Jubilee means joy—a joy that’s not fleeting, a joy that lasts.
In biblical times, a jubilee was a time to rejoice. And this is still the case when the Church announces a jubilee.
In Jesus and the Jubilee, biblical scholar John Bergsma gets to the roots of the jubilee, showing how this practice was established in order to preserve freedom, family, and the fullness of God’s blessing for the ancient Israelites.
But what the Israelites were promised by God—and experienced partially—was truly fulfilled by Jesus. As Jesus and the Jubilee reveals, the Catholic Church is the perpetual jubilee, offering redemption, release from spiritual bondage, return to our true home and family, and rest in God’s fullness.
Discover how the jubilee is the very center of Jesus’s mission and how we can fully participate in this ongoing “year of favor.”
About the Author
John Bergsma is professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and a Senior Fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Twice voted Faculty of the Year by graduating classes at Franciscan University, he is a popular teacher whose love of scripture inspires his students.
Bergsma earned Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees and served as a Protestant pastor for four years before converting to Catholicism in 2001 while working on his doctorate in theology at the University of Notre Dame. He specialized in Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls, graduating with high honors in 2004. His articles, some coauthored with Scott Hahn, have appeared in the Journal of Biblical Literature and other academic and popular periodicals. A frequent speaker at conferences and parishes, Dr. Bergsma has appeared as a guest on Franciscan University Presents, EWTN’s The Journey Home, and Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariani Show. He and his wife Dawn live with their eight children in Steubenville, Ohio.
What People Are Saying
Reviews
From the creation story to the Church in this 2025 Jubilee year, Dr. Bergsma weaves the history of the garment which when worn by God's children leads to a restored life now and in eternal life hereafter by culminating in the Church living and each of us living its requirements and attaining its promises. Starts out a bleak and dire situation throughout the old testament epochs and eras and then bursts forth in the stupendous reality of the splendor of truth, hope and gracious gift of the Jubilee that our Lord Jesus establishes in the fulfillment the Church, His body and bride and His people. The Jubilee indeed is hope in the consolation of happiness in this life meant to be so easily attainable. A must read for all who desire only good for themselves and others.
Peter Blanchard
