Customer Reviews

Letter & Spirit, Vol. 2: The Authority of Mystery: The Word of God and the People of God (A Journal of Catholic Biblical Theology)

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As a director of adult formation in a Catholic parish, one of my primary tasks is to teach the adults in my parish the Faith. Following the lead of the authors of Scripture themselves and the Early Church Fathers, this is done best when we use the inspired and sacred word of God himself as a springboard. Scripture is exciting; it is incredibly rich; and my students are thirsty for a Biblical approach to the Faith... to see the Catholic Faith within the pages of the Bible.

I cannot teach my students what I don't already know, and so it is important for me to continue my ongoing formation in learning the riches of Sacred Scripture. Thanks to the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville Ohio (founded and directed by Dr. Scott Hahn), we are given the Letter and Spirit Journal of Catholic Biblical Theology. In 2005, the first volume was published, and this is the second volume (2006). I have found this journal to be an astounding compendium of Biblical theology, which feeds my ongoing formation in the riches of the Bible. This in turn has helped me explain and teach the inspired Word of God to my adult students, and they are eating it up! One volume a year is perfect for me, because - with my workload and time constraints - that is about all I can consume.

I was blown away by two particular articles in this 2nd volume of Letter and Spirit. The first is titled "The Lord's Prayer and the New Exodus" by Brant Pitre. Dr. Pitre received his Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame, where he specialized in the study of the New Testament and ancient Judaism.

In his article, Pitre recounts an insight given by N.T. Wright: that the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 draws upon a profound theme among the O.T. prophets: the New Exodus. Pitre then expounds upon this insight by demonstrating how each of the petitions of this prayer evoke key Old Testament passages - among the prophets - that foretell and promise the restoration and redemption of all 12 Tribes of Israel with the Gentiles. This coming restoration/redemption is specifically framed in terms of the "New Exodus." As Israel was oppressed by Egypt and released from slavery in the first Exodus to enter the Promised Land, so Israel, oppressed by foreign powers in Exile, will be released from Exile and regathered and restored under the Messiah, the Son of David. This is incredibly exciting for a cradle Catholic who has always prayed the Lord's Prayer, yet without an understanding of its implications. Jesus is having us pray for the New Exodus: the restoration of Israel with the Gentiles - which is essentially the Evangelistic mission of the Church. What does this mean? The Lord's Prayer is a prayer of evangelization! It is a prayer that encapsulates a monumental prophetic theme from the Old Testament, and in so doing, demonstrates that this prophetic hope is answered in Jesus the Christ.

The second article, which I found to be difficult, yet profoundly rewarding is "The Lord Will Accomplish His Word" by Fr. Pablo T. Gadenz who is a priest from the Diocese of Trenton, N.J. and was sent to Rome by his bishop to work towards his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) - which he has since completed (Pontifical Biblical Institute, 2005) - and his Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) at the Pontifical Gregorian University. This guy is amazing! Fr. Gadenz is currently completing his doctoral disseration over a veritable standstill (or as Gadenz says, "impasse") in academic circles: Romans 9-11. In this article, he shares with us a significant piece of his doctoral work.

In his article, "The Lord Will Accomplish His Word," Gadenz does the dirty work for us in examining a very difficult passage in St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans. He examines Paul's use of the Old Testament in Romans 9:24-29 by doing a serious historical-literal investigation of the text at hand. Some have seen Paul contradicting himself in this passage or that he is quoting the Old Testament out of context. However, Gadenz examines Paul's use of 3 compositional models: midrashic, chiastic, and rhetorical. This includes "gezerah shaway," which is a Rabbinic method of merging two similar Old Testament texts together. This serious inquiry into how Paul wrote really illuminates the Letter to the Romans and shows how Paul carefully uses the Old Testament to demonstrate his point.

What is that point? Well, Paul is the Apostle to the Gentiles. Among the Gentiles are those exiles of the Northern Kingdom (10 Tribes + Levites) who were conquered, deported, exiled, and intermarried among foreign peoples in 722 B.C. by the world power at the time, Assyria. In the Old Testament prophets (e.g. Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc.), we find the prophetic expectation time and time again of God restoring all 12 tribes in the covenant to come with the Messiah. Well, in Paul's day, the Jews are mainly Judah-ites (from which they get the name "Jew"), which is only 1 of the 12 Tribes. There are also some Levites such as John the Baptist and some Benjaminites such as Paul himself. But what about the other 10 tribes? Gadenz's study helps demonstrate that Paul saw his mission to the Gentiles as a mission to reach those other 10 tribes, which are now among the Gentiles!

If you are hungry for a serious study of the Bible, I wholly recommend taking the time and effort to acquire every volume of the Letter and Spirit Journal. Above, I only reviewed two articles. There are so many other rich examinations of the Bible in just this one volume, but as you can see, I have already written too much. Get this text. It is well worth the small price!

I have read several of Dr. Hahn's other books and have enjoyed them. They are relatively quick and light reading in comparison to these journals. The Letter and Spirit series are scholarly and take time (at least for me. I have a MA in theology and work in intergenerational catechesis). I would recommend some background in theology and Scripture study. I have read the first two volumes and am working through the other two I own. I have yet to purchase the newest volume but I am enjoying all of them so far. The inclusion of older, classic works gave me a chance to read some writers and theologians I had wanted to read but never had the opportunity to read. Wonderful journal for continuing Biblical education.

It is no secret that there has been a great deal of misunderstanding concerning the documents of Vatican II and Dei Verbum is not exempt from those misunderstandings. In the second volume to this phenomenal series, the writers take those misunderstandings to task with unmatched depth of scriptural exegesis from some of the most gifted theologians of recent years including Josef Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI).

The first misunderstanding to fall is the assumption that Dei Verbum is an acceptance of the historical-critical methods as alone sufficient for the study of scripture. The historical-critical methods are not given blanket acceptance as sufficient alone - far from it. Avery Cardinal Dulles provides deep insights into the source of that misunderstanding through poor translations and through basic assumptions that it is the only 'scientific' method to be trusted.

The remaining essays continue that theme by expounding further on the importance of understanding scripture in the incubator of the Church and her traditions and magisterium including how that is demonstrated through the methods of it's use in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Taken out of that context it leads, as John Cardinal Newman contended, to practical atheistic and lifeless results. Continuing that theme further, subsequent writers such as Dr. Hahn expound on these principles by conveying how the brilliant work of Josef Ratzinger and others have challenged the supposed 'scientific' nature of the historical-critical method alone and indeed expose them as no science at all.

None of this is to be taken, the writers continue to affirm, to mean that the historical-critical methods have no value or no place in biblical theology. On the contrary, they play an important part in deepening our understanding of scripture and what it implies to us now based on what it implied to the first readers. An historical understanding is important indeed; but it is not truly historical if it ignores the context in which the canon was formed. And that context is a people that believes the scripture to be part of the revelation of God to his people. The scriptures are not a moral code but a love letter written to give us a richer understanding of our beloved.

All of this is especially well demonstrated with detailed studies of two particularly puzzling bits of scripture - Romans Chapter 9 and Hebrews Chapter 13. Each has been debated with often deeply conflicting and numerous opinions that demonstrate the failure of the historical-critical method alone. But taken in the context of liturgy, tradition, and history of the Church, the study of difficult passages breaths new life into our appreciation for the depths of God's revelation.

I have emphasized before and do so again here, I cannot stress enough the importance of this series of books. You will want them all. I have to say this is one of my favorite volumes but I would still not wish to part with any of the others.

I are grateful that Catholic scholars re-assume and re-invent a Catholic exegesis. By this I intend an exegesis which is inserted in the whole of the Catholic Tradition, Catholic Magisterium and Catholic sacramental life. Thank you Dr. Scott Hahn for this exegetic review which is a precious instrument for all Bible readers