Rating: 
Summary: Good defense of Bible History for Catholics
Review: This book is a short history of the Bible and how the Catholic Church regarded it. Graham describes how the cannon of the Scripture was formed and the reverence the Catholic Church has had for the Bible since she defined the cannon. He describes the Catholic Church's preservation of the Bible up to the Douay Rheims translation. (Graham's book was written in 1911) Graham takes much time explaining the process of how monks copied Bibles before the printing press. He also defends the Catholic Church against accusations that they hid the Bible to keep people ignorant of it. He uses a good dose of common sense to make his points.Graham gives reasons why it is hard to find English Bible translations dated before the reformation. He explained that because the Protestants destroyed many Catholic objects in countries where the reformation flourished, Catholic Bibles could not be found in these areas. However, in countries where the reformation did not take foothold, there are many existing vernacular Bibles. I actually went to the Field Museum in Chicago and saw 11th century Spanish Bibles with my own two eyes. It was luck that they were on a tour as I finished the book. My main complaint about the book is that there are almost no footnotes. He makes bold claims but no way to proof what he says. In order to test his stories, I had to do some footwork myself. For example, I learned that Martin Luther regarded the Epistle of James to be unworthy to remain in the Scriptures (mostly because of James 2:24) but I had to do some searching to verify it.
Rating:
Summary: An easy read, but few references
Review: This book is actually two books in one; an explanation of the authentication, canonization, preservation, and translation of the Scriptures, and a personal story of conversion from Presbyterianism (the "Kirk") to Catholicism. The first part of the book does a magnificent job of pointing out some simple yet crucial details about the authority of Scripture - details that so-called "Bible-only" Christians ignore, either out of convenience or out of honest ignorance: - The Bible did NOT simply fall out of the sky - The Bible did NOT canonize itself (yes, some of the books in the Bible were universally accepted, but not all. Ask yourself how those not universally accepted got into the canon, and under what authority) - The Bible did NOT copy itself (this is very important, since the printing press did not exist for many centuries, and since no originals - on papyrus - exist) - The Bible did NOT translate itself (this is also crucial - especially if you think that translating from one language to another is not a problem) - The Bible did NOT protect itself from miscopying or mistranslation (that was also the Church's divinely-ordained function) I can say that this book did strengthen my belief in the Catholic Church and its role in establishing, preserving, and teaching the Scriptures. However ... As I have read in some other reviews on this book, the author failed to back up many of his facts with appropriate references. I have criticized protestant authors for this, so in all fairness and respect for truth, I must do the same here. He speaks true, but he should back up what he says rather than expecting the reader to take his word for it. The second part of the book is as good a conversion story as I have ever heard. The author points out the obstacles that a protestant faces in his journey home to Rome; the shunning by former friends and colleagues, the disapproval of family, the need to pretty much uproot and start life anew (this is not an obstacle people often face when changing from one protestant denomination to another, it should be noted). But the pull of the truth of Rome is strong, and although it took many years, Rome finally brought another of her prodigal children home. The author also devotes a lot of space to refuting the protestant practice of downplaying the need for unity, as if unity means boredom, or lack of intellectual exercise. Heck. This is salvation we are talking about here. God wants all people to be saved, not just the intellectuals. If you want an intellectual challenge, take up quantum physics! I give the first part only three stars, the second part five stars, so let's just say four stars. An excellent read, well worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: Written with historical blinders
Review: This book is an insult to every Eastern Orthodox Christian who represent not only the true Church, but the Church that actually canonized the books of the bible. AMAZING how the bishops in Rome created the schism of the Latins and contrived to call it the Greek schism. Since the bible was canonized mainly by Eastern fathers through eastern council, it would be more accurate for the title of this book to read "The Debt the World OWes to the Eastern Orthodox". This book is simply more Catholic triumphalism.
Rating:
Summary: Biblical truths
Review: This book puts to rest the canard that somehow the Catholic church doesn't believe in the Bible or that it hides the Bible from laypeople. Anyone who attends a Catholic Mass or undergoes Catholic catechesis knows how the Bible is the soul of the Church. My only reservation is the anti-Protestant polemic of this dusty book.
Rating: 
Summary: A reply to "Half Way There"....
Review: This book simply explains it all. It is a "must have" for anyone's library! The official name of our Church is the Holy Catholic [Apostolic] Church. The Patriarch of the West, the head of the Latin Rite, is also the Pope. The term "Roman Catholic Church" is used to designate the Latin Rite Church (strickly speaking)--to differenciate between us and the Eastern Rite Catholics. It is also used in a wider sense to designate the whole Catholic Church, since a group that broke off from the Catholic Church after Vatican I call themselves "Old Catholics." We did not break off from anyone; others broke off from us: in the eleventh century, the Orthodox broke off from us, severing relations with us (the Pope and the Eastern Orthodox patriarch mutually excommunicated each other; this canonical penalty has been lifted by Pope John Paul II to pave the way for reunion). The whole Church from the very beginning acknowledged the universal jurisdiction of the Pope (although the term itself came into being later).
Rating:
Summary: A reply to "Half Way There"....
Review: This book simply explains it all. It is a "must have" for anyone's library! The official name of our Church is the Holy Catholic [Apostolic] Church. The Patriarch of the West, the head of the Latin Rite, is also the Pope. The term "Roman Catholic Church" is used to designate the Latin Rite Church (strickly speaking)--to differenciate between us and the Eastern Rite Catholics. It is also used in a wider sense to designate the whole Catholic Church, since a group that broke off from the Catholic Church after Vatican I call themselves "Old Catholics." We did not break off from anyone; others broke off from us: in the eleventh century, the Orthodox broke off from us, severing relations with us (the Pope and the Eastern Orthodox patriarch mutually excommunicated each other; this canonical penalty has been lifted by Pope John Paul II to pave the way for reunion). The whole Church from the very beginning acknowledged the universal jurisdiction of the Pope (although the term itself came into being later).
Rating:
Summary: a must read for all Christians
Review: This book, although not heavy with pages, is a true and concise view of the life of God's most sacred Book. I gave this book to my truly devout Protestant best friend and told him that if he could find any authoritative, researched rebuttal that could truly and faithfully refute the writings in this small book, I would absolve all that I owned and give it to him free and clear. After more than a year he has all but given up on his search and is now receiving instruction in the most blessed Catholic faith! May God bless all who read this book no matter their view.
Rating:
Summary: If only this book were a REQUIRED reading secondary schools
Review: This book, although not heavy with pages, is a true and concise view of the life of God's most sacred Book. I gave this book to my truly devout Protestant best friend and told him that if he could find any authoritative, researched rebuttal that could truly and faithfully refute the writings in this small book, I would absolve all that I owned and give it to him free and clear. After more than a year he has all but given up on his search and is now receiving instruction in the most blessed Catholic faith! May God bless all who read this book no matter their view.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book!
Review: This is an excellent book. This book accurately shows us where the Bible came from, and in addition to that, it brings to our attention things that we usually do not hear about. Such as how the scribes of the Christian Church were Catholic Monks and Nuns. Before the printing press, Bibles had to be copied by hand. It was through the tireless efforts of Catholic Monks and Nuns that the Bible was made available for all to read. These men and women are the unsung heros of all Christian people that love the Bible. I am glad that I read this book so that I can appreciate that fact. I also loved the author's linguistic style and his humor. This book actually made me laugh a few times. I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants an HONEST history of the Christian Bible and is not afraid to find out the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Eloquent, Informative, Fun to read!
Review: This is an exceptional little book! Bishop Graham's prose style is delightful, though he can be a bit forceful at times, which may offend some Protestants. (But, if you disagree with him on any point, study up and try to refute it. You'll be sorely disappointed.) Some reviewers here have complained that the text isn't footnoted, but not many books written around the same time period (1911) were. He does, however, list a brief bibliography in the back, and if you're willing to do the research, his facts check out. It is also slightly outdated, in that he quotes and praises the Douay-Rheims Bible, which has been supplanted by the New Jerusalem and New American Bibles in English-speaking Catholic liturgical use. It is unforunate that Bishop Graham isn't around to update this with information about the Dead Sea Scrolls, as they contain even more support for the Catholic canon of the Old Testament. But these trivialities aside, this is an excellent brief history of where the Bible came from, how the canon was determined, and the Catholic thoughts on the Bible. Highly recommended for Catholics, of course, and non-Catholics especially.
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