Book Reviews and More: The Gospel According to Luke - Henry Wansbrough OSB

The Gospel According to Luke

CTS Scriptures

Henry Wansbrough OSB (Introduction)

Catholic Truth Society

ISBN 9781860821585

CTS Booklet SC73

Larger Print Edition

ISBN 9781860826047

CTS Booklet SC92

I love the books and booklets from the Catholic Truth Society. Over the last 5 years I have read 250 books and booklets from the CTS. And have many more on my ‘to be read’ list. This is one of three booklets that are almost identical, they are:

The Gospel According to Luke

The Gospel According to Luke Larger Print Edition

The Gospel According to Luke Gospel for the Year of Mercy

The difference between the first and second versions or the printed-on paper that is twice the size. The third varies in that it was revised for the Year of Mercy, the introduction by Dom Henry is about a page and a quarter longer. And it is printed in black with red chapter and section headings, and the first two are just printed in black and white. The chapters and sections in all three are:

Introduction

The Gospel According to Luke

The Birth and Hidden Life of John the Baptist and of Jesus

Prelude to the Public Ministry of Jesus

The Galilean Ministry

The Journey to Jerusalem

The Passion

After The Resurrection

The description of this specific edition is:

“This pocket-sized edition of Scripture contains the entire Gospel of Luke. Written for Christian gentiles of some social standing, Luke's Gospel is remarkable for its attention to the birth and early life of Jesus, containing such important events as the Annunciation and great liturgical prayers including the Magnificat and the Benedictus. Tradition holds that the Evangelist was a doctor and a companion of Paul and was also the author of the Acts of the Apostles.”

The description of the Larger Print Edition is:

““Holiness and prayer is inconceivable without a renewed listening to the word of God – a life-giving encounter, which directs and shapes our lives.”

– John Paul II

Luke’s Gospel was written for Christian gentiles of some social standing. Tradition holds that the evangelist was a doctor and a companion of Paul and was also the author of the Acts of the Apostles. Luke’s Gospel is remarkable for its attention to the birth and early life of Jesus and contains such important events as the Annunciation and great liturgical prayers including the Magnificat and the Benedictus. The Gospel is introduced by Henry Wansbrough OSB who also gives practical guidance for personal reading and reflection. The Jerusalem Bible translation is that read in Church.

Larger print edition in font size 14pt.”

I have read both of the physical versions that I picked up in preparation for the Year C cycle. I wish they were available as eBooks. I enjoyed the read and black version better, just from an ease of reading. But with an eBook I could change page color, font, and font size.

I highlighted a few passages in the introduction and they were:

“The first few versus of Luke’s gospel set it firmly among such works, for biographies of religious figures are included among these works, His Greek style, more sophisticated than Mark’s rough language, puts him at home in this grander world.”

“He is a master of conveying a theological message through visual scenes such as the Annunciation (1:26-38) or the Journey to Emmaus (24:13-25), a talent which makes gripping reading in his second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, the story of the earliest Christian communities.”

“Consistent with his own Hellenistic, non-Jewish position, Luke shows Jesus from the first envisaging the gentiles in his mission, whose outlines are set out at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, in the great programmatic speech in the synagogue at Nazareth (4:16-20.”

“The whole gospel is centred on Jerusalem, for there it begins and ends. The second half of the gospel consists of Jesus’ resolute journey to his death at Jerusalem (9:51-19:27). Jesus’ own devotion to the Holy City is shown by his laments over it at both beginning and end of his ministry there (19:41-44; 23:28-32); during his time in Jerusalem he teaches daily in the Temple (19:47).”

“In reading Luke in a comfortable world be aware of Jesus’ call to conversion and to his absolute demands. At the same time wonder at his delicacy, gentleness and love for the sinner. In Reading the parables especially (where Luke is composing more freely) enjoy the wit and sparkle of Luke’s imaginative writing. He was writing in a world where many such works existed, but for him Jesus was the climax of history, to whom all previous history pointed, and with whom all later history began.”

I also highlighted the section at the very beginning about The Jerusalem Bible Translation:

“The Jerusalem Bible was first published in 1966. It was produced by a team of distinguished English scholars (including J.R.R. Tolkien), working under Alexander Jones. It made available for English readers the finding of French Bible de Jerusalem Published a decade earlier by the famous French biblical school in Jerusalem, the first Catholic Bible edition to incorporate all the advances of modern biblical study. The Jerusalem Bible was the first translation of the whole Bible into modern English, and as such has maintained its status as authorised for use in the liturgy.”

Out of all the different bible translations that I have read, the Jerusalem Bible is my favourite for just sitting and reading. This booklet and the Larger Print counterparts are excellent resources. To be read at any time, or specifically during the Year C Cycle. I recommend them to you highly.

Excellent resources from the Catholic Truth Society!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2021 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

Books by Henry Wansbrough OSB:

CTS Books:

36 Days & 36 Ways Daily Meditations from Advent to the Epiphany Year B

40 Days and 40 Ways Daily Meditations for Lent Year A

40 Days and 40 Ways Daily Meditations for Lent Year B

40 Days and 40 Ways Daily Meditations for Lent Year C

A Year with the Bible: 365 Daily Reflections

Companion to the Sunday Gospels: The Year of Mercy

Companion to the Sunday Gospels: Year A

Companion to the Sunday Gospels: Year B

Companion to the Sunday Gospels: Year C

Jesus: The Real Evidence