Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible As the First Christians Did (Paperback)

by Mark P. Shea (Author) "When I was about thirteen years old my brother got hold of a brittle old King James Bible that had belonged to his wife's grandparents..." (more)
Key Phrases: sixth covenant, anagogical sense, heavenly destiny, Old Testament, New Testament, Holy Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
...clearly explains not only the Old and New Testaments, but also the way Christians have understood Scripture over the last 2,000 years. -- David Morrison, New Covenant Magazine

A terrific book, accessible and valuable both to folks who are familiar with sacred texts and those who are not. Engaging and even entertaining. -- David Morrison, New Covenant Magazine

In readable, common-sense prose, Shea... makes the roots of the Christian world view accessible in the days of "dot-com." -- Helen Valois, National Catholic Register

Jesus and the Apostles discerned both the literal and spiritual senses of Scripture, but their rich method is lost on most modern Christians. Mark Shea has done us a good turn by teaching this lost art. Read this book; then read Scripture with new eyes. -- Mike Aquilina, Editor, New Covenant Magazine

Shea's effort...echoes St. Thomas Aquinas' basic work explaining the different ways we view Scripture and reflects much of his light as well. -- David Morrison, New Covenant Magazine

Shea's text is scholarly but not stuffy. His writing style is fresh, even breezy, demonstrating nicely that Bible study can be serious and fun at the same time. -- Nancy Hartnagel, Catholic News Service

Three cheers to Mark Shea! This is a book to be snapped up--and read--all the way through. The prose makes easy reading (a great virtue); but the depth and sweep of the material will draw any reader, beginner or expert, into rich vistas. I recommend it highly. -- Dr. Thomas Howard, author of "Evangelical Is Not Enough"

Product Description
Take an Amazing Journey into the Depths of Scripture!

Reading the Bible in a way that is as old as Scripture itself, Mark Shea takes us on a "fly-over" of the biblical story from Genesis to Revelation. He shows you how to explore the literal, allegorical, moral and anagogical senses of Scripture.

Whether you have been studying Scripture for years, or are encountering it for the very first time, "Making Senses Out of Scripture" is an invaluable tool that will help you see biblical revelation afresh, as Christians have done for 2000 years.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: Basilica Press; 1 edition (November 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964261065
• ISBN-13: 978-0964261068
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mark Shea Makes a Lot of Sense, January 22, 2002

By	Barry E. DeWalt (Redding, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Mr. Shea gives an admirable effort to explain how scripture should be read. The answer, in a nutshell, is to read scripture in the same manner as our earliest forefathers read scripture.

Accordingly, a good account of early church fathers is given in the book. Upon reading this book, the reader will have a good understanding of how the Church reads scripture; that scripture can have a literal, moral, allegorical or anagogical sense.

Mr. Shea does not necessarily give us something new. The methodologies he uses, as he has stated, have been used by the Church for centuries. What he does provide, is a simplified analysis of scripture reading. This work is written for the layman, but clergy would benefit from it as well.

The author's wit makes the book a fun read. This is one of those books that you will want to pass on to your friends. How can we love Christ if we don't understand who He is, what He has done for us, and what it means to us? By understanding scripture, you will begin to gain answers to these questions.

Mr. Shea simply makes that job a bit easier. This book is heartily recommended to all who want to grow in their understanding of scripture.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dust Off Your Bible and Get Ready..., November 14, 2001

By	"stpaulsapprentice" (Ada, MI United States) - See all my reviews

I echo the words of a previous reviewer: this is a "fun" read. Not only is Shea bright and funny, but the tools with which he equips you in this book (almost without you even knowing it) will stay with you forever, and drastically change the way you read the bible.

Borrowing from the wisdom of the early Church Fathers, Shea shows us how to read the bible with a new pair of eyes, eyes that will penetrate deeper and deeper into these all-too-familiar texts.

As a newcomer to Catholicism, I've been absolutely reveling in this revolutionary (if something 2,000 years old can be called such) way of reading Scripture. I've begun to host bible studies using this method, and the attendents are loving it! I had one girl say, "I've never read the bible like this - this changes everything."

Let Shea introduce you to the early Christians, and let him show you how to read and learn the bible.

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent tool to use when reading the Bible, April 10, 2000

By	Tim Drake "Author and Journalist" (Saint Joseph, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Building on the success of his earlier works, Mark Shea has written yet another easy- and enjoyable-to-read work that sheds light on the faith.

Shea teaches the reader the art of looking at Scripture in the way that the Apostles did. While Shea draws upon Old and New Testament resources and the riches of the Catholic faith, Shea's style of writing makes it easy for non-theologians to learn what he has learned.

Readers will come away from this book able to look at everything from Genesis to Revelation with newly opened eyes.