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

by Scott Hahn (Author)

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 ex... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion (November 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385509332
• ISBN-13: 978-0385509336
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #218,748 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

170 of 171 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 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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?

34 of 34 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)

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.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding the heart of the Bible in the spirit of the liturgy, November 17, 2005

By	Bishop Daniel Conlon (Diocese of Steubenville) - See all my reviews

In "Letter and Spirit" Dr. Scott Hahn shines a bright light on what God does at Mass, especially through the proclamation of the Word. The proclamation of the Word in the Church's liturgy is something far more than reading scriptural texts. As Dr. Hahn writes, "God's Word... when it is proclaimed in the liturgy, establishes the kingdom of heaven on earth." This book helps us recover the real significance of the Church's Lectionary and the liturgy of the Word in the liturgical renewal of Vatican II. What power -- for individual believers, for the Church, for the world -- lies within the liturgical proclamation of the Word of God.