Breaking the Bread of the Word: Principles of teaching Scripture

Hill, Robert C. “Subsidia Biblica” 15 1991, pp. XIV-186 The ministry of the Word in its various forms, with particular attention to the ministry of teaching Scripture, is the subject of this book. Its basic thesis is that ministerial principles have not been given as much attention as textual study of the Bible in the preparation of ministers of the Word. It therefore sets out these general principles of ministry, considering the nature of the Word incarnate in the text and the condition of its recipients, and the implications fro effective ministry. The need for planning and evaluation of ministry also explored. Part Two takes up the question of teaching as ministry, what to teach, and how good teachers have gone about teaching the biblical Word, the aid of resources and up-to-date instructional media. Bibliographies suggest further reading, and practical exercises for ministry bridge the gap between principle and practice. Robert Charles Hill was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1931. His teacher preparation and early academic studies were completed in Australia, where he taught in schools and tertiary institutions. He holds degrees in language, classics, theology and Scripture from Australian and Roman universities, including Licence in Sacred Scripture (Pontifical Biblical Institute) and Doctorate in Sacred Theology (Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). Since 1980 he has been a staff member of Australian Catholic University and more recently also the University of Sydney, where he chairs the department of biblical studies of the School of Divinity. He has served terms as president of the Catholic Biblical Association of Australia. He is editor of the Journal of Religious Education, Word in Life.