This slim volume starts with a brief but significant preface, which outlines Fr. Crean’s primary purposes for writing. He intends to inform the reader about what the Catholic Church “believes about Holy Scripture, and what she has defined,” as well as “what further things it is reasonable for a Catholic to hold.” His primary readers are students formally studying theology, though he also writes with “a wider readership in mind.”
Fr. Crean’s concerns for theology students is probably most prominent and pertinent, given his vocational and academic responsibilities. But, the real realities for curious and eager Catholics and for questioning converts are where this book’s content could be most crucial and where it may have its greatest utility and effect, as well as its widest readership.
Beginning and advanced theology students should find little new in this book’s text, unless they have not grappled fully with the basic principles of biblical exegesis. This book will serve as a general corrective, since it summarises the truths and justifications about first-order principles regarding the nature and content of Scripture, and includes references for further reading, research and study.
