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Letter and Spirit: From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy
The bestselling author of The Lamb’s Supper continues his thoughtful exploration of the complex relationship between the Bible and the Catholic liturgy in a revelatory work that will appeal to all readers.
Scott Hahn has inspired millions of readers with his perceptive and unique view of Catholic theology and worship, becoming one of the most looked-to contemporary authorities in these areas. In Letter and Spirit , Hahn extends the message he began in The Lamb’s Supper , offering far-reaching and profound insights into what the Bible teaches us about living the spiritual life.
For both Christians and Jews, the texts of the Bible are not simply records of historical events. They are intended, through public recitations in churches and synagogues, to bring listeners and readers into the sweeping story of redemption as it unfolds in the Bible. Focusing on the Catholic Mass, Hahn describes how God’s Word is meant to open our eyes to the life-giving power of the sacraments, and how the liturgy brings about the “actualization” of the saving truths of Scripture.
Letter and Spirit is a stunningly original contribution to the field of biblical studies and will help Hahn’s many loyal and enthusiastic readers understand the relationship between the Bible and the Mass in a deeper way.
Scott Hahn has inspired millions of readers with his perceptive and unique view of Catholic theology and worship, becoming one of the most looked-to contemporary authorities in these areas. In Letter and Spirit , Hahn extends the message he began in The Lamb’s Supper , offering far-reaching and profound insights into what the Bible teaches us about living the spiritual life.
For both Christians and Jews, the texts of the Bible are not simply records of historical events. They are intended, through public recitations in churches and synagogues, to bring listeners and readers into the sweeping story of redemption as it unfolds in the Bible. Focusing on the Catholic Mass, Hahn describes how God’s Word is meant to open our eyes to the life-giving power of the sacraments, and how the liturgy brings about the “actualization” of the saving truths of Scripture.
Letter and Spirit is a stunningly original contribution to the field of biblical studies and will help Hahn’s many loyal and enthusiastic readers understand the relationship between the Bible and the Mass in a deeper way.
238 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
72 people are currently reading
493 people want to read
About the author
Scott Hahn
415 books1,341 followersScott Hahn is a renowned Catholic theologian, apologist, speaker, and bestselling author whose work has had a profound impact on contemporary biblical theology and Catholic thought. A former Presbyterian minister, Hahn converted to Catholicism in 1986 after an intense personal and theological journey, which he details in his popular book Rome Sweet Home, co-written with his wife, Kimberly Hahn. Their story of conversion has inspired countless readers around the world and remains a landmark in modern Catholic apologetics.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
Hahn holds the Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biblical literacy among the laity and biblical fluency among clergy. Through the Center, Hahn leads a wide range of initiatives, including publications, pilgrimages, Bible studies, and the scholarly journal Letter and Spirit.
Educated at Grove City College (B.A.), Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Marquette University (Ph.D. in Systematic Theology), Hahn brings a deep academic foundation to his work. His dissertation, Kinship by Covenant, was later published by Yale University Press and received praise for its theological insight and scholarly rigor.
Throughout his career, Hahn has emphasized the covenant as the key to understanding salvation history, showing how the biblical narrative reveals a divine plan that unites all of humanity into God's family. His works explore themes such as the Eucharist, the role of Mary, the sacraments, and the authority of the Church, often drawing on the writings of the early Church Fathers to bridge the ancient faith with modern understanding.
He is the author or editor of over forty books, including The Lamb’s Supper, Hail, Holy Queen, First Comes Love, Letter and Spirit, Swear to God, Reasons to Believe, The Creed, The Fourth Cup, and Holy Is His Name. Many of his books have become staples in Catholic households, study groups, and seminaries.
In addition to his writing, Hahn is a highly sought-after speaker, having delivered thousands of lectures across the United States and abroad. He appears regularly on EWTN and has collaborated with Lighthouse Catholic Media to bring his teachings to an even broader audience.
Scott Hahn lives in Ohio with his wife Kimberly. They have six children and numerous grandchildren. Together, the Hahns continue to lead efforts in evangelization and Catholic education, embodying a lifelong commitment to deepening faith and understanding through Scripture and tradition.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
June 14, 2023
This is definitely quite a bit more dense/academic and less accessible than I am used to from Hahn's writing.
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August 3, 2011Memory and identity. That's what the liturgy is for the Church in this book by Scott Hahn. And the key to it all, as usual, is covenant. Contracts are binding between persons with regard to material possessions, while covenants bind persons themselves together. As in the marital union, God's union with man in the holy Eucharist is a covenant with rules. Break the rules and the covenant is broken, and here then is the long history of a small nation that was embraced by God.
Dr. Hahn begins with three themes which act as a backbone for the book's understanding of scripture: economy (the swing of salvation history, beginning in Genesis and continuing today with the liturgy), typology (history repeats itself, often with earlier events being understood as types of later events) and mystagogy (understanding of liturgy).
Scripture is primarily written for liturgy, to be proclaimed in assembly, although private study is well and good, and even has an ancient tradition. Scripture tells the story of liturgy all the way from Abel's God-pleasing sacrifice. Scripture also forms the liturgy even while liturgy forms scripture.
When we think of scripture forming liturgy, we may also observe that liturgy 'actualises' history, making past events present in its own way, so that 'the present is one with the past and looks forward to the future.' In this aspect, Jewish and Christian liturgy are identical.
An interesting idea I have found here is that the term 'parousia' in the New Testament, often used in recent exegesis as the second coming of Christ, often understood literally as Christ returning on a cloud to pick a select few for his kingdom, may have a different meaning. Paul's understanding of the word 'parousia' was apparently a presence which is insensible but nonetheless real. Dr. Hahn makes the immediate observation that the early Christians used this term in reference to what the Roman Church now calls the Real Presence.
Anamnesis is a description of memory which is far deeper than our current understanding of it. Liturgical memory has been mentioned as a sort of reliving of one-time historical events. Scripture is an aide to this process and liturgy is the place where this memory lives. Hence, 'liturgy is the locus of what the Church calls tradition.' For this is how tradition, again a word with far deeper a meaning than the contemporary understanding of a body of rules and customs.
Just for the new parousia idea, the discourse on anamnesis and the renewed understanding of the Mass I have received from this book, I give it 4.5 stars. Excellent. And I am hereafter a fan of Scott Hahn.
Dr. Hahn begins with three themes which act as a backbone for the book's understanding of scripture: economy (the swing of salvation history, beginning in Genesis and continuing today with the liturgy), typology (history repeats itself, often with earlier events being understood as types of later events) and mystagogy (understanding of liturgy).
Scripture is primarily written for liturgy, to be proclaimed in assembly, although private study is well and good, and even has an ancient tradition. Scripture tells the story of liturgy all the way from Abel's God-pleasing sacrifice. Scripture also forms the liturgy even while liturgy forms scripture.
When we think of scripture forming liturgy, we may also observe that liturgy 'actualises' history, making past events present in its own way, so that 'the present is one with the past and looks forward to the future.' In this aspect, Jewish and Christian liturgy are identical.
An interesting idea I have found here is that the term 'parousia' in the New Testament, often used in recent exegesis as the second coming of Christ, often understood literally as Christ returning on a cloud to pick a select few for his kingdom, may have a different meaning. Paul's understanding of the word 'parousia' was apparently a presence which is insensible but nonetheless real. Dr. Hahn makes the immediate observation that the early Christians used this term in reference to what the Roman Church now calls the Real Presence.
Anamnesis is a description of memory which is far deeper than our current understanding of it. Liturgical memory has been mentioned as a sort of reliving of one-time historical events. Scripture is an aide to this process and liturgy is the place where this memory lives. Hence, 'liturgy is the locus of what the Church calls tradition.' For this is how tradition, again a word with far deeper a meaning than the contemporary understanding of a body of rules and customs.
Just for the new parousia idea, the discourse on anamnesis and the renewed understanding of the Mass I have received from this book, I give it 4.5 stars. Excellent. And I am hereafter a fan of Scott Hahn.
March 7, 2018
Very tough for me to read as an ordinary lay person. I enjoy Scott Hahn because he is such a great teacher but this was a little over my head. I had to look up words that were very foreign to me. But I did learn a lot.
December 3, 2014
This book is a comprehensive look at how the written text is found in the living word of the liturgy. ‘It offers an introduction to the history, theology, and present liturgical practice of the Christian reading of the Scriptures in the Eucharist”. It continues with the “..revitalisation of the liturgical renewal begin by Vatican II”. Hahn represents the Bible as a living, breathing text given to us from God. It is a document that shows us the way forward as to how we can live a spiritual life. In this way Hahn focuses on “…God’s Word which is meant to open our eyes to the life-giving power of the sacraments.” There are a number of concepts encapsulated in certain words. Half the reading of the book is trying to understand those new words and how they relate to the material. I wish there was a glossary for this text as that would make understanding the concepts much easier. We would have somewhere to refer to for a definition. Although this text covers complex concepts Hahn writes in a very user friendly way so you don’t need to be a theological student to come to terms with his meaning. This book is for all those that want to find a closer connection between the Bible and liturgy and how that affects the way we live our lives.
July 16, 2015
Letter and Spirit, a sequel to The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth, is a bit more scholarly in nature than the first book in Hahn's trilogy, but it is accessible to lay readers if they're reasonably well read or well catechized in the Catholic faith. Unlike The Lamb's Supper, Letter and Spirit doesn't have the punny section titles or casual first and second-person narrative style. It, however, does continue Hahn's work in the first book of explaining how Scripture only reveals its full meaning in the liturgy (e.g. Mass). Scripture's birthplace and natural home is the liturgy, and the liturgy, of course, is filled to the brim with Scripture. Hahn focuses on how the words of Scripture are actualized in the liturgy. The words become the Word made flesh, and substantial, eternal changes are wrought in the earthly participants.
For first-time or casual Hahn readers, I recommend reading The Lamb's Supper first. That book will change how you understand and participate in the Mass. If you're burning to learn more after that, Letter and Spirit will be right for you.
For first-time or casual Hahn readers, I recommend reading The Lamb's Supper first. That book will change how you understand and participate in the Mass. If you're burning to learn more after that, Letter and Spirit will be right for you.
October 18, 2013
Enjoyed this book immensely, although I must admit that Mr. Hahn is operating at a much higher level than myself and I had difficulty following the book at times. The bottom line take away is that scripture never existed as an end to itself; instead, scripture has historically existed to be used in a liturgical manner and this interplay word and liturgy is what shapes belief. How we pray, in the liturgy, is what we believe and what we pray is the scriptures. Very interesting and if nothing else this one idea has changed the way I think about both liturgy and scripture.
January 20, 2017
In the introduction Dr. Hahn said that this book was not written in the style of his popular books like the Lamb's Supper, nor was written as an academic book but that he was trying to write it for both audiences. In my mind the book is much more for the academic rather than the lay. He defines some important terms and gives some great examples of them but at least for me this book was still mostly head and not heart. He has an important thesis but I think one needs at least a college degree to follow his thoughts.
May 31, 2007
Perhaps the "weightiest" of Scott Hahn's popular books, this little tome explores the connection between the Bible and the liturgy. Hahn argues that Scripture and liturgy are really inseparable from one another - the Biblical books were written for liturgical proclamation, and the texts of the liturgy in turn are drawn from and inspired by the Bible. A valuable resource for Biblical and liturgical study.
June 5, 2007
Perhaps the weightiest of Scott Hahn's popular books, this little tome explores the connection between the Bible and the liturgy. Hahn argues that Scripture and liturgy are really inseparable from one another - the Biblical books were written for liturgical proclamation, and the texts of the liturgy in turn are drawn from and inspired by the Bible. A valuable resource for Biblical and liturgical study.
July 3, 2008
Scott Hahn does it again! Excellent argument for the direct connections between the Bible and liturgy. This book is a bit of a departure from his usual "theology for dummies" type of approach. It's a bit more scholarly, so beginners should avoid this book until they're more familiar with Hahn's style and some of the concepts he presupposes. Awesome for those who have already read some of his books and are hungry for more!
June 1, 2016
I love Scott Hahn...I actually cheated a little...I didn't read this, I listened to it on CD but it was not Scott Hahn who narrated. The gentleman they had narrating was excellent and easy to listen to. Scott Hahn's stuff is really deep and a lot of times it goes way over my head so I listened to the CDs several times each. There were five total. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to deepen their faith.
August 28, 2011
What is the relationship between the bible and the liturgy of the Catholic Church? Scott Hahn has a way to make things easy to understand and having been a Protestant Minister before joining the Catholic Church he has a way to touch those issues that need to be explained; to remove a lot of misunderstanding. This is a good book to learn from.
April 11, 2015
Kirja käsittelee hienosti liturgian ja Raamatun suhdetta. Se avaa paljon uusia näkökulmia siihen ja liturgian merkitykseen ylipäätään. Raamattu on täynnä liturgiaa ja liturgia on täysin raamatullista. Alusta alkaen kristillinen kirkko on elänyt liturgiasta, joka on välittänyt sen opetusta eteenpäin. Korkeakirkollinen suositus.
February 19, 2016
Dr. Hahn pulls together scripture and liturgy. The Bible, while records of historical events is also meant to be recited in churches and synagogues. Dr. Hahn opens our eyes to power of the Word. I love his insightfulness. I am never disappointed with his books.
October 2, 2012
Good work showing how Scripture was created for use in the liturgy, and being immersed in both is vital.
June 24, 2014
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February 10, 2016
Excellent work about Holy Scripture and liturgical origins. Nice introduction into a deeper level of study. Recommend to someone who would want to go beyond a superficiality in bible study.
January 5, 2023
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?
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?
April 13, 2018
I'll be honest, I struggle with liturgy. Even 25+ years after making the choice to live as a Catholic, I struggle seeing the value of the Mass at the level the saints do. After listening to this book, that is starting to change.
Dr. Hahn unpacks Scripture and the Church Fathers to explain that our primary relationship with God is not a personal friendship -- as many teach -- but worship. From that perspective, the Mass has a different meaning.
Once we make worship of God the focus of our relationship with Him, everything else unfolds from there. In worship of Him, we better understand that He is God and we are not. From there, we can better grasp the Truth that we were created by Him for His glory not our own goals. This is the path to living a joy-filled, worthy life focused on what is coming rather than the stuff of Earth.
The tool to understand true worship of God is the covenant established between us and Him. We renew that covenant at each Mass. That helps to explains why we do what we do at the Mass.
I am looking forward to reviewing this book as I go deeper into this understanding. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to live the worthy life.
Dr. Hahn unpacks Scripture and the Church Fathers to explain that our primary relationship with God is not a personal friendship -- as many teach -- but worship. From that perspective, the Mass has a different meaning.
Once we make worship of God the focus of our relationship with Him, everything else unfolds from there. In worship of Him, we better understand that He is God and we are not. From there, we can better grasp the Truth that we were created by Him for His glory not our own goals. This is the path to living a joy-filled, worthy life focused on what is coming rather than the stuff of Earth.
The tool to understand true worship of God is the covenant established between us and Him. We renew that covenant at each Mass. That helps to explains why we do what we do at the Mass.
I am looking forward to reviewing this book as I go deeper into this understanding. I recommend the book to anyone who wants to live the worthy life.
April 17, 2018
After finishing this exploration of the relationship between the Bible and Liturgy, I have become a devoted follower and reader of Dr. Scott Hahn. His step-by-step discussion of the Divine Economy, Typology, and Mystagogy takes the reader deeper and deeper into the way in which the Word (the Bible) and the Spirit (the Liturgy) are intimately related and animate each other.
Dr. Hahn wears his considerable learning lightly and helps even those just beginning to study theology to understand difficult concepts and ideas. What was most welcome and delightful for me was that this book opened doors and windows I didn't even know were there and explained the reason behind so many liturgical practices that I had just accepted as a fait accompli, without knowing the reality the ritual practice made manifest. This is a volume that gives the reader not only insights and knowledge but also a much better appreciation and understanding of the liturgy as the representation (and re-presentation, to take a phrase from the book) of the fulfillment of the covenant between God and His people.
I am looking forward to reading more of Hahn's contributions to the realm of theology.
Dr. Hahn wears his considerable learning lightly and helps even those just beginning to study theology to understand difficult concepts and ideas. What was most welcome and delightful for me was that this book opened doors and windows I didn't even know were there and explained the reason behind so many liturgical practices that I had just accepted as a fait accompli, without knowing the reality the ritual practice made manifest. This is a volume that gives the reader not only insights and knowledge but also a much better appreciation and understanding of the liturgy as the representation (and re-presentation, to take a phrase from the book) of the fulfillment of the covenant between God and His people.
I am looking forward to reading more of Hahn's contributions to the realm of theology.
March 29, 2024
This was a hard book to get through, because I'm not sure how much I understand. I think I get the gist, but there were terms that I have not heard before that I'm not sure if I truly understand them. It is also hard for me to explain it, but this book is about how scripture is leading to liturgy and liturgy and scripture on intertwine. This book also explains "anamnesis". It's the word that talks about the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and is translated as "remember" or "memory", but the actual meaning is a lot bigger than that. It is a word that means that this event that happened in the past is happening now. This part about anamnesis in chapter 6 is just another piece of evidence for me that Protestants' practices are incomplete (Hahn, 2005).
Verdict: This book may need at least another reading to make sense, but it is still a worthwhile read. I also read this book not in one sitting and with space in between me reading it, so that may influence my view of this book.
Verdict: This book may need at least another reading to make sense, but it is still a worthwhile read. I also read this book not in one sitting and with space in between me reading it, so that may influence my view of this book.
April 22, 2019
A little more “higher level” writing when compared to his more popular books, but certainly not high-level academics either. He gives that disclaimer from the start, so not sure why folks give it lower stars based on it being a tough read.... if you have an intermediate understanding of theology (Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant) & philosophy I think it’s pretty easy to follow. Probably a bit confusing if just starting out with Scripture & Patristics, but certainly not insurmountable. Just might take a little longer to connect the dots.
April 28, 2020
First Scott Hahn book I've read. I have many other Hahn tomes piled up. (When you're a convert, people give you lots of Hahn's books—first, because he is a distinguished scholar of Catholic theology and an accomplished author of numerous books; second, because he is a famous convert to Catholicism.) I'm looking a bit more forward to reading those now.
This is a very clear, very accessible exploration of how the salvation story told in Sacred Scripture became woven into the liturgy as living Word. The latter chapters were of especial help in my studies of the divine liturgy and mystagogy.
This is a very clear, very accessible exploration of how the salvation story told in Sacred Scripture became woven into the liturgy as living Word. The latter chapters were of especial help in my studies of the divine liturgy and mystagogy.
March 14, 2020
A good balance of teaching the reader about how Scripture is more than just the words (it’s the action too) as well as the historical and exegetical reasons for believing that this is the case. A little more accessible and personal that previous offerings; it is meant to be a self- or church/community-based book than one that might be intended solely for the academic or theologian.
May 13, 2024
Amazing read. Dr. Hahn explores liturgy and its place in the Church, explaining how it started in the creation of the universe in God resting on the 7th day. Liturgy is also depicted clearly in John the Seer's Apocalypse or Revelation. I really want to check out Ratzinger's treatment of the subject matter as well.
May 6, 2025
So glad to have picked up this book connecting the liturgy to its deeply Scriptural background by this amazing Scripture scholar. Per Scott Hahn's modus operandi, very beautiful and sound meditation of our salvific history and call to deepen into the sacramental mysteries. Great gift idea as well for really anyone who wants to go deep into appreciating our Eucharistic Celebration.
November 7, 2023
4.5 for modern Catholic theology. I appreciate Hahn's concise description of how the liturgy both proclaims and actualizes the New Covenant. The liturgy enlivens the apostolic and catholic tradition.
"The liturgy is the memory of the Church."
"The liturgy is the memory of the Church."
July 18, 2024
I am partial to Hahn’s writing. This book does exactly what he states, it is for those in academia and those wanting to dive deeper in the laity. The precision of language is intentional and there is a depth here that can spur a greater exploration in Liturgy for those interested.
September 15, 2020
A thought-provoking and beautiful book. A great companion to "The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth" also by Dr. Hahn.
November 18, 2020
The content was great, but I'm just not a fan of Hahn's writing style in this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews