Holy Bible - The Great Adventure Catholic Bible, Second Edition

Jeff Cavins is recognized both nationally and internationally as one of the most effective and engaging speakers in the Church today. Few can communicate their love for Jesus Christ with as much zeal, clarity, and enthusiasm as Jeff Cavins. In addition to his outstanding presentations related to Catholic Bible study, Jeff is available to speak on a variety of other faith-formation topics.

After twelve years as a Protestant pastor, Jeff returned to the Catholic Church under the guidance of Bishop Paul Dudley. His conversion story, one of the best known and most inspiring stories of its kind, is chronicled in the best-selling book, My Life on the Rock. After his conversion, Jeff received an MA in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Over the past several decades, Jeff has dedicated his life to developing The Bible TimelineⓇ: The Story of Salvation, a practical, interactive program that helps people read the “big picture” of God’s plan of salvation in Sacred Scripture and understand its meaning for their lives.

For 2025, The Bible Timeline has been refreshed with new videos filmed on location in the Holy Land, Greece, Rome and several other locations, and new presenters such as Fr. Mike Schmitz, Mary Healy, and Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio. The Great Adventure Bible Timeline presents the entire sweep of the Bible in a way that is easy to understand and genuinely fun to engage. As the foundational element of The Great Adventure Learning System, the Bible Timeline has revolutionized Catholic Bible Study for hundreds of thousands of Catholics.

Dr. Mary Healy is a professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, and a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. She is co-editor of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture and author of two of its volumes, The Gospel of Mark and Hebrews. Her other books include The Scriptural Gifts Handbook and Healing: Bringing the Gift of God’s Mercy to the World.

Dr. Healy was a special podcast guest for The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) podcast, appearing on the introduction to “Part 3: How We Live.”

Dr. Peter Williamson holds the Adam Cardinal Maida Chair in Sacred Scripture at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. He is the co-editor of the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture and author of two of its volumes, Revelation and Ephesians. He is also the author of Catholic Principles for Interpreting Scripture.

Dr. Williamson is a contributor to Ascension’s The Great Adventure Catholic Bible.

Dr. Andrew Swafford is professor of theology at Benedictine College and a national speaker on a variety of Catholic topics including Sacred Scripture, St. John Paul II, and the moral life. Together with Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, he is co-author of What We Believe: The Beauty of the Catholic Faith and co-host of Ascension’s video series under the same title, filmed at 30 holy sites in Rome. With his wife, Sarah, Dr. Swafford is also co-author of Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships. He is also the general editor of, and a contributor to, Ascension’s best-selling Great Adventure Catholic Bible and the Catholic Guide to the Old and New Testaments (2 volumes).

Among Dr. Swafford’s other publications are Ascension’s Bible studies on Romans and Hebrews. Dr. Swafford holds a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake and a master’s degree in Old Testament and Semitic Languages from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Dr. Swafford is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Academy of Catholic Theology, and is a featured fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Both he and Sarah are available for speaking engagements and can be contacted via Twitter or their website, The Swaffords.

Dr. Swafford is an avid student of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and lives with his wife Sarah and their six children in Atchison, KS.

Fr. Sebastian Carnazzo (Ph.D, Catholic University of America) has taught Sacred Scripture for Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska, St. Patrick's Seminary in San Francisco, California, and Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. He is now the pastor of St. Elias Melkite Catholic Church in Los Gatos, California, and he frequently leads pilgrimages to the Holy Land. He is the author of Seeing Blood and Water: A Narrative-Critical Study of John 19:34. With Ascension, Fr. Carnazzo is a contributor to The Great Adventure Catholic Bible.