ON OCTOBER 5, 2008 the 12th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops opened in Rome. It met for three weeks concluding its work on October 26. The topic for this conference was 'The Word of God in the Life and the Mission of the Church'. This was a significant event since it was the first time since Vatican II and the promulgation of Dei Verbum, 'Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation,' that the Bible was the focal point of a major meeting.1 It is also significant that the synod on the Word of God coincided with the celebration of the year of St. Paul whose life was dedicated to the proclamation of the Word. Although the Synod completed its work in October, the final document by Pope Benedict will not appear for some months yet. Nonetheless, now is an opportune time to reflect on the work of the Synod and the propositions that it presented to Pope Benedict for his final statement. This article will treat the Synod in three ways: 1) it will place the Synod in the context of the Church's ongoing teaching concerning the written Word of God; 2) it will examine the preparation and composition of the Synod; and 3) it will present the main issues and recommendations that came from the Synod.