jesus crucified. \* 1 Cor 3:13, *the Day*: i.e., the day of the Lord, God\'s searching judgment. \* 1 Cor 3:16, *God\'s temple*: The dignity of the Christians. \* 1 Cor 5:1, *father\'s wife*: Evidently his stepmother. \* 1 Cor 5:5, *to Satan*: Not only excommunicated, but in some sense given over to suffering, for his own good. \* 1 Cor 5:9-10, *immoral*: Literally, \"fornicators.\" \* 1 Cor 5:11, *guilty of immorality*: Literally, \"a fornicator.\" \* 1 Cor 6:1, *the unrighteous*: i.e., civil courts in which the judges were, of course, pagan. \* 1 Cor 6:9: *the immoral*: literally, \"fornicators.\" \* 1 Cor 6:9: *homosexuals*: Greek has \"effeminate nor sodomites.\" The apostle condemns, not the inherent tendencies of such, but the indulgence of them. \* 1 Cor 6:12: This saying is possibly an exaggeration of the freedom from the Mosaic law that Christians enjoyed. The saying has been applied to sinful practices, as is clear from the following verses. \* 1 Cor 6:13, 18, *immorality*: i.e., sexual immorality. \* 1 Cor 7:2: Note Paul\'s insistence on equality of man and woman in certain aspects of Christian marriage, and his recognition that the unmarried state is also a gift from God. \* 1 Cor 8:1-13: Animals sacrificed to pagan gods were often sold as meat in the market. Could Christians buy such meat? Paul allows it so long as scandal is avoided. \* 1 Cor 9:3: Paul set great store by the fact that he has earned his living and waived his right to support by the faithful. He used this as an authentication of his apostolate. \* 1 Cor 9:5, *wife*: Greek, a \"woman,\" a \"sister.\" This could mean either a woman who is a Christian or a wife who is a Christian. There were pious women who ministered to the apostles (Lk 8:3). As many of the apostles must have been married, they may have been ministered to by their wives, though it is possible they had left their wives in answer to the Lord\'s command to leave all (Lk 18:28-29). \* 1 Cor 9:5, *brethren*: See note on Mt 12:46. \* 1 Cor 10:20: Paul appears to forbid partaking in sacrificial meals. In verse 27 he says they may eat meat offered to idols if it is at an ordinary meal, unless it would cause scandal to anyone present. \* 1 Cor 11:20: There was apparently a common meal before the Eucharist at which food and drink were to be shared. Paul condemns the abuses that had crept in. \* 1 Cor 12:1: The spiritual gifts here referred to were common in the first age of the Church and helped to establish it on a firm basis. \* 1 Cor 12:31: Love, however, is far superior to these gifts. \* 1 Cor 15:13: Again, the resurrection of the dead is linked with Christ\'s resurrection; cf. Rom 8:11. \* 1 Cor 15:29: Apparently a custom of vicarious baptism for those who had died without it. Paul mentions it without approving it. \* 1 Cor 16:1: The collection to be made everywhere for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. ## The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians \* 2 Cor 1:8, *affliction*: Possibly the disturbance at Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41), or perhaps a serious illness. \* 2 Cor 3:18: Cleansed in baptism through the power of the Holy Spirit, our soul shines with the reflected glory of God. \* 2 Cor 4:7, *this treasure*: i.e., the apostolate. \* 2 Cor 4:12: i.e., we suffer, if necessary, even unto death, that you may have (spiritual) life. \* 2 Cor 5:19: Or, \"God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ.\" \* 2 Cor 5:21, *made him to be sin*: i.e., \"sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh\" (Rom 8:3). \* 2 Cor 9:1, *superfluous*: Yet Paul goes on to do so at some length, exhorting them to be generous. \* 2 Cor 10:1: Paul is referring ironically to what some people are saying about him; see verse 10. \* 2 Cor 12:7, *a thorn*: Perhaps some form of sickness or disability, or the opposition of Israel to his teaching. \* 2 Cor 12:13: Paul ironically asks forgiveness for not being a charge on them as the other apostles were. ## The Letter of Paul to the Galatians \* Gal 1:6: After the greeting there is no commendation, as was usual, but rather strong rebuke. \* Gal 1:10: No doubt Paul was accused of exempting Gentile converts from the law of Moses in order to curry favor. \* Gal 1:19: *Lord\'s brother*: See the note on *brethren* at Mt 12:46 above. \* Gal 2:16, *works of the law*: Paul is contrasting not faith with good works but faith in Jesus Christ with observance of the law of Moses. \* Gal 3:2, *Spirit*: He probably refers to the outward manifestations of the Spirit, such as the gift of tongues. \* Gal 5:11, *stumbling block of the cross*: So far as the Jews were concerned, this would consist largely in the exemption of converts from the obligations of the law of Moses. ## The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians \* Eph 1:1, *To the saints who are*: The addition \"at Ephesus\" is doubtful. The letter may have been a form of encyclical. \* Eph 1:10, *to unite*: Or, \"to sum up.\" This is one of the chief themes of the letter. Men are to be under Christ as head of the Mystical Body, and even irrational creatures must be in some way under him as the cornerstone of creation. \* Eph 2:14, *dividing wall*: A metaphor taken from the wall that divided the court of the Gentiles from the court of the Israelites in the temple. \* Eph 3:3, *the mystery*: i.e., that the Gentiles were to be admitted to the Church on the basis of equality. \* Eph 5:14: Apparently a fragment of an early Christian hymn; cf. 1 Tim 3:16. ## The Letter of Paul to the Philippians \* Phil 1:14, *because of my imprisonment*: i.e., because I continue to preach in their midst, though in prison. \* Phil 1:20, *honored in my body*: i.e., through my sufferings. \* Phil 2:6, *in the form of God*: The Greek shows that divine attributes, and therefore nature, are implied here. It is not the divine nature he set no store by, but equality of treatment and recognition of his divinity. \* Phil 2:7, *emptied himself* of this external recognition, which was his right. \* Phil 3:12, *made me his own*: On the road to Damascus. \* Phil 3:19: These Judaizers made holiness a question of distinction of foods and set great store by circumcision. ## The Letter of Paul to the Colossians \* Col 1:15, *first-born*: Born of the Father before all ages. The reference here is to the divine person of the Word; see verse 16. \* Col 1:18: His human nature. \* Col 1:24, *what is lacking*: Christ\'s sufferings were, of course, sufficient for our redemption, but all of us may add ours to his, in order that the fruits of his redemption be applied to the souls of men. \* Col 3:18 ---4:5: The whole passage corresponds closely to Eph 5:22 ---6:9. \* Col 4:10: Mark, the evangelist, and, probably, the John Mark of Acts 12:12, 25. \* Col 4:14: Luke, the evangelist. ## The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians \* 1 Thess 1:1: Paul joins with himself two who had evangelized Thessalonica with him. \* 1 Thess 2:18, *I, Paul*: He distinguishes himself from Silvanus and Timothy. \* 1 Thess 4:3, *sanctification*: With special reference to the practice of purity, specially difficult to those newly converted from paganism. \* 1 Thess 4:3, *immorality*: i.e., sexual immorality. \* 1 Thess 4:11: The Thessalonians thought that the second Coming of Christ was at hand and tended to neglect their daily duties. He corrects this misconception. \* 1 Thess 4:13: Paul tells them that those who died before Christ\'s second Coming are no worse off than those who will still be alive at his coming. \* 1 Thess 4:17: i.e., we who are alive shall go out to meet him and accompany him back on his return to this earth. ## The Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians \* 2 Thess 2:2: Paul warns against over-eagerness to expect the second Coming, and specifies various signs to be looked for first. \* 2 Thess 2:3, *the man of lawlessness*: i.e., Antichrist. \* 2 Thess 2:7: Evil will operate secretly till the final unmasking. ## The First Letter of Paul to Timothy \* 1 Tim 1:2: Timothy, son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother, was already a Christian when Paul met him (Acts 16:1). A close association ensued. \* 1 Tim 1:4, *myths and endless genealogies*: A reference to the Jewish legends and spurious pedigrees added by false Judaizers to the Biblical narratives; cf. The Book of Jubilees. \* 1 Tim 1:20, *delivered to Satan*: A form of excommunication; see note on 1 Cor 5:5. \* 1 Tim 2:6, *ransom for all*: This is why Paul wants prayers for all (verse 1). \* 1 Tim 3:1, *bishop*: At this time an office probably not distinct from that of priest. \* 1 Tim 3:11, *women*: i.e., deaconesses. \* 1 Tim 4:3, *forbid marriage*: As some Gnostics did. \* 1 Tim 4:3, *abstinence from foods*: As practiced by Judaizers. \* 1 Tim 5:3, *real widows*: i.e., with no one to help and support them. \* 1 Tim 5:12: Paul had no objection to widows marrying again; cf. 1 Cor 7:8-9. But the widows here had clearly made some sort of vow or promise to serve the Church in singleness. Paul recommended that younger widows should marry again (verse 14). ## The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy \* 2 Tim 1:15, *Asia*: The Roman province of that name, now in western Turkey. \* 2 Tim 2:18: They explained the resurrection by saying it was the rising to newness of life in baptism, thus ignoring a bodily resurrection, a doctrine the Greeks found very hard to accept; cf. Acts 17:32. \* 2 Tim 3:16: Paul refers to the Old Testament Scriptures. \* 2 Tim 4:6, *on the point of being sacrificed*: Literally, \"poured out in sacrifice\" as a drink-offering or libation. \* 2 Tim 4:21, *Linus*: According to tradition, the successor of Peter in the see of Rome. ## The Letter of Paul to Titus \* Tit 1:5, *elders*: Each Christian community was ruled by a body of elders. \* Tit 2:13, *God and Savior*: Both terms appear to refer to Jesus Christ. \* Tit 3:5-7: A brief and clear statement of the doctrine of justification. ## The Letter to the Hebrews \* Heb 1:1-4: A contrast between the progressive and piecemeal revelation of the old dispensation and the complete revelation of the new given by a single representative ---no mere prophet but the Son of God himself. \* Heb 2:2, *angels*: The covenant of Sinai was thought to have been given through the angels. \* Heb 2:10, *suffering*: The divinely appointed means of progress toward God; cf. verse 18. \* Heb 3:11: Those who murmured against God in the desert were excluded from the promised land (the \"rest\"). Christians should beware lest, by offending God, they be excluded from heaven, the true rest, of which the promised land was a type. \* Heb 5:1-5: If Jesus was to be mediator, he had to have a human nature like ours, and, moreover, he could not appoint himself, but had to be appointed by God. \* Heb 6:4, *impossible*: The apostasy referred to in verse 6 is clearly thought of as so deliberate as to preclude any real possibility of repentance; or there may be a reference here to the impossibility of being baptized a second time. \* Heb 7:3, *without father*: i.e., the father is not mentioned in Scripture. \* Heb 7:3, *neither beginning of days nor end of life*: So too here, they are not mentioned in Scripture either. Thus his priesthood can be taken to foreshadow or symbolize the Christian priesthood. \"You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek\" (Ps 110:4; cf. Heb 7:17). \* Heb 8:11: This verse means merely that knowledge of God will be commonly shared. It does not exclude the existence of a ministry of teaching in the Messianic times. \* Heb 10:1ff.: The sacrifices of the old law, being imperfect, were repeated and did at least keep alive a sense of sin. Contrast with Christ\'s sacrifice (verse 14). \* Heb 11:6: Here is stated the minimum necessary for salvation. \* Heb 12:1ff.: After explaining in the preceding chapters how we are redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ, the author now exhorts his readers to run the race with perseverance. \* Heb 13:1ff.: Moral exhortation. \* Heb 13:9: Again the warning against false doctrine, especially the Judaizers\' teachings; cf. Phil 3:19; 1 Tim 1:4; 4:3. \* Heb 13:13: i.e., \"Let us leave the observance of Judaism behind us.\" ## The Letter of James \* Jas 1:1, *twelve tribes*: i.e., Jewish Christians outside Palestine. \* Jas 1:22: This is the main theme of the letter. \* Jas 2:1-7: These are hard words, but no harder than those of Jesus. \* Jas 2:10: In keeping the law, we must keep *the whole law*. We cannot pick and choose. \* Jas 2:14: Good works are necessary besides faith. \* Jas 5:3: The \"treasure\" they have laid up is described in the following verses. \* Jas 5:13-15: This passage is the scriptural basis for the sacrament of anointing the sick. ## The First Letter of Peter \* 1 Pet 1:1: See note on Jas 1:1. Baptism is the main theme of this letter which, in fact, may have been a baptismal address. \* 1 Pet 1:11, *Spirit of Christ*: Christ, as the eternally existing Word, is envisaged as inspiring the prophets of old. \* 1 Pet 3:1-6: Peter\'s teaching on the behavior and status of women corresponds to that of Paul, though without Paul\'s forthrightness. \* 1 Pet 4:1, *ceased from sin*: Peter means that a continual acceptance of suffering is incompatible with a proneness to sin. \* 1 Pet 5:13, *Babylon*: Rome was as full of iniquity as ancient Babylon; cf. Rev 17:9. ## The Second Letter of Peter \* 2 Pet 1:4, *partakers of the divine nature*: A strong expression to describe the transformation of human nature by divine grace. \* 2 Pet 1:16-18: A reference to the transfiguration. \* 2 Pet 2:3: Much of the material of this chapter appears to be from the Letter of Jude. \* 2 Pet 3:16, *this* seems to refer to the theme of the end of the world and the second Coming of Christ, about which Paul had written in his letters to the Thessalonians. ## The First Letter of John \* 1 Jn 1:1-7: Note the likeness with John\'s Gospel 1:1-18. \* 1 Jn 1:3, *fellowship*: A Johannine theme. \* 1 Jn 1:5, *light . darkness*: Another familiar theme in John\'s Gospel. \* 1 Jn 2:3: Cf. The words of Jesus, \"If you love me, you will keep my commandments\" (Jn 14:15). \* 1 Jn 2:18, *the last hour*: John exhorts his readers to hold fast, as though the end were at hand. \* 1 Jn 3:6, *sins*: i.e., remains in sin, or has a habit of sin. \* 1 Jn 4:1, *test the spirits*: i.e., examine those who claim to have special gifts from the Holy Spirit; cf. 1 Cor 14:32. \* 1 Jn 5:8: This reads as follows in the Vulgate: \"^ 7^There are three who give testimony in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. ^8^And there are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three are one.\" The \"Three Heavenly Witnesses,\" as the first sentence is called, is first found in the Latin (fourth century) and does not appear in any Greek manuscript until the fifteenth century. It is probably a marginal gloss that found its way into the text. ## The Second Letter of John \* 2 Jn 1: *The elder*: Perhaps the head of the group or \"college\" of elders that presided over each Christian community. John was head not only of the Ephesus community but of all the communities in the province of Asia. \* 2 Jn 1: *the elect lady*: Probably not an individual lady but a particular church or community in Asia. \* 2 Jn 13: *children*: i.e., the Christians of Ephesus. ## The Third Letter of John \* 3 Jn 12: *Demetrius*: Evidently a leading Christian, recommended to Gaius. ## The Letter of Jude \* Jude 6: It is not clear to what Jude refers. Perhaps Gen 6:2 or the apocryphal Enoch 6-15. \* Jude 9: Apparently a reference to another apocryphal work, the Assumption of Moses. ## The Revelation to John \* Rev 1:4-8: Describes the glorious coming and reign of the Messiah. \* Rev 1:13, *Son of man* refers to Dan 7:13. The Messiah is described in symbolic terms. \* Rev 2:10, *ten days*: Not literally. It means the persecution will be short. \* Rev 2:20-21, *immorality* here seems to mean idolatry rather than sexual excess. \* Rev 2:24, *deep things of Satan*: The doctrines of the Nicolaitans. *They* called them the \"deep things of God.\" \* Rev 2:28, *morning star*: Probably Christ himself. \* Rev 3:12, *new name*: cf. Is 62:2. Perhaps it was \"the Word,\" or perhaps it is not to be revealed till the last day. \* Rev 4:3: John describes God in symbolic terms. \* Rev 4:4, *elders*: They perform a priestly and royal task, since they praise God and share in the government of the world. \* Rev 4:6, *four living creatures*: cf. Ezek 1:4-25: the four angels who preside over the government of the world. But in Christian tradition these symbols are used for the four evangelists. \* Rev 4:8, *Holy, holy, holy*: Quoted in the *Sanctus* at Mass. \* Rev 5:1, *a scroll*: This contained God\'s designs, kept secret till now; being written on both sides, nothing could be added. \* Rev 5:6: The seven horns and seven eyes symbolize Christ\'s full power and knowledge. \* Rev 6:1: Begins the account of the destruction of the Roman Empire (chapters 6-9). \* Rev 6:5, *balance*: Symbol of famine. The balance was to measure rations. \* Rev 7:4, *a hundred and forty-four thousand*: A symbolic number, i.e., twelve (the sacred number) squared and multiplied by 1,000 to denote a multitude. It is the Church, the spiritual Israel, that is meant. \* Rev 7:14, *the great tribulation*: The Neronian persecution? \* Rev 8:5: Coals from the altar of burnt offering were brought to the altar of incense. \* Rev 9:1, *star*: A fallen angel. \* Rev 9:14, *Euphrates*: The region of the Parthians. \* Rev 9:21, *immorality*: See note on 2:20-21. \* Rev 10:7, *mystery of God*: i.e., the establishment of the kingdom of God following on the destruction of Israel\'s enemies. \* Rev 10:9, *bitter . sweet*: The scroll related both the sufferings and the victories of Christ\'s Church. \* Rev 11:1-19: The Jerusalem here described stands for the Church, which is to be persecuted by the Romans. \* Rev 11:2: The three and a half years\' persecution of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes, 168-165 b.c., had become the standard time of a persecution. Three and a half years equals 42 months equals 1,260 days (verse 3). \* Rev 11:3, *two witnesses*: As they have yet to die, possibly they are Elijah and Enoch. \* Rev 11:8, *the great city*: i.e., Rome. \* Rev 12:1-6: The *child* brought forth is the Messiah; the *dragon* is the devil; the *woman* who gave birth to the Messiah is Israel, and then becomes the Christian Church, which continually gives birth to the faithful. \* Rev 12:14, *a time, and times, and half a time*: This is the three and a half years of 11:2. \* Rev 12:17: Mary, the mother of the Messiah, must also be included in the meaning. \* Rev 13:1, *a beast*: This symbolizes the material forces of evil, arrayed against the Church. \* Rev 13:11, *another beast*: i.e., the false prophets. \* Rev 13:18, *six hundred and sixty-six*: The letters of Nero\'s name plus the title of Caesar, given their numerical meaning in Hebrew and added together, make 666. \* Rev 14:4: Although tradition tends to take this literally, the context and Old Testament metaphor suggest that it means they have kept free from idolatry. \* Rev 14:8, *Babylon*: i.e., Rome. \* Rev 15:3-4: The song of Moses in Ex 15:1-18 celebrated victory over Pharaoh. This is seen as foreshadowing the triumph of the Lamb. \* Rev 16:14, *the great day*: On which all the Gentile armies shall be gathered to give battle. \* Rev 16:16, *Armageddon*: i.e., Megiddo, where Josiah was defeated by the king of Egypt, cf. 2 Kings 23:29. \* Rev 17:1, *great harlot*: i.e., Rome. \* Rev 17:2, *fornication*: i.e., idolatry. \* Rev 18:11-20: The description abruptly assumes the language of Ezekiel\'s prophecy of the destruction of Tyre, another city notorious for its sins (Ezek 27:1 ---28:19). \* Rev 19:7, *marriage of the Lamb*: i.e., final establishment of the kingdom of God. The spouse is the Church. \* Rev 20:3: The destruction of the dragon must coincide in time with that of the beast (19:20), so that the first resurrection with the reign of the martyrs refers to the revival and expansion of the Church after the years of persecution. \* Rev 21:1: Creation will be renewed one day, freed from corruption and illumined by God\'s glory. \* Rev 21:8, *second death*: i.e., eternal damnation. --- > Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, *The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament*, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010).