Swear to God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments [Hardcover]

Scott Hahn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 2004

The most solemn, majestic, and beautiful gifts that Jesus Christ gave to the world are His sacraments. He endowed them with unprecedented and unparalleled power—power to change lives, save souls, and share God’s very life. The sacraments are the ordinary means by which God directs the course of each human life and all of world history.

The Church celebrates seven sacraments: baptism, Eucharist, confirmation, matrimony, holy orders, confession, and anointing of the sick. Each was established by Jesus for the sake of salvation. When Jesus spoke of the sacraments, He made clear that they were essential: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (Jn 3:5) . . . unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you (Jn 6: 53).

In Swear to God, Dr. Scott Hahn explores the richness of Christ’s sacraments—their doctrine, history, symbols, and rituals. Drawing upon the Bible and the Church’s tradition, he shows how God’s covenants—with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David—became the driving forces in history. When Jesus came to fulfill all these covenants, He established a new covenant, with greater power than ever before. Christians are God’s children now. Joined to Christ by baptism, we can already share in the eternal life of the Trinity, a life we hope to know fully in heaven. But heaven is with us, even now, in the sacraments.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hahn, a convert to Catholicism who is professor of biblical theology at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, continues his popular expositions on various aspects of the Catholic faith in this treatise on the church's seven sacraments. Written in the easy style that has opened the depths of Catholic theology to scores of laypeople, Hahn shares how he once regarded sacraments as "boring," but reconsidered that view after a challenge from his wife, Kimberly, while both were still Protestants. In reading the works of the church fathers, Hahn came to see the sacraments as signs of God's covenant with humanity and thus more than mere rituals. When Catholics receive them, he writes, they make a covenant with God that has weighty implications. He explains how in ancient times, parties to covenants would swear a sacred oath, offer a sacrifice and share a meal, all elements contained in the sacraments today. Hahn insists sacraments are based in scripture and makes a convincing case that they were not late additions to Christianity, but were practiced by the early church. He offers personal testimony as well, crediting grace from the sacrament of matrimony with sustaining him and his wife through the difficult period in which he left the Protestant ministry and converted to Catholicism. Catholics in search of a fresh look at their faith will find Hahn's enthusiasm inviting. His frequent references to the Catechism also should make this a helpful resource.
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Review

“This book, easy to read but profound in its implications, draws on the Bible, on Catholic teaching, patristic wisdom, and rabbinical learning to explain the meaning and importance of sacraments. What the author tells of his own discovery and experience of sacramental life is illuminating and heartwarming. It will help Catholics grasp better the wonder and necessity of sacraments in God’s plan of salvation and allow other Christians to see their significance for the following of Christ.”
—Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago

“As one who has lived with a lifelong realistic understanding of the sacraments, especially of the Holy Eucharist, I found Scott Hahn’s journey from Calvin’s devout but symbolic understanding to the traditional realism of the Church Fathers most enlightening. This book will be a big help to Catholics confronted by careless and inaccurate teaching about the sacraments. It will also aid Protestants, who have often lost even the sacramental piety of the Reformation and who are beginning to rediscover the sacraments instituted by Christ.”
--Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R., author of In the Presence of Our Lord

“Dr. Hahn has done it once again: he has given us a crisp, clear and compelling look at the very essence of Catholic life, the sacraments. Simply put, Scott believes the sacraments really do work. And he believes that the sacraments are God’s wok for us, not our work for God.”
--Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee

“In Swear to God, Dr. Scott Hahn provides his readers with a fresh, enthusiastic introduction to the theology of Sacraments. His readers will be rewarded not only with clear theological information but also with authentically Catholic inspiration. His pen continues to be a blessing for all who seek a deeper understanding of what the Lord has revealed.”
--Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion (May 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385509316
• ISBN-13: 978-0385509312
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.8 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Inspirational
  • #92 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Ritual

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

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENCE !, June 4, 2004

By 

A. Romero "NAVY78" (Stamford, CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swear to God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments (Hardcover)

As a recent convert to Catholicism, I can say that we needed a book like this, that explains the truth and power of the Holy Sacraments. It couldn't come at a better time !

Now, I can help my Protestant brethren understand another deep aspect of our Catholic Faith.

Thanks to Dr. Scott Hahn for the work that he put into the book.
The book is excellent and precise. A great treasure of explanation on the Sacraments.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars His Best Book Yet!, May 27, 2004

By 

K. Schwartz (Steubenville, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swear to God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments (Hardcover)

Dr. Hahn has outdone himself yet again! Swear To God is a wonderful book that will transform your understanding of the sacraments (sacramentum) and oaths/covenants (sacramentum). This book shows, through Scripture, how sacraments are the physical signs that we enter in to, and renew our covenant with God through. It ties together a lot of Dr. Hahn's previous material on covenant. Ultimately you will come away from reading this book that much closer to understanding the "Big Picture". Dr. Hahn spends a good section of the book on the sacraments of Baptism, Marriage, and the Eucharist specifically. He makes the point to stress the fact that Marriage is indeed a sacrament and a covenant, not just a contract. The way he explained this in the book was extremely helpful for me because my father, as a Jewish man, claims that marriage is nothing more than a contract. By Dr. Hahn's guidance through Scripture, in this book, I have a much better understanding of marriage. Thus, I hope to have much more deep and productive discussions with my father over the sacrament of marriage in the future. Thank you for writing this book Dr. Hahn. It is your best one yet!

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, October 15, 2004

By 

Daniel M. Hixon (mostly Louisiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swear to God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments (Hardcover)

I should say up front that I am a Protestant, and (despite Dr. Hahn's best efforts) I don't plan on converting to Roman Catholicism. But still I must say that this book was one of the best discussions of the biblical concept of covenant relationships that I have ever read. It was gripping from page 1. I (obviously) did not agree with all of Dr. Hahn's conclusions 100% (I did agree with many of them) but he makes a powerful case for sacramental practice that every Roman Catholic and Protestant (whether they are sacramental Protestants or not) would do well to read. This is a challenging book to any Protestant because it is so thoroughly biblical, and what else would we expect from a former Evangelical Presbyterian minister? This is a great book for anyone who wants to better understand the meaning of sacramental practice in any church, be it Roman/Protestant/Orthodox; and it is just a really fun read (which is not always the case with books of this type). I highly recommend this book to everyone who is ready for a challenging and engaging discussion about the meaning of the Biblical Christian faith and the life of covenant relationship with God.