Customer Reviews

Scripture Matters: Essays on Reading the Bible from the Heart of the Church

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Scripture Matters is a masterful guide to reading -- and understanding -- the Bible from the heart of the Church. It is a work that combines intelligence and depth with a wonderful warmth and readability. Dr. Hahn's chapters on historical criticism, the Real Presence, and the place of Scripture in Catholic teaching are worth reading again and again.

In this new volume Professor Scott Hahn has gathered together twelve of his essays on the reading and study of Holy Scripture. The essays are put together in a logical order, even though they were written at different times and for different publications. Professor Hahn stresses the fact that there are many levels of meaning in Scripture. The literal meaning is basic to all the senses of the Bible, but that must not be emphasized to the exclusion of the spiritual and typological meaning that permeates the Scripture. The reason for this is that God is the author of the book.

During the past century many scripture scholars, including many Catholics, have so emphasized the literal sense that they have neglected the spiritual sense. This is especially true of those who rely exclusively on the historical critical methods of interpreting Scripture. Dr. Hahn grants that there is much value in the proper use of the historical critical methods, but at the same time he clearly points out the weaknesses and deficiencies. Professor Hahn reminds us in this fine book that the study of Scripture is the soul of theology. The Bible remains normative for Catholic theology. In short, Dr. Hahn spells out the basic principles for a Catholic interpretation of Scripture, and he also gives us some good examples of how to go about interpreting a few passages the sacred pages. "Scripture Matters," therefore, is a helpful book for those who want to learn how to interpret the Bible in a way that is in agreement with Catholic teaching and tradition. If you read Scott Hahn carefully, you will begin to have a deeper appreciation of the various levels of meaning in the divinely inspired Scriptures.

Once again, Scott Hahn sets out to motivate Catholics to soak long and often in the Word of God. And once again, the popular Steubenville professor excites in his readers a heightened appreciation for the Bible's inextricable link to the Church. Hahn gives an insightful overview of the traditional ways Scripture can be understood, and argues that the Bible must be read with each sense in mind. In addition to the literal sense, the Bible should be read in the allegorical, moral and anagogical senses as well. Hahn insists the Bible is best understood only when one integrates all four of these senses.

In what is perhaps the book's most challenging chapter, Hahn explains what he believes to be a "key that unlocks the mysteries of faith... the family of God." He points out that "the whole of Scripture can be viewed as the story of how God, as Father, repeatedly strives... to draw his wayward children home." Hahn also includes two chapters about the central importance of Scripture in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. In another chapter, he provides a moving tribute to the recently canonized St. Josemaria Escriva and the preeminent place he gave to Scripture in the spiritual life. Elsewhere, Hahn explains the importance of Jesus' "hour" in John's Gospel, as the culmination of his saving work, as it is re-presented in the Mass. In another chapter that's particularly helpful in current debates about marriage, celibacy and the male priesthood, Hahn offers an insightful look at the priestly vocation of fatherhood and the fatherly vocation of the priesthood. He ends with a thoughtful critique of currents trends in biblical scholarship.

In each chapter, Hahn's style is accessible to a wide range of readers, yet even seasoned theologians can benefit from his clear and enthusiastic elucidation of the basics of Bible reading for Catholics. "Scripture Matters" is an invitation to penetrate the mysteries of God's Word more deeply, always within the Living Tradition of the Church. If it finds the wide readership it deserves, it will succeed in its aim to help Catholics become Bible Christians and Bible Christians to become Catholics. After all, God's Work is at the heart of the Church; just so, the Church should be at the heart of every Christian.

Scott Hahn has done it again! Through a collection of challenging and fascinating essays on biblical matters, he has prepared our minds and hearts to be open to the Holy Spirit at work in the life-giving Word of God. At Vatican II, the Council Fathers called for a greater access to Sacred Scripture for all the Christian faithful They exhorted all of us to learn "the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8), through the study of Sacred Scripture. I can think of no better introduction to this study than Scott Hahn's Scripture Matters: Essays on Reading the Bible from the Heart of the Church.

Dr. Scott Hahn has provided in Scripture Matters an invaluable series of essays that will not only help to keep students of Sacred Scripture on track, but also give them a sense of certitude concerning the Church's long-standing tradition of interpretation. After reading Scripture Matters, you will want to jump into Scripture study with renewed zeal. Dr. Hahn's excitement for Scripture will rub off on you. Get ready!

One does not have to agree with Dr. Hahn in all particulars of Scripture Matters to see that he succeeds admirably in stirring things up in the world of contemporary Catholic biblical scholarship. This book should prove to be a useful stimulus for getting all of us who love Scripture to come to terms with it in our lives.

Dr. Scott Hahn's new book, Scripture Matters, reflects not only a profound theology of God's Word, but also analyzes and critiques some of the more prevalent errors which have crept into discussions of the interpretations and proper use of Sacred Scripture in the life of the Church and the lives of individuals. I heartily recommend this work for students and all those who wish to enhance the effective role of Holy Scripture in their lives.

"Scripture Matters," by Scott Hahn is a collection of essays written on approaches and perspectives that can be used to study the Bible. I was a bit skeptical about the book, when I noted that one of the essays referred to the late founder of Opus Dei, because I have reservations about some of that organization's teaching. However, the essay, was not an exhortation of what one should find in terms of ideas in the Bible, but rather techniques that any one could apply in their Bible study to better reatin the wisdom that God speaks to any particular soul who studies the scripture.

The essay topics are not histories on when the books of the Bible may have been written. Nor do the essays, for the most part (the essay about fathers and the one about the forgiven prostitute do pull meaning from a story and are exceptions), concern themselves with telling people what instruction they should take from any part of the Bible.

Instead, the essays introduce vocabulary related to basic Biblical exegesis and predominantly have topics about techniques that any reader can employ in their personal study; such as typology, dividing the Bible into three time periods (age of patrirachs, age of law, age of spiritual law or Jesus Christ) for reference; and using four senses for discernment of scripture (one literal and three spiritual). None of the analytical frameworks proposed contradict teaching of the Cathechism, and the last device mentioned is straiht from the Cathechism. However, the essays in the book will enlghten any Bible scholar's approach to scripture, particulalry if they are beginning Biblical scholar, regardless if they consider themselves members of the Catholic faith.

This is a great, short book composed of several short essays which can be read in about 20 minutes. Each essay discusses some aspect of scripture, whether it be the historical-critical method, a particular verse, or simply the way that scripture is to be read in the mind of the Church.

Chapter two discusses the current (sad) state of biblical scholarship in so far as its reliance on the historical critical method. Though Hahn does not flat out reject this method, he talks about how you can not have only one way to interpret scripture (namely, through an historical-critical lens) and contrasts this with another extreme, that of the completely literal Fundamentalist interpretation. The Fathers as well as the heart of the Church have always interpreted scripture in a 4-fold sense; the literal, the moral, analogical, and anagogical sense, with the main sense being the literal. In particular, the last three comprise what is often called the "spiritual sense" of scripture, and this is something that has been lost by many people over the past century.

Several essays stick out in my mind. One essay that I learned a lot from was the essay on Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. I did not know much about him, and was fascinated to learn about the man's deep love and devotion to the scriptures. Another one was on the proper understanding of Jesus when he says "Judge not lest ye be judged." As the author points out, so many times people use this to say you simply can't judge others, but Hahn looks at this in the context of the story of the woman caught in adultery and shows how Jesus brilliantly turned the question the Pharisees asked him around onto them. This showed the perfect balance between mercy and justice, the old law and the new law.

This is a great little book which should make your heart burn within you, to use one of Dr. Hahn's favorite bible verses (Luke 24:32).

Dr. Hahn is a master communicator of difficult topics in a way that makes them accessible to the layman. This collection of essays could be the definitive guide to biblical theology and hermeneutics from the traditional Catholic perspective. With them, you will learn of the alternative approaches to scripture and where they lack while gaining a deeper respect for the guidance of the Church in understanding scripture within the appropriate context. The only drawback to this work is that the essays seem to beg for more attention to specific topics in a more systematic approach but the essay approach does seem to work well as an introduction to these topics. Highly recommended as a first text or overview of how Catholic biblical theology is done.