Whos Who in the Catholic Bible

The Bible is not a treatise. It is a story populated by real people.

But anyone who has tried to read it knows the confusion: there are two Jameses, two Josephs, several Marys, one Judas who was an apostle and another who was a traitor, one Herod who persecutes the Child and another who beheads the Baptist. Without a map of the people involved, reading it becomes a labyrinth.

This guide solves that problem by covering 60 central characters across 70 pages.

EACH CHARACTER OCCUPIES A FULL PAGE, featuring six sections:

Who they were — their essential life story

Defining moment — the scene that characterizes the figure

Relationships — family ties and connections

Why they matter — their role in the History of Salvation

Where to read — relevant biblical books and chapters

What we learn — the spiritual lesson

THE 60 CHARACTERS DIVIDED INTO FIVE PARTS:

Origins — Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob.

Exodus and conquest — Joseph of Egypt, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Deborah, Gideon, Samson, Ruth, Samuel, Saul.

Kings and prophets — David, Bathsheba, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Esther, Tobit, Judith, the Maccabees, Jonah.

New Testament — Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, the apostles, Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, Nicodemus, Pilate, Stephen, Barnabas, Luke.

Supporting figures — Melchizedek, Job, Hannah, Elizabeth and Zechariah, Simeon, the Good Thief, the Samaritan Woman, Matthias.

THE CATHOLIC DISTINCTION: it includes characters from the deuterocanonical books—Tobit, Judith, and the Maccabees—which are preserved in the Catholic Bible but absent from Protestant editions.

A COMMITMENT TO HONESTY: the protagonists' sins are presented without sugarcoating. David committed adultery and ordered a killing. Peter denied [Jesus] three times. Solomon ended up an idolater. That is how Scripture itself presents them—and no people would invent a story that exposes its heroes in such a way.