Customer Reviews

Hail, Holy Queen

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I didn't want to read this book. I became a born-again believer fifteen years ago, and left the catholic church to join a local independent Reformed Baptist Fellowship. I found Jesus and the Bible. My wife did too. And then she started "backsliding," as Pastor White put it.

It started when our catholic neighbors got us to listen to some of Scott Hahn's tapes. They called themselves bible-believing catholics! That didn't make sense to us. So we made a deal. We would listen to Hahn if they agreed to listen to our pastor's sermons on tape. I thought they would see the light for sure.

Then a funny thing happened on the way to Cape Cod last summer. That's when we listened to Hahn's "Answering Common Objections", five tapes all the way through. The next morning I found her on the beach reading the Hahn's book, "Rome Sweet Home". I also found a copy of Hahn's other book, "The Lamb's Supper" in her beach bag. It turns out that our catholic neighbors were more generous than I thought, not just with tapes but books too. She finished them both in less than four days. Some vacation.

That's when I tried to call a halt to all the catholic nonsense. By then it was too late. My wife enrolled in RCIA in the fall and joined the catholic church last month at Easter... but not before she agreed to one more deal, this time with me.

I gave her my well-worn copy of Dave Hunt's book, "A Woman Rides the Beast", which tries to prove that the catholic church is the "Whore of Babylon" in Revelation. In exchange, I agreed to read Hahn's new book, "Hail, Holy Queen", as soon as it came out.

A slam dunk, right? Wrong.

For one thing, she had no trouble ripping Hunt's case to shreds, with the help of Karl Keating and Catholic Answers. On the other hand, I had no trouble seeing how the catholic church's teaching about Mary comes straight from the Bible, the WHOLE Bible, not just the New Testament, but the Old. As Baptists, we had always used the New Testament alone. Hahn shows convincingly that the only way to really understand what Jesus says and does in the New Testament, is by rooting it in the Old Testament. Then he applies it to Mary, to show why the early church fathers all saw her as the New Eve, the Ark of the new covenant, and the Queen Mother of the son of David. The bottom line, Mary really is Christ's masterpiece. Mary takes nothing away from her Son and Savior, since all her glory is His gift. It makes so much sense, and it is both true and beautiful.

The story has a happy ending. After much prayer and study, I've decided to join my wife by rejoining the catholic church next month at pentecost. Thank you Lord, and Dr Hahn too.

There is no issue that tends to divide Catholics and Protestants more than the veneration of Our Blessed Mother Mary. Protestants just can't understand this devotion to Mary, while Catholics can't understand it's absence. Scott Hahn, one of the leading defenders of the Catholic faith has taken on the subject in this book and has tried to explain in simple terms why Catholics venerate the Virgin Mary.

Hahn comes at this subject in a different way than most Catholic authors because he is a former Presbyterian minister. As such, he is able to grasp Protestant objections to Marian devotions and is able to present his information in a way that counters all possible objections. Furthermore, even though Hahn is a seminary graduate, he presents his information in a manner that will allow anyone to grasp what he is saying.

This book will be especially valuable to new Catholics, those thinking about conversion, or any non-Catholic who wants to know more about the Catholic Church. It will also be valuable however to the so-called cradle Catholics who will find much information about Mary that they may have never been exposed to and any Catholic will be moved toward a greater devotion to Mary after reading this book.

Anyone who is not familiar with the dogma of the Catholic Church will find one problem however. Hahn defends the Assumption of Mary in a very understandable way but it is never explained. Those unfamiliar with the Faith will come away convinced that the Assumption happened but still will not know the story of this event. The author does suggest a book on the subject in sort of an afterthought, but the book he suggests is by his own admission, out of print.

This oversight, while important, still does not detract from the overall effectiveness of this book. The evidence is presented in a clear and well-written manner and will not be over most people's head. It will however, be best understood if the reader keeps a Bible handy to further investigate the author's references. For Catholic readers, this book is imprinted with a Nihil Obstat and an Imprimatur and therefore does not express any opinion contrary to Church doctrine. This book, although short, is bursting at the seams with information and should be on the reading list of all Catholics, possible converts, and any serious student of theology.

In simple and straightforward prose, Dr. Scott Hahn's "Hail, Holy Queen" explains the place of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Christian piety. Eminently readable and insightfully structured, "Hail, Holy Queen" examines and analyzes the biblical and theological foundations of Marian devotion with insight and deep faith.

This book really hit me hard, and that came as big shock, especially for a Baptist like me. For one thing, I never thought that so much deep insight could come from such a relatively short and easy-to-read book. For another, I never realized before how the Catholic Church's teachings about Mary were actually deeply rooted in Scripture. That is because I have been reading the Bible like most other Protestants, simply looking for proof-texts to shore-up what I was already taught. But now that I have discovered how to read the Bible typologically, I do not plan on ever going back to that.

Does this mean becoming Catholic? I still don't know for sure. However, it sure means that I can no longer use Mary as my excuse for staying out. As a lifelong Baptist, it feels very strange even to write those words. "Hail, Holy Queen" was not at all what I expected. I was ready for another set of apologetics arguments for Mary, like the ones I had heard from other Catholic apologists. I still do not know how to describe it, but this book is so different, in approach and tone and insight. It spoke both to my head and my heart. It made Mary more than convincing, it made the truth of her divine motherhood compelling. Not just true but beautiful. Do not misunderstand what I am saying. This is not mystical babble or emotionalism. It is deep scriptural wisdom. It is also not Scott Hahn's clever way with words, it is the ancient teaching and living tradition of Catholicism.

I still have a long way to go. Lots of other questions about purgatory and relics and the Mass. I have a funny feeling though that those teachings are probably as biblical as Mary. It is exciting and scary. Pray for me, and for my bewildered wife.

I highly recommend this splendid work of Scott Hahn. I believe that so many people will find "Hail, Holy Queen" very helpful in discovering and rediscovering Mary. The book's style is simple and elegant. Its message, in fidelity to Vatican II, is crystal-clear in concentrating our attention on Mary, the Mother of God, in her relationship to Christ and His Church.

Scott Hahn has presented here a simple, easy-to-read explanation of "The Mother of God in the Word of God" - Catholic Marian teaching as presented in the Holy Scriptures.

Catholic or protestant could read this little book and get a good basic hold of exactly what the Church teaches about Mary, and why, based on the Holy Scriptures.

For the Catholic, this book will give you the ability to understand what we teach about Mary, to appreciate her as she is shown directly and foreshadowed in the Holy Scriptures, and to explain about her to those who do not have the incalculable privilege of knowing her.

For the protestant, this book will give you an understanding of why we believe that the Mother of God is worthy of the veneration (NOT WORSHIP!!!) that we give her; why she can hear our prayers, is able and willing to give us her help, and is indeed able to intercede for us with her own prayers (we intercede for each other in this way, do we not?).

This book is not loaded with a lot of theo-technical jargon, but is presented in easy language to read. Five stars.

Scott Hahn demonstrates how all Christians can discover Mary's central role in the New Testament's redemptive message. The reader is guided through a close examination of the Bible, and is introduced to the works of both Catholic and Protestant scholars and clergy, to bring to light the small but significant details showing the integral role of Mary in God's plan since creation.

Beginning in the book of Genesis, Hahn examines in detail three Old Testament typologies which foreshadow the person of Mary: Eve, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Queen Mother of Israel's monarchy. He then ties these typologies into Mary as she is revealed in the gospels and as she appears in John's Revelation.

Building on these scriptural and historical foundations, Hahn presents a new look at the Marian doctrines: her immaculate conception, perpetual virginity, assumption and coronation. As he guides modern readers through passages filled with mysteries and poetry, Hahn helps us redisocver the ancient art and science of reading Scripture. I gained a more profound understanding of the truthfulness of God's Word and Christ's Church, and their relevance to living out my faith as a catholic christian in our contemporary world.

This is a response to the reviews below. It is composed of four parts:

* They obviously did not read the book. Hahn, throughout the pages, provides an abundance of biblical and theological evidence for the special place of Mary. I will not go into it here. Hahn is quite capable of speaking for himself.

* 2 Timothy 3:16-17 does NOT prove the case of sola scriptura. What it says is that all scripture is profitable for teaching. It does not say that ONLY scripture is profitable for teaching, or that scripture is sufficient. Furthermore, Timothy is a letter by Paul. Where does Paul ever claim that his own letter is to be considered as scripture? In addition, there is nowhere found in the New Testament the words "New Testament." Nor is there in any of the books of the New Testament a list of the New Testament canon. Paul was referring to the Jewish canon of the time, not the New Testament, as it did not exist yet. For more information on this topic, I recommend the books "Not by Scripture Alone" and "Where We Got the Bible."

* "And it happened, as He [Jesus] spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!' But He [Jesus] said, 'More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it' " (Luke 11:27,28) Jesus does not deny "blessed is the womb who bore you." He says that in addition to that, blessed are those who, etc. Essentially, Jesus says that the word of God an obedience to it is the highest act, something that no Catholic would ever dispute. The late John Paul II addressed this issue in his encyclical "Redemptoris Mater." Essentially, the Holy Father says that Jesus is extending relationships beyond the purely biological kind. Furthermore, Jesus' words actually praise Mary. In the context of the new covenant, was Mary not the first to hear the word of God and keep it?

* The title "Mother of God" does not mean that Mary preceded God in any way. Since Jesus is both fully human and fully God, Mary is rightfully the Mother of God. Saying that Mary was only the mother of Jesus the human won't work, since that is tantamount to saying that Jesus is separated into human and divine selves, thus denying the trinity.

* The claim that Mary is "long-since dead" will not work. "I am not the God of the dead, but of the living." Furthermore, Moses, Elijah, and others appeared to the apostles. Physical death does not mean that the holy Saints and prophets no longer play a role in this world. If it did, then Moses and Elijah's appearance would have made little sense.

In conclusion, read this book, and keep an open mind.

"Where was this book 10 years ago?" That was my question as I read Hail Holy Queen, a delightful, insightful new book by Dr. Scott Hahn. Though I had been raised Catholic, I had always felt closer to Jesus than to his Mother. In fact, I feared that paying attention to Mary would detract from my relationship with the Lord. I was especially turned off by what I considered excessively pietistic expressions of devotion to Mary. Bottom line? I was a capable adult who thought I didn't need a mother. Over time, I realized my error and have since come to a much deeper understanding and love for the Blessed Mother. But I really could have used Hail, Holy Queen back then.

Hail, Holy Queen clearly and simply answers my former objections to Mary and many others. And Hahn's scriptural exegesis has also provided me with new, rich food for thought. I especially appreciated his explanations of Mary as the New Eve and as the Queen Mother, and of her God-given role in salvation history.

Though another reviewer chides Hahn for a supposed "lack of reverence" in his pun-filled subheads, I saw them as a humorous yet respectful way of helping his readers remember the important lessons in the book. (I also have it on the best authority that "Mary Had a Little Man" was a publisher error that will be corrected to "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in the next printing.) His puns, along with his highly readable style, make this THE book for anyone with questions about Mary or a desire to learn more about Our Lady. Thank you, Dr. Hahn, for making such essential theological and scriptural truths accessible to the masses!

"Hail, Holy Queen" is the latest offering from the indefatigable Scott Hahn, today's most popular Catholic popularizer, and the author of "The Lamb's Supper," an exposition of the Mass. Here Hahn explains the Church's teaching about Mary with scriptural arguments about her identity as Queen Mother, Ark of the New Covenant, New Eve and type of the Church.

Hahn's primary audience is Catholic, and his presentation is especially informative for those educated during the past 30 years with little exposure to the Marian doctrines, much less to the reasons why we hold them. Even supposedly well-catechized older Catholics will profit from Hahn's treatment. Nevertheless, Hahn's former Protestant brethren are also part of his target audience, whose fears of the Canaanite Queen of Heaven "Hail, Holy Queen" is meant to allay.

Hahn's final chapter summarizes current Catholic mariology as taught in the Vatican II document, "Lumen Gentium," which serves as a source of inspiration for his book. He shows that teaching the full truth about Mary won't hurt ecumenism with Protestants and Eastern Christians. Both groups may profit from Hahn's appendix on the Rosay, along with his treatment of our need for familial intimacy with God, enhanced by Mary's maternal love. As sources concerning Mary's role in the Church, Hahn invokes patristic writings, a connection that helped him in own journey to the Church. Hahn also quotes John Henry Newman and recent Church documents. Other scholarship is relegated to endnotes. Hahn's love for our Lady is warm and sincere, and "Hail, Holy Queen" is a useful guide to the Bible.