Letter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy [Hardcover]

Scott Hahn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2005

The bestselling author of The Lamb’s Supper continues his thoughtful exploration of the complex relationship between the Bible and the Catholic liturgy in a revelatory work that will appeal to all readers.

Scott Hahn has inspired millions of readers with his perceptive and unique view of Catholic theology and worship, becoming one of the most looked-to contemporary authorities in these areas. In Letter and Spirit, Hahn extends the message he began in The Lamb’s Supper, offering far-reaching and profound insights into what the Bible teaches us about living the spiritual life.

For both Christians and Jews, the texts of the Bible are not simply records of historical events. They are intended, through public recitations in churches and synagogues, to bring listeners and readers into the sweeping story of redemption as it unfolds in the Bible. Focusing on the Catholic Mass, Hahn describes how God’s Word is meant to open our eyes to the life-giving power of the sacraments, and how the liturgy brings about the “actualization” of the saving truths of Scripture.

Letter and Spirit is a stunningly original contribution to the field of biblical studies and will help Hahn’s many loyal and enthusiastic readers understand the relationship between the Bible and the Mass in a deeper way.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Since converting to Catholicism in 1986, Hahn, a former Presbyterian minister, has turned out a series of user-friendly books illuminating the mysteries of his adopted faith for the average Catholic. Here, he takes a new direction—and some risk—by addressing two audiences: fellow academics and readers of his bestselling theology books. Inviting devotees of these popular works to "go deeper," Hahn takes on the lofty subject of scripture and its relationship to liturgy. He shows how scriptural texts have been intimately tied to ritual public worship since the early Christian church and even before that in the Jewish temple. The first Christians, he writes, encountered scripture in their liturgy, not in devotional reading, adding that the Bible modern Christians read was canonized to be proclaimed during worship. For theological novices, Hahn devotes a chapter to defining such technical terms as economy, typology, and mystagogy, and to satisfy academics, he supports his text with references to the work of scripture scholars, ending with more than 20 pages of detailed notes. Hahn's approach in this book requires thoughtful reading, and it remains to be seen whether the audience he cultivated with popular works like The Lamb's Supper will warm to it. (Nov. 8)
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Review

Praise for Letter and Spirit

“What is different about reading the Bible in a classroom and hearing it read in Church? That is the question Scott Hahn addresses in this lively and informative book. His answer is that when the Bible is read in Christian worship it becomes the living Christ present in the midst of his people. In crisp and concise prose, Letter and Spirit offers an introduction to the history, theology, and present liturgical practice of the Christian reading of the Scriptures in the Eucharist. After reading Hahn, one will never doze when the Scriptures are read in Church.” —Robert Louis Wilken, William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of the History of Christianity,University of Virginia; author of The Spirit of Early Christian Thought; and past president of the North American Patristic Society

“The spirit of the great theologians Danielou and Congar breathes anew in this work of Dr. Scott Hahn. Letter and Spirit promises to become a classic in the revitalization of the liturgical renewal begun by Vatican II.” —Very Reverend Kurt Belsole, O.S.B. Rector, Saint Vincent Seminary

“This is a most important book and needs to be very carefully read and studied. Every devout Catholic should be spiritually fed by Scripture and liturgy. Obviously these two are meant to go together. In ways that you probably have never thought of, Scott Hahn brings the two together and relates them in a most integrated way. This book could be a new vista in your own spiritual life.” —Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, author of In the Presence of the Lord

“An appealingly fresh retrieval of the art of reading and living Scripture through the lens of liturgy and worship. Paraphrasing St. Francis de Sales, Hahn offers us the Bible, not so much as read, but as sung. Scholars will find biblical and theological acuteness; students and general readers, excellent scholarship expressed in friendly ways. Highly recommended.” —Dr. William Thompson-Uberuaga, Professor of Theology, Duquesne University, and past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America

“Scott Hahn’s new book, Letter and Spirit, betokens the resurgence of the art of mystagogy—the spiritual exegesis of the liturgy. A late blossom on the stem of the twentieth-century ‘Ressourcement,’ it will help to heal the eyes with which we read Holy Scripture. This has to be one of Scott Hahn’s very best books—one that will excite scholars and nonspecialists in equal measure.” —Stratford Caldecott, G. K. Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture, Oxford

“This is a wonderful book . . . Hahn’s exposition is lucid, accessible to any serious layperson, and a wonderful synthesis and summation concerning what it means to ‘pray the Scriptures’ in a life-transforming way.” —Dr. David Lyle Jeffrey, Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities, Baylor University

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 238 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion; 1st edition (November 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385509332
• ISBN-13: 978-0385509336
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.8 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Scott Hahn was born in 1957, and has been married to Kimberly since 1979. An exceptionally popular speaker and teacher, Dr. Hahn has delivered numerous talks nationally and internationally on a wide variety of topics related to Scripture and the Catholic faith. Hundreds of these talks have been produced on audio and videotapes by St. Joseph Communications. His talks have been effective in helping thousands of Protestants and fallen away Catholics to (re)embrace the Catholic faith.

He is currently a Professor of Theology and Scripture at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990, and is the founder and director of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology. In 2005, he was appointed as the Pope Benedict XVI Chair of Biblical Theology and Liturgical Proclamation at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

Scott received his Bachelor of Arts degree with a triple-major in Theology, Philosophy and Economics from Grove City College, Pennsylvania, in 1979, his Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1982, and his Ph.D. in Biblical Theology from Marquette University in 1995. Scott has ten years of youth and pastoral ministry experience in Protestant congregations (in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Kansas and Virginia) and is a former Professor of Theology at Chesapeake Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 1982 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, Virginia. He entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, 1986.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

178 of 179 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome, June 23, 2006

By 

Steven R. McEvoy "MCWPP" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy (Hardcover)

Depending on whom you talk to, Scott Hahn is either a hero or a turncoat. He was raised Presbyterian, and was even on the fast track to be president at a Presbyterian seminary when he began to doubt two protestant mainstays: `by scripture alone' and `by faith alone'. So he did what any academically trained person would do, he decided to research and went back to school to do a master's in Roman Catholic thought, eventually converting to Catholicism. Since then, he has been a prolific writer and speaker on things Catholic, and why the catholic faith is the one true valid faith.

This book is part academic treatise and part faith discovery. Hahn states in the introduction that he is writing this book for both his university students, and for the general population - readers of his many popular books on things Catholic.

Letter and Spirit is a study of how scripture is central to the mass, and how the eucharistic life is central to the word. It is a study of scripture and liturgy. The book shows a clear progression in the life of the faithful from receiving the written word to the living word in the liturgy. "Liturgy is the very place of our interpretive nearness to the ancients. In our present is our beginning." p.11 So we need the form and structure of mass to help scripture to be more meaningful to our lives. "From the beginning, the two have been united indissolubly. Scripture is for liturgy, and scripture is about liturgy." p.34 So, with only one or the other, our experience of faith would be missing.

Hahn shows us that the word is God's plan for us: "In God's plan of salvation, the Bible leads God's people to the liturgy. The written text of scripture becomes the living word of God. The Bible's meaning and purpose are fulfilled in the liturgy - the words of scripture become `spirit and life' ... the words of eternal life." p.100 Through that experience of new life we can live the life to the full promised in Matthew 5:6. Our faith is a part of memory and a path of hope. "The liturgy is the place where tradition lies, where memory lives. This was its purpose from the very beginning, when Jesus commanded his apostles to "Do this in memory of me.'" p.130 Today we are still following that commandment. Daily as the mass is offered, we are living in memory of him.

Hahn then shows us that scripture is read in many ways and on many levels. He states: "Reading scripture within the mainstream of tradition means reading it as salvation history - and thus reading it typologically, as it appears in the liturgy and the lectionary." p.164 But that is just the beginning of the story. We are still developing as the church. "Much work needs to be done. There are books to be written, studies to be undertaken, sermons to be preached, prayers to be raised, and ordinary lives to be lived." p.172 This book will be a beginning in helping us to explore our faith to a much deeper level.

This book is an excellent volume to help a catholic or a Christian grow in a deeper understanding of the centrality of scriptures to faith. Yet, this book will not be accepted by many, because of Hahn's past, and because he recently announced that he is a member of Opus Dei, and has a book on that topic coming out later this year. As such, though this book has much to offer, the question remains: Will it be received for the treasures within or rejected for the author's past?

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Different, but AMAZING, January 25, 2006

By 

Mark Bosse (Alexandria, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy (Hardcover)

In the opening pages of the book, Scott warns that those familiar with his popular works such as The Lamb's Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, and Lord, Have Mercy, will find this book out of sorts with his previous works. The same went for those only familiar with his journal writings. This book does an excellent job of bridging the gap between scholastic theology and humble amateurs like myself. Though after awhile I learned to keep my dictionary readily available I was absolutely astounded with the message conveyed and connections made. This book is a true gem for anyone who wants to "get more out of" and truly participate in the Liturgy of the Word. The insight I imagine converts recieve learning the Real Prescence of Christ in the Eucharist is the best I could explain the insight Catholics will recieve reading this book. For my fellow Catholics who fully submerge themselves into the miraculousless of the Eucharist but always had trouble keeping the daydreams at bay during the Liturgy of the Word, you have found your key to triumph. I gaurantee you will not attend Mass the same way after reading this book. Enjoy, and God Bless.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's all about making connections -- for layman and specialist alike, November 23, 2005

By 

Prof. David Fagerberg (University of Notre Dame (Theology Dept.)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy (Hardcover)

This significant book simultaneously concerns itself with the Bible and the liturgy and covenant history and mystagogy and eschatology -- in other words, it is a book about connections. It delves into how to connect the believer with the Bible, the Bible with the liturgy, and the liturgy with the divine economy. The name for this theological ligature is 'covenant,' and Hahn shows how God's covenant reaches us even today. In accomplishing this impressive synthesis, he shows himself a comprehensive and accumulative thinker who can place recent scholarship from multiple fields at the service of specialist and layman alike.

In this book, Hahn proposes a living relationship between Scripture and liturgy in order to draw believers into full, active, and conscious participation in salvation history. The way into God's mystery is through the divine liturgy. In asserting this, Hahn does not lean into the wind of one passing prejudice or another, but rather stands upright on the tradition, saving us from both dead conservatism and errant innovation. His important contribution is to invite us to once again integrate salvation history, sacred text, and Christian ritual so that the Bible's letter will function as spirit in the heart of the liturgical mystery.