The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth [Hardcover]

Scott Hahn (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 9, 1999

Bestselling author Scott Hahn sheds new light on the Mass, offering readers a deeper appreciation of the most familiar of Catholic rituals .

Of all things Catholic, there is nothing that is so familiar as the Mass. With its unchanging prayers, the Mass fits Catholics like their favorite clothes. Yet most Catholics sitting in the pews on Sundays fail to see the powerful supernatural drama that enfolds them. Pope John Paul II described the Mass as "Heaven on Earth," explaining that what "we celebrate on Earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy."
The Lamb’s Supper reveals a long-lost secret of the Church: The early Christians' key to understanding the mysteries of the Mass was the New Testament Book of Revelation. With its bizarre imagery, its mystic visions of heaven, and its end-of-time prophecies, Revelation mirrors the sacrifice and celebration of the Eucharist.

Beautifully written, in clear direct language, bestselling Catholic author Scott Hahn's new book will help readers see the Mass with new eyes, pray the liturgy with a renewed heart, and enter into the Mass more fully, enthusiastically, intelligently, and powerfully than ever before.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth reawakens a surprising ancient view of the Eucharist, as the harbinger of the supernatural drama described by the New Testament book of Revelation. Catholic theologian Scott Hahn thinks that many worshippers receive the sacrament of communion without ever considering its links to the end of the world, the Apocalypse, and the Second Coming. Hahn wants to change our minds; he wants us to know that "The Mass--and I mean every single Mass--is heaven on earth." Literally. So, Hahn declares, "Now heaven has been unveiled for us with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ ... Jesus Christ Himself says to you: 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with Me' (Rv. 3:20)." Hahn's enthusiasm, as evident even from these short quotes, is considerable--and infectious. Furthermore, he delivers his arguments with great levity (demonstrated in chapter titles such as "Oath Meal"), which makes The Lamb's Supper quite a tasty read. --Michael Joseph Gross

From Publishers Weekly

As with his earlier Rome Sweet Home, Hahn's The Lamb's Supper seeks to bring scriptural exegesis and Roman Catholic ritual tradition into fruitful dialogue. The central thrust of this piece is that Catholic liturgy offers the best interpretive paradigm for studying the Book of Revelation. Hahn divides his subject matter into three main sections, considering in turn Scripture in the canon of the Mass, various interpretive approaches to the Book of Revelation and the mutual illumination of the Catholic Mass and John's Apocalypse. Apart from vapid section titles (e.g., "Guided Missal," "Resisting a Rest" and "The Need to Heed the Creed"), which detract from the serious themes presented, Hahn treats the material quite competently, and he is candid in his enthusiasm for both biblical liturgics and liturgical exegesis. Hahn's work is a fine introduction to eucharistic theology for the Catholic layperson, offering a crash course in the history of sacrificial worship in ancient Israel. The book has an ecumenical appeal, especially for Lutherans and Anglicans desiring to better acquaint themselves with Catholic ritual and the New Testament. The only consideration noticeably absent from Hahn's liturgical review of Revelation is whether the doxological splendors of the Mass are marred or made manifest in the hastily prepared English translations of the Latin Rite issued in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 174 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion; First Edition edition (November 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385496591
• ISBN-13: 978-0385496599
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (247 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Religions, Practices & Sacred Texts > Ritual
  • #3 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Roman Catholicism
  • #31 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Theology

More About the Author

Dr. Scott Hahn is the author (or editor) of over forty books, including best-selling titles like Rome Sweet Home, The Lamb's Supper, Hail Holy Queen, A Father Who Keeps His Promises, Lord Have Mercy, First Comes Love, Swear to God, Understanding Our Father, Scripture Matter, Spirit and Life, Understanding the Scripture, Catholic Bible Dictionary, Many Are Called, Signs of Life, Reasons to Believe, Answering the New Atheism, Ordinary Work Extraordinary Grace, and Living the Mysteries. His academic publications include Kinship by Covenant: A Canonical Approach to the Fulfillment of God's Saving Promises (Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library), The Kingdom of God as Liturgical Empire: A Theological Commentary on 1-2 Chronicles, Covenant and Communion: The Biblical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI, Letter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy, along with a forthcoming title, Politicizing the Bible: The Roots of Historical Criticism and the Secularization of Scripture (1300-1700). He is the editor of the academic periodical, Letter & Spirit: A Journal of Catholic Biblical Theology, and co-editor of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible.

An exceptionally popular speaker and teacher, Dr. Scott Hahn has delivered thousands of popular talks and academic lectures, nationally and internationally, on a wide range of topics related to Scripture, Theology and the Catholic faith. Hundreds of these presentations have been recorded and distributed by Catholic Lighthouse, The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and St. Joseph Communications. He has appeared on hundreds of television programs on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), where he has also been the regular host and presenter on several popular 13-week series (including Our Fathers Plan, The Lamb's Super, and Genesis to Jesus).

In 2012, Dr. Hahn was awarded the Fr. Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. In 2005, he was awarded the Pope Benedict XVI Chair of Biblical Theology and Liturgical Proclamation at St. Vincent Seminary (Latrobe PA), which he held through 2011. In 2002, he was awarded Pio Cardinal Laghi Chair of Catholic Theology at the Pontifical Seminary Josephinum (Columbus OH), which he held through 2004.

Scott graduated from Grove City College in 1979 with his BA in Theology, Philosophy and Economics (magna cum laude). He graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1982 with his M.Div (summa cum laude). Scott received his Ph.D. in Theology from Marquette University in 1995 (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). He has ten years of youth and pastoral ministry experience in Protestant congregations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Kansas and Virginia (1975-85), and is a former Professor of Theology at the Dominion Theological Institute (Dominion, VA, now Chesapeake Theological Seminary). He was ordained in 1982 at Trinity Presbyterian Church (Fairfax VA). He entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, 1986.

Dr. Scott Hahn was born in 1957, and has been married to Kimberly since 1979. They live in Steubenville Ohio and have six children and seven grandchildren.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

177 of 183 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Transforming Book December 28, 1999

By Randall Landry

Format:Hardcover

This book is a must read for Christians in general, but most importantly for Catholic lay people like myself. Before entering into the heart of his work, Dr. Hahn presents a Biblical perspective on the presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist that every Catholic should read and understand. But the most significant contribution of this book is the way in which it exposes the relationship between St. John's Revelation and the Church's celebration of the Liturgy. While Hahn claims that these truths have been held by the Church since the beginning of Christianity, almost all of this information was new to me as a cradle Catholic. This book has truly transformed the way in which I approach every Mass. With the possible exception of some poorly chosen subtitles, The Lamb's Supper is nothing less than 5 stars!

101 of 104 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This book deserves to become a Christian Classic! December 6, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I've read a lot of books on religious subjects, but very few as good as this one. "The Lamb's Supper" makes better sense of the Book of Revelation than any one of dozen or so titles that I've read on the subject in the last twenty years. Even more, it has changed the way I approach the Mass. Over the last few weeks, since reading "The Lamb's Supper," I've come to a much greater appreciation of what I've been doing as a cradle Catholic for over fifty years--going to Mass, where we share in the worship of heaven, in the presence of our Lord, alongside the holy saints and angels. I never really knew that, and I don't think that most Catholics do. But surely they should! There's something else. Speaking personally, I don't always find it easy to pray. That is probably where "The Lamb's Supper" has been the greatest help, in getting me to pray more and better. That's why I think that "The Lamb's Supper" is destined to become one of the truly great Christian Classics of this century, even though it will never displace my all-time favorite, "The Imitation of Christ".

156 of 166 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! Dr. Hahn does it again. July 4, 2000

By Tim Drake VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

What a delightful, wonderful, interesting, thought-provoking, and inspiring book this one is. Evangelical Biblical scholars have pondered the meaning of John's Book of Revelation for a long time.

For too many, they read it as the "end times." Dr. Hahn did the same thing, as a Presbyterian minister.

It wasn't until he became Catholic that he began to see Revelations as a blueprint for the Mass. Hahn demonstrates how Revelation gives us a glimpse of Heaven and of Mass. The premise of the book is that Mass itself is a little slice of Heaven on Earth.

What Hahn offers is not something new. This is what the Church has taught for centuries. Yet, Hahn presents it as only he can.

Hahn offers not only a beautiful view of Revelation, but also of Mass. It is a view that too few Catholics take to heart.

Not only is this a simply delightful book, but it's also a short book - one that could easily be read in one sitting.

I highly recommend it. Catholics will gain a new appreciation for Mass and all that they have taken for granted. Non-Catholics will appreciate an alternative view of The Book of Revelation.