From the book:

PREFACE

A CATHOLIC COMMENTARY ON HOLY SCRIPTURE is the result of nine years' work by a group of scholars, who believe that biblical learning must be integrated with traditional Christianity if it is to bear any spiritual message or fruit for modern society. Their endeavour has been to sum up the results of international scholarship during the last fifty years, and put them at the disposal not only of Catholics but also of all those who respect and would be glad to know more of the Catholic Church's teaching on Scripture and of the way in which her members interpret it.

The Commentary thus fills a gap in English theological literature by' providing a critical survey of modern biblical knowledge from the standpoint of all those, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, who accept the full doctrine of biblical inspiration. Those who
deny in greater or lesser degree the objective truthfulness and the divine inspiration of the Bible have had ample opportunities for stating their views. It is desirable, bearing in mind the recent advances in biblical science, that there should be a more widespread knowledge and appreciation of the viewpoint of the religious body which gave us the Bible and claims it for her very own. Thus we venture to hope that the Commentary will help to restore the Bible to its true place in the culture and worship of the English-speaking nations.

The idea of a one-volume Commentary on Holy Scripture was first put forward at the 1942 meeting of the Catholic Biblical Association at Cambridge. Later on, in December 1943, a small group discussed the project in detail and decided to accept responsibility for it as the Editorial Committee. Archbishop (now Cardinal) Griffin gave his full approval.  By a happy coincidence, when the scheme was taking shape, His Holiness Pope Pius XII published ( 30 September 1943) his encyclical Divinoafflante Spiritu, in which he gave.  further encouragement to undertakings of this kind. The Committee was fortunate in securing the collaboration of Catholic scholars from Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Eire, Malta and the United States of America, as well as two from Austria and Germany.

The work is based on the full acceptance (1) of the divine Inspiration of Holy Scripture and of the teaching and discipline of the Catholic Church as a divine institution owing its origin to Christ himself, and (2) of the assured findings of modern research, in the con­viction that there can be no clash between the Word of God and scientific truth. We claim that orthodoxy and freedom of spirit can and ought to go hand in hand to produce a satisfying synthesis. It should be added that this attempt to assess the present state of biblical knowledge from the Catholic standpoint is quite unofficial; the official teaching of the Church on Holy Scripture is found in the decrees of the various Councils, and in the declarations made from time to time by the Holy See. There is no 'official' view on any but a minute handful of biblical texts, and there is ample room for diversity of interpretation within the bounds of orthodoxy.