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The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life
"Christianity is a religion founded on the mystery of the cross of Christ." --Leo the Great At the center of Christianity sits the cross of Christ. From the beginning, Christ's followers celebrated the cross as a symbol of their faith. It was honored in church worship, carved into rough tombstones, pressed onto loaves of bread and set out as a sign of sanctuary. The cross represented what Christians believed, who they hoped for and how they approached life. In this thoughtful book Judith Couchman takes up forty images of the cross from early Christianity. As we discover the meaning and significance of each of these uses, we learn a little more about the early church. More than that, she helps us focus on the meaning of the cross and the Savior's sacrifice. Ideal for Lenten devotional reading and appropriate for any season of the church calendar, this book includes original illustrations of each cross image. The Mystery of the Cross will enrich your understanding of Christian tradition and draw you into Christ's presence.
227 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 13, 2010
The book is made up of 40 chapters, each that dive into an ancient Christian image. If I were to re-read this book (and I just might), I would use it as a 40-day devotional study, using each chapter as a meditation. Couchman uses incredible images that help us make connections between our current Christian practices and the very early Christian church. Coming from a liturgical church background, there were many times as I was reading that a lightbulb clicked in my head and I said “OH! That’s why we do it that way!” I’d recommend this book to anyone who is looking to better understand the traditions behind the Christian church – Christian or not.
January 18, 2022
I only got through the first section and stopped reading because of the level of inaccuracy. I think the writer means well but the assumptions she makes really color her perception…and don’t line up with the broader history of the time. It came across to me as an attempt to see everything through an evangelical Western lens, which is a bridge too far when discussing the Egyptian ankh, for example. It was a great idea for a book, though.
If you’re interested in a book on Christian art, I heartily recommend Saving Paradise by Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Parker. It will blow your mind…and they have almost 100 pages of footnotes.
If you’re interested in a book on Christian art, I heartily recommend Saving Paradise by Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Parker. It will blow your mind…and they have almost 100 pages of footnotes.
March 23, 2018
More of a devotional book than scholarly, as long as you understand it's purpose, it is quite excellent. There are lots of short little essays that really force one to think about our presumptions when it comes to symbolism, meaning, and their relationship to the One who became flesh for us, and died on the accursed tree.
May 4, 2010
This review originally appeared on my blog, Jacob's Café. This review was made possible by a complimentary copy of the book from InterVarsity Press.
The Mystery of the Cross by Judith Couchman caught my attention by a beautiful, illuminated manuscript-type cover and the promise of exploration of images of the Cross to enhance devotional time.
Having reviewed several books that I was expecting to be great, but did not meet that expectation at all, I went into this book expecting it to disappoint me.
However, this book blew my expectations out of the water. First of all, the format is great. I appreciate that each chapter is quite short, making it easy to read a section when one has just a few minutes (like I usually do) rather than long periods of time to sit and really read deeply. This makes it particularly useful as devotional tool.
I also appreciated that each chapter included an image of the cross considered in that chapter. It helps to really understand what Couchman is describing. I also like that the images were hand-drawn, adding to the human dimension of the history of these images, making them seem more devotionally-focused than an aim for perfection.
The content, though, is where this book really shines. My undergraduate degree was in Religious Studies, particularly focused on early church history and hagiographies (the lives of the saints). Therefore, I really enjoy understanding the rich history behind images, stories, and words that make up our current faith. I find that this really helps me appreciate our tools for worship in a much deeper way.
Couchman does precisely this in each chapter. However, it's not boring or dry. She beautifully summarizes the history of an image and how and why it was used. She does so in an effectively concise way (something I cannot do :) ). This creates a nice balance between understanding the history while making each chapter short enough for effective devotion.
She then ends each chapter with a more devotional reflection. Some images may have a controversial history that may make some people not want to use them in devotion or that may challenge some people's faith. However, Couchman reframes the story in a way that does not negate the controversy, but rather uses it to enhance the mystical nature of Christian faith and the cross.
With these elements, Couchman balances both a cognitive, academic approach with an affective, devotional heart. Readers of my blog know that I look for ways to balance the two, as both are critically important for our lives. It's hard to do using all the spiritual formation resources we have. It's even harder to find in a single resource like this book. I am impressed by it and plan to continue to use it to enrich my own personal devotion. Few books truly have aided my devotion as much as this one has, especially recently.
As you can see, I strongly endorse this book. If you pick it up (and it's 30% off right now at IVP), I do suggest going into it with lower expectations. We all know how if we go into something with expectations too high, we are bound to be disappointed. This is one book I would not want to experience less because of my expectations.
The Mystery of the Cross by Judith Couchman caught my attention by a beautiful, illuminated manuscript-type cover and the promise of exploration of images of the Cross to enhance devotional time.
Having reviewed several books that I was expecting to be great, but did not meet that expectation at all, I went into this book expecting it to disappoint me.
However, this book blew my expectations out of the water. First of all, the format is great. I appreciate that each chapter is quite short, making it easy to read a section when one has just a few minutes (like I usually do) rather than long periods of time to sit and really read deeply. This makes it particularly useful as devotional tool.
I also appreciated that each chapter included an image of the cross considered in that chapter. It helps to really understand what Couchman is describing. I also like that the images were hand-drawn, adding to the human dimension of the history of these images, making them seem more devotionally-focused than an aim for perfection.
The content, though, is where this book really shines. My undergraduate degree was in Religious Studies, particularly focused on early church history and hagiographies (the lives of the saints). Therefore, I really enjoy understanding the rich history behind images, stories, and words that make up our current faith. I find that this really helps me appreciate our tools for worship in a much deeper way.
Couchman does precisely this in each chapter. However, it's not boring or dry. She beautifully summarizes the history of an image and how and why it was used. She does so in an effectively concise way (something I cannot do :) ). This creates a nice balance between understanding the history while making each chapter short enough for effective devotion.
She then ends each chapter with a more devotional reflection. Some images may have a controversial history that may make some people not want to use them in devotion or that may challenge some people's faith. However, Couchman reframes the story in a way that does not negate the controversy, but rather uses it to enhance the mystical nature of Christian faith and the cross.
With these elements, Couchman balances both a cognitive, academic approach with an affective, devotional heart. Readers of my blog know that I look for ways to balance the two, as both are critically important for our lives. It's hard to do using all the spiritual formation resources we have. It's even harder to find in a single resource like this book. I am impressed by it and plan to continue to use it to enrich my own personal devotion. Few books truly have aided my devotion as much as this one has, especially recently.
As you can see, I strongly endorse this book. If you pick it up (and it's 30% off right now at IVP), I do suggest going into it with lower expectations. We all know how if we go into something with expectations too high, we are bound to be disappointed. This is one book I would not want to experience less because of my expectations.
September 7, 2010
Phenomenal book!! Well written and captivating. I reviewed this book as a blog project and loved things shared for all of us to learn! Read the project reviews here: http://bibledude.net/2010/04/group-bl...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2013
A series of 40 essays ... review to come.
February 1, 2015
I love the way the author takes academic, historic material and makes it enjoyable and practical.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews