Catholic Bible Study Podcast: Anchored Bible Conference—Questions & Answers

Host: Augustine Institute
Panelists: Dr. Mark Giszczak, Dr. Michael Barber
Date: February 28, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features a lively and insightful Q&A panel from the Anchored Bible Conference, bringing together leading Catholic biblical scholars from the Augustine Institute. Dr. Mark Giszczak and Dr. Michael Barber tackle questions submitted by the audience, ranging from key biblical texts for Catholics to the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls, understanding challenging scriptural passages, the best way to approach Bible study, and the nuances of Bible translations. Their engaging dialogue aims to deepen understanding, devotion, and love for the Scriptures.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Foundational Old Testament Books for Catholics

Timestamps: 00:01–03:44

• Genesis:
  • “Begin at the beginning. That’s a good foundational book. That's important especially. Yeah, there’s so much in Genesis, obviously: Creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the tower of Babel...” (Dr. Giszczak, 00:52–01:02)
  • “If you don’t know Genesis, the rest of the Bible won't make a lot of sense.” (Dr. Giszczak, 01:13–01:15)
• Psalms:
  • “The Psalms are really the center of the Church’s liturgical life … As Thomas Aquinas says, here God speaks to us, giving us the words that we can use to speak back to him.” (Dr. Barber, 01:19–02:12)
• Other Notables:
  • Revelation (understanding the end), Isaiah (known as the “fifth Gospel” for its Christological prophecies).

2. Significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Timestamps: 03:45–09:06

• Provided the oldest known manuscripts of the Old Testament, affirming the reliability of biblical transmission.
• Notable discoveries:
  • Isaiah Scroll: “One of the biggest scrolls among them all.” (Dr. Giszczak, 04:19)
  • Book of Tobit: Fragments showed that the longer Greek version (Greek II) is more authentic—counter to previous scholarly intuition.
    • “We realized that the long version of the Greek was the more authentic one…” (Dr. Giszczak, 04:54–05:13)
• Sectarian (non-biblical) documents reveal Jewish messianic expectations contemporary to Jesus.
  • 4Q521 combines messianic hopes from Isaiah 35 & 61—mirrored in Jesus' works in the Gospels.
  • Jesus both meets and transcends Jewish expectations: “Only God can cleanse leprosy. So that shows us that Jesus in some ways fulfills what expectations were, but then also transcends them.” (Dr. Barber, 08:39–08:55)
• Dead Sea Scrolls affirm the faithfulness of God’s word transmission and highlight divine providence in their timely discovery after WWII.

3. Biblical Meaning of Simeon’s Prophecy to Mary (Luke 2:35)

Timestamps: 10:51–13:20

• The “piercing of Mary’s heart” symbolizes sharing in Christ’s suffering—the “tribulation” prophesied in Jewish Scriptures.
  • “New creation only comes through a period of suffering. And Mary herself…is actually going to participate in His suffering.” (Dr. Barber, 11:18–11:36)
• “The thoughts of many hearts being revealed” connects to eschatological fulfillment—God exposing all hidden things at the end of time.
• Mary's ongoing role as intercessor is rooted in this prophetic participation (“not a stretch to imagine that Mary is able to pray for us and with the knowledge given to her by grace”). (Dr. Barber, 13:10–13:17)

4. What Did Jesus Do Between His Death and Resurrection?

Timestamps: 13:42–18:40

• Scriptural and traditional basis for Jesus’ descent into the “place of the dead” (Sheol/Hades—not the “hell of the damned”).
• Jesus “preaches in the limbo of the Fathers…proclaims the Gospel to the souls of the heroes of the Old Testament.” (Dr. Giszczak, 14:14)
• Visualized in the icon of Christ taking Adam and Eve by the hand into paradise.
• Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter articulate the “harrowing of hell.”
• Resting on the Sabbath:
  • “His body remains in the tomb on the Sabbath…Because a real faithful perspective also understands that we’re called to enter into God’s rest.” (Dr. Barber, 16:32–16:57)

5. Approaches to Bible Study

Timestamps: 19:40–24:18

• Passive vs. Active Reading:
  • “It's really easy to fall into the mode of passive reading…But we really want to shift modes into active reading.” (Dr. Giszczak, 20:15–20:32)
• Lectio Continua (Fast Reading):
  • Encouraged to read Bible books cover-to-cover quickly for a full narrative context—countering “sticky note” snippets from liturgy.
• Family Reading Practices:
  • Dr. Barber shares his family’s use of "The Bible in a Year," alternating OT & NT yearly.
  • “I ask the kids, what did God try to tell you in that reading today? What stood out to you?” (Dr. Barber, 22:26–22:33)
• Growth with Re-Reading:
  • St. Gregory the Great: “The Bible grows as you grow.”
  • “You can't digest the Bible in one quick reading. There's so much richness.” (Host, 24:13–24:21)

6. The Proliferation of Catholic Bible Translations and Which to Choose

Timestamps: 26:54–38:39

• Major translations: New American Bible (NAB), Revised Standard Version (RSV), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), English Standard Version Catholic Edition (ESV-CE).
• Growing number of Catholic “products” (study Bibles, themed Bibles)—“the more resources, the better.”
• ESV Catholic Edition:
  • Approved in India (2018) and by the Vatican (2019). Notable for a “word-for-word” approach, combining textual fidelity with readability.
• Inclusive Language and Controversy:
  • The NRSV introduced controversial inclusive language—sometimes obscuring connections to New Testament Christological titles.
    • E.g., Daniel 7: “son of man” becomes “human being," weakening Christ’s self-reference.
    • “It’s so sad that they had to obscure that connection with Jesus’ language by leaning so hard on trying to be gender inclusive.” (Dr. Barber, 31:45–31:56)

7. What Is the Best Bible Translation?

Timestamps: 32:06–38:39

• “The best Bible is the one you’re going to use all the time.” (Host, 33:12–33:15)
• Scholars’ technical preference: Prioritize “transparency to the original language.”
  • Word-for-word translations (literal) preferred:
    • ESV-CE cited for balancing accuracy and readability; NASB is even more literal but less readable.
  • Dynamic equivalence (thought-for-thought) like Good News Bible is easier, but drifts from the Greek/Hebrew.
• Notable examples:
  • Ephesians:
    • ESV preserves the “walk” metaphor (Greek: peripateo), RSV renders it as “live,” losing resonance with Jewish teaching.
  • John 6:
    • ESV preserves the shift to a more literal “feed on my flesh” (Greek: trogo), reflecting Catholic Eucharistic theology.
• Importance of Catholic scholarship for editions (ESV-CE translation updated for deuterocanonical books and Catholic doctrine).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Psalms in Prayer:

  • “Here God speaks to us, giving us the words that we can use to speak back to him.”
    (Dr. Barber, 02:10)

• On Active Bible Reading:

  • “When we come to the Bible…we really want to shift modes into active reading.”
    (Dr. Giszczak, 20:28)

• On Family Scripture Practice:

  • “What did God try to tell you in that reading today? What stood out to you?”
    (Dr. Barber, 22:26)

• On Bible Growth:

  • “The Bible grows as you grow.”
    (Host, 24:10)

• On Bible Translation Choice:

  • “The best Bible is the one you’re going to use all the time.”
    (Host, 33:12)

• On Translation Fidelity:

  • “…I would prefer a word for word translation, rather than what’s called a thought for thought translation…The wording can be very, very different.”
    (Dr. Giszczak, 33:28)

• On Why More Bibles Are A Blessing:

  • “The more Bible products that we get, the better...The more tools and aids we have to study the Bible, the better off we are.”
    (Dr. Giszczak, 27:11)

Important Timestamps

• 00:01 – Intro & first question: “Most important books besides the Gospels?”
• 03:45 – Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls
• 10:51 – Meaning of Simeon's prophecy to Mary
• 13:42 – Jesus’ descent into “hell/Hades” between Good Friday and Easter
• 19:40 – The best way to study the Bible: fast vs. slow (lectio continua & lectio divina)
• 26:54 – Why so many new Catholic Bible translations?
• 32:06 – What is the “best” Bible translation for Catholics?
• 36:52 – Clarification on editions (Word on Fire, Ascension, ESV-CE)
• 38:39 – History and benefits of the ESV Catholic Edition
• 40:14–40:34 – Closing thoughts and gratitude

Takeaways

• Catholics are encouraged to delve deeply into all of Scripture, starting with Genesis, Psalms, and prophets like Isaiah.
• New manuscript discoveries like the Dead Sea Scrolls affirm the trustworthiness of the Bible’s transmission and illuminate historical belief and expectation.
• Mary shares in Christ’s salvific suffering, and her participation has ongoing spiritual significance.
• Reading the whole Bible—both quickly and prayerfully—provides the narrative context often missing in liturgical snippets.
• Bible translation choice should balance fidelity to the original and readability, and it is personally most important to use what you will actually read.
• More Catholic-centered translations and study editions are a blessing, reflecting a growing hunger for the Word among the faithful.

For more in-depth study, explore resources and new translations like the ESV Catholic Edition, and remember, as the panel reminds: keep reading, keep rereading, and let your love for Scripture grow with you!