The Dutch in the History of Biblical Scholarship, cont.

Descartes’ methodology of doubt has as a corollary his break from all tradition, particularly the Aristotelian tradition that had dominated European Christian thought for centuries.  For Descartes, philosophy is the project of an individual mind (namely his own), not a conversation of minds through history.  Of course, Descartes is almost naïve in his failure to realize his own indebtedness to the Western tradition, since the language and concepts in which he communicates are themselves the patrimony of a long intellectual history.  Nonetheless, Descartes is dismissive and contemptuous of the accomplishments of those who have come before him, and he does not regard them in any sense as a source of truth or illumination.

The Dutch in the History of Biblical Scholarship

An odd set of circumstances had me doing some work in an area wherein I usually don't research or publish, namely, the history of biblical scholarship. 

One of several surprises I came across in the process of researching for a little essay, was the significance of my ancestral homeland, the Netherlands, to the development of modern thought, and particularly modern biblical scholarship.

During the wars of religion that characterized the post-Reformation period and dominated the seventeenth century (1600's), the Netherlands established their independence from Spain and reached the brief zenith of their economic and military power on the global stage.  The relative political tolerance in the Netherlands in this time period, particularly in and around the capital Amsterdam, attracted all manner of radical intellectuals whose writings anticipated and provoked the "Enlightenment," which did not "arrive" in most of the rest of Europe until the eighteenth century (1700's).

Eating the Flesh of the Messiah: The Feast of Corpus Christi

 This weekend is another great liturgical feast, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, otherwise known as Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi is one of a handful of feasts that celebrates the very gift of the Eucharist itself.  It is one of my favorite feasts, because the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was instrumental in my becoming Catholic.

Back in the Fall of 1999 I was reading through the Apostolic Fathers and came to this passage in Ignatius of Antioch’s Letter to the Smyrneans (c. AD 106):

Trinity Sunday

This weekend we observe the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, a liturgical feast which celebrates the central mystery of the Christian faith.

Belief in the Trinity distinguishes Christians from adherents of all other world religions.  Hinduism is pantheistic, Buddhism agnostic.  Islam and Judaism hold to monopersonal monotheism.  Jews consider the Trinity erroneous, Muslims find it offensive.

Although the truth of the Trinity cannot be demonstrated, and must be accepted by faith in God’s revelation of Himself, nonetheless, philosophical meditation on the nature of love lends credibility to this act of faith.

Let the Fire Fall! Reflections on the Readings for Pentecost

The Lectionary provides a wealth of Scriptural inspiration for this weekend’s celebration of the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost.

As usual, there is too much beauty and richness for us to deal with it all in depth.  I was minded only to deal with the Sunday Mass Readings, but the Vigil’s selections are just too rich to pass without a brief comment on each:

A Thought for the Approach of Pentecost

Here's a thought I came across while reading in preparation for the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday:

"And so, there cannot be faith in the Holy Spirit if there is not faith in Christ, in his sacraments, in his Church. A man cannot act in accordance with his christian faith, cannot truly believe in the Holy Spirit, unless he loves the Church and trusts it. He cannot be a coherent Christian if he limits himself to pointing out the deficiencies and limitations of some who represent the Church, judging her from the outside, as though he were not her son."

--St. Josemaria Escriva, fom the homily "The Great Unknown," in Christ is Passing By.

Commentaries

"Of recent commentators the number is almost infinite.  Their superabundance makes it difficult for the reader to know which to choose … Among commentaries which are so divergent in their interpretations, you do not know which one to prefer and follow. Many, moreover, are so wordy that not only students but even learned scholars who devote themselves entirely to Sacred Scripture do not have the time and leisure to read them (not to mention the intellectual strength and endurance)."

—Fr. Cornelius a’ Lapide, S.J., from his Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, published c. 1630.

God Mounts His Throne with Shouts of Joy: The Readings for Ascension Day

In the Diocese of Steubenville, as well as in most of the USA, Ascension Day is observed this Sunday.  I wish the traditional observance on Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter was retained, but reality is what it is.

Therefore, this weekend we will look at the powerful readings for Ascension Day. 

This is an unusual Lord’s Day, in which the “action” of the Feast Day actually takes place in the First Reading.  We typically think of all the narratives of Jesus’ life as recorded in the Gospels, overlooking that Acts records at least two important narratives about the activity of the Resurrected Lord (Acts 1:1-11; also 9:1-8).

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,

Virtual Pilgrimage for the Feast of the Visitation

It's the Feast of the Visitation!  You want to make a pilgrimage to Hill Country of Judea, but can't afford the plan fare to Israel.

Ah, you are having Feast of Visitation day blues.  But fear not!  The miracle of modern technology makes it possible to take a virtual pilgrimage to the very spot of Mary and Elizabeth's embrace.

Seriously, in honor of the Feast Day, I thought I'd post some video of our trip to Ein Karem, the site of the Church of the Visitation, from Day 4 of our May pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Luke is vague about the location of the Visitation, only describing it as "the hill country of Judea."  Ein Karem (lit. "the spring of the vineyard") is the hilly area associated with the Visitation since ancient times.

The first video shows the walk up the mountainside from the modern town to the Church of the Visitation, which is mildly tiring.   The surrounding countryside is beautiful.












cont. -->

Structure and Spirit are Not Opposed: The Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Readings for this Sunday’s Mass are here.

Throughout this Easter Season, we follow the growth of the early Church through the Acts of the Apostles.

The key points of development of the life the early Church remain paradigmatic and instructive for the Church today, because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8).

So we see in this Sunday’s First Reading pivotal point in the Book of Acts and in the growth of the Church, as Philip, one of the first deacons, goes down to Samaria to preach the Gospel to them.

What is the Mount of Beatitudes Like?

Where did Jesus actually deliver the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7)?

On the third day of our pilgrimage, we visited the traditional Mount of the Beatitudes, a high hill on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee between Magdala (to the south) and Caphernaum (to the north).  Although 100% certainty is not possible, this mount is a likely candidate for the location of Jesus' sermon, and has been venerated as such since at least the fourth century.  Even if it is not the exact location, it has to be close.

Many outdoor sanctuaries are available at the site for Mass, as the peaceful and beautiful location is very conducive to prayer.  The Sea of Galilee is clearly visible to the west.  The area is well-watered and verdant, and swarming with birds, especially different varieties of swallows and sparrows.  On the accompanying video, the bird calls are clearly audible.  Being there certainly added a certain tangible impact to the following words from the Sermon:

The Priesthood of the New Covenant: Fifth Sunday of Easter

By a happy coincidence, we in the Diocese of Steubenville were blessed with a pair of ordinations (one to the diaconate and one to the priesthood) on this weekend in which the readings for Mass are filled with motifs of priesthood and temple.

The First Reading (Acts 6:1-7) records the appointing of seven men to assist the Apostles.  These men have always been understood by the Church as the first deacons.  One of the things that strikes me about this passage is the clear top-down authority structure of the Church.  Although the congregation is consulted in the selection of these men, they are ultimately “appointed” by the Apostles when they lay hands on them and pray for them, a rite later called “ordination.”  As a Protestant I was always wondering what the biblical form of Church government was.  In hindsight, it’s not hard to see.

Touring Galilee: Taghba, Caesarea Philippi, Caphernaum

We got back safely from Israel on Wednesday morning. 

I had been "off the grid" for several days because, shortly after my last post, we moved to a hotel in Jerusalem where the WIFI rates were exhorbitant.  I'm going to pick up where I left off and just post about some of the places we visited on each day of the pilgrimage.

On Day 3 of the pilgrimage:

Today was a whirlwind tour of sites in Galilee: Tabgha, the location of the Feeding of the 5,000; Peter’s Primacy, the site associated with the events of John 21; Mass at the Mount of Beatitudes, a two-hour round trip to Caesarea Philippi  (site of Peter’s confession of faith, Matt 16:13-20), followed by a visit to Caphernaum.

Our group along the shores of the Sea of Galilee

Close up of the famous mosaic in the Church of the Multiplication

The time at Caphernaum was one of the day’s highlights.  Although the synagogue where Jesus preached the Bread of Life Discourse is no longer standing, its foundations are still clearly visible.  A more recent, largely-intact 4-5^th century synagogue is built over it.

Perhaps fifty feet away one finds the remains of Peter’s house in Caphernaum, the base for so much of Jesus’ Galilean ministry.

The Sea of Galilee itself is only a stone’s throw away.

The famous synagogue of Caphernaum

On the bus ride back to Nazareth, we re-read the Bread of Life discourse, in light of just having been at the location where it was first preached. 

The Basilica of the Annunciation

Today, among other things, we visited the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

It is built over a cave in Nazareth which, from the fourth century on, was a pilgrimage site associated with the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38).  The picture at right is a close up of grotto itself.  Our tour guide is a parishioner of the Basilica, and was able to get our little group of Domers and Steubies permission to celebrate mass just outside the grotto.  The experience was stunning, to say the least.

Not far away is the Church of St. Joseph, built 

Safe Arrival in Tel-Aviv, Now in Nazareth

We had a smooth flight from Atlanta to Tel-Aviv, got through security, and then took a 1.5 hour bus ride to Nazareth.  The accompanying photo is the Golden Crown Hotel viewed from my balcony window.

Amer, our guide, comes from a Roman Catholic family in Nazareth that has been Roman Catholic back at least to the era of the crusades (!).  Most of the Christians here are Greek Orthodox, or Melkite Catholics.  The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has the pastoral care of 56,000 Roman Catholics in Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus.  It is a small minority.

We were fortunate to be able to procure the Church of the Grotto of the Annunciation for our Mass tomorrow.  I will be remembering the intentions of TSP readers and, of course, co-bloggers Michael and Brant and their families.

Leaving for Israel!

I leave for Israel tomorrow (Monday) afternoon.  If I have internet access in Israel, I'll post some updates from the pilgrimage.  God bless, one and all!  I'll pray for readers of The Sacred Page at the holy sites.

Baptism in the New Testament: Another Good One

I'd like to highlight another contribution from our Lutheran friends.  Judging by the high-church theology, I suspect our brothers are Missouri Synod Lutherans.  The Missouri Synod bishop in northern Indiana once told my much beloved Bishop D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend that his (the Missouri Synod) was the "real Catholic Church."  This incident occurred during an ecumenical prayer service.  I can't remember the exact circumstances, but it must have been unusual, because the MSL's often don't participate in ecumenical events. 

Be that as it may, the points made in this video pertain directly to biblical interpretation, and Catholics can directly appropriate the underlying apologetic.

Christianity, the Made-Up Fake Religion (Video)

This clip really made me laugh--even though it was produced by Lutherans ; )   It made me think: perhaps the force of some arguments are best expressed through humor. Enjoy!

Fullness is Fantastic

We're here in Arlington, Texas, lecturing through Matthew with 500+ of the best folks in the Lone Star State.  It's a great time, but I don't think Michael or I are going to have a chance to post on the Readings for this Sunday's Mass this week.  Unless Michael does it at 3AM this morning, which he just might.

I am always grateful to participate in these kind of conferences, because of the fruitful cross-fertilization that results from discussing familiar texts with several different scholars.  Michael was sharing today about Temple imagery in the Sermon on the Mount--a new perspective to me, but convincingly argued.  Dr. Hahn was pointing out the parallels of the blessings of Matt 5 and the woes of Matt 23.  Too many to be coincidental!

Fullness of Truth: Arlington, Texas

Michael and I are speaking with Dr. Hahn at the Fullness of Truth conference this Saturday and Sunday in Arlington, Texas.

We will be tag-team lecturing through Matthew. 

For the first time, Fullness of Truth has arranged a live webcast of the event.  You can participate, 8AM-6PM daily, via live webcast for about $15 by registering at this link. If you want to attend, you can find more information here.

The Hallel Psalms and the Last Supper

The Psalm reading for tonight's Liturgy of the Lord's Supper is one of my favorites, Psalm 116, which is a Todah psalm and part of the "Hallel" (Praise) Psalms (Psalms 113-118) that were and are traditionally sung during the Passover meal.

I've reading slightly different opinions among scholars about how exactly the Hallel psalms were incorporated into the ancient Seder celebration.  According to one view, Psalms 113-114 were sung early in the rite, and Psalms 115-118 after the drinking of the third cup, the "Cup of Blessing."

Was There a Passover Lamb at the Last Supper?

Today, Catholics everywhere will celebrate Holy Thursday by attending the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. At this Mass, we will read the institution of the Passover (Exod 12, OT reading), sing one of the most famous of the Hallel Psalms (Psalm 118, Responsorial Psalm), and then read the institution of the Eucharist (1 Cor 11, Epistle) and  Jesus' act of washing the disciples' feet at the Last Supper (John 13, Gospel).  This particular Eucharist is a momentous liturgical moment, where we both recall the institution of the very first Eucharist and enter into the beginning of the calendrical Holy of Holies--the sacred Triduum, climaxing in the feast of Easter (in Latin, Pascha).

Was the Last Supper a Passover Meal?

But how did Jesus and his disciples celebrate the first Holy Thursday? Specifically, was the Last Supper a Jewish Passover meal?

As anyone who has read Pope Benedict's new book, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week will know, the Pope devotes a substantial portion of his chapter on the Last Supper to the question of the date of the meal--specifically, whether or not the Last Supper coincided with the ordinary Jewish Passover meal (see pp. 106-115). And as anyone familiar with this extremely complex and age-old question knows, there is simply no way I can address it here adequately.

Why Must the Messiah Die?

Why must the Messiah die?

Despite a few mysterious prophetic texts that seemed to intimate this possibility (e.g. Daniel 9:26), the idea that the Messiah could arrive and subsequently be killed was radically counter-intuitive to most first-century Jews. 

Yet the conviction of the early Christians, based on Jesus of Nazareth’s own teachings about himself, was that the radically counter-intuitive impossibility was actually prophesied, if one had the eyes to see and the ears to hear it in Israel’s Scriptures.

A Virgin No Longer: The NABRE continued

I'm trying to follow up, as promised, on the newly released NABRE.

Of course, the change that has garnered the most attention has been the alteration of the translation of Isaiah 7:14, to which my post title alludes.  I want to cover that issue in depth, probably in my next post on this subject.

For now, though, I would like to concentrate on what I see as good features and improvements of this edition.

After ripping open the packaging and checking the translation of Genesis 1:1-2, the next passage I checked was Psalm 8.

You Gotta Love Rising from the Dead

Michael beat me to commenting on the Sunday readings this week, but I had written up some thoughts already, so I thought I’d post them anyway.

Unlike the other Gospels, John recounts only a limited number of miracles of Jesus, which he designates as “signs.”  Although John tells us of only a few miracles, he describes them in much greater depth than the other gospels.  This is quite evident in this weekend’s Gospel reading, in which we get a very lengthy description of all the events surrounding the resurrection of Lazarus.

The the Raising of Lazarus is the sixth of the seven “signs” of the Gospel of John.  The signs seem to escalate as the Gospel progresses.  The healing of the man born blind was pretty impressive, but raising Lazarus tops it.  The Gospel is building toward the seventh and final sign.

The First Reading is an excellent choice: Ezekiel 37.  This is the famous vision of the dry bones, in which an entire army of skeletons is resurrected before Ezekiel’s eyes.  I only wish the Lectionary included the entire story.  However, it does preserve the most important verse:

Anointed with Light: Jesus Re-creates a Man

The drama increases as we progress toward Easter.  This Sunday’s readings are united by the themes of anointing and light.

The First Reading (1 Sam 16:1-13) recounts Samuel’s anointing of David as King over Israel.  Samuel journeys to Jesse of Bethlehem, and scrutinizes each of his sons in search of God’s chosen king, but to no avail.  Finally, the youngest of the eight, David, is called in from shepherding the sheep.  This at last is the future king.

(Visit Bethlehem with me in May!  Click here.)

Two points are essential for connecting this reading with the rest of the lectionary.

First is the LORD’s statement to Samuel: “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.”  The irony of today’s Gospel Reading will likewise hinge on the fact that appearances are deceiving: from God’s perspective, the sighted are blind, but the blind can see.

Early Christian Books Found in Jordan

I just did an interview on the Drew Mariani Show (Chicago Metro drive-time radio) about this report on early Christian books found in Jordan.

Margaret Barker and Philip Davies have (apparently) already seen the books, or detailed images of them.  The story is breaking in the British press first and only slowly making it into the U.S. media.  Davies is not a man eager to believe things, but he seems genuinely intrigued by this find.  The small, lead books are bound with metal rings, and appear to be composed by Jewish Christians from the first century.  All this needs to be verified, of course.

Good News! Earth No Longer a Barren Wasteland

I got my copy of the NABRE in the mail yesterday, and quickly perused it, even though I was dead tired, just getting home from seven hours of lecturing and several meetings all the way up to 9:30pm.  I am happy to report that several readings have been changed, very much for the better!  Over the next couple days I will be blogging on some of the significant improvements--and a few changes that are perhaps less than optimal.  I still will be using the RSVCE2 for my personal reading and class teaching, but I do recommend that all Catholics involved in teaching ministry of any kind get themselves a copy of the NABRE, because it will be widely used in the Church.  Moreover, some parts are very good--like the Gospel of John, which was already good in the previous NAB.  The edition of the NABRE I purchased was this one, and I like it very much.  It has the words of Christ in red!  I personally love that, but I am shocked that such a pietistic feature got past the editorial board!  I'll have more to say on that issue in the future.

One of the first major improvements I noticed is that tohu wabohu in Genesis 1:2 is no longer egregiously rendered "barren wasteland," but rather "without form or shape," which is still a little odd but definitely a better representation of the Hebrew.  More on that tomorrow, Lord willing.

The Bridegroom Messiah Shows Up in Samaria: Reflections for the Third Sunday of Lent

The Lectionary Readings for this weekend are so powerful, we can scarcely do them justice in a single blog post.

Beginning with this Sunday, the Lectionary turns to the Gospel of John for the remainder of Lent.  We are treated to the amazing trifecta of John 4, John 9, and John 11: three of the most powerful chapters in the most powerful book in the Bible, the Spiritual Gospel, the Soaring Eagle .... JOHN!

The Church turns to these texts from John at this point in the liturgical calendar, because John is, in so many ways, a mystagogical document, a gospel intended to takes us deeper into the mysteries, that is, the sacraments.

If one is not initiated into the sacraments, John remains in many respects a closed book.  I can attest to this from personal experience.

The Beginning of the New Exodus: Reflections on the Readings for the Second Sunday of Lent

This Sunday we are only eleven days into Lent, still very early along on our Lenten pilgrimage.  The readings today share the theme of beginning the journey of faith, even while giving us a glimpse of our final destination.

In all three years of the Lectionary cycle (A, B, C), the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent always pair a key pericope from the Abraham narrative (Gen 12-22) with an account of the Transfiguration from one of the Synoptic Gospels.

The First Reading is the famous opening of the Abraham narrative from Genesis, recounting God’s initial call to Abram while he was still in Ur:

Hey There Delilah ...

First-person participatory dynamic-equivalent contemporizing exegesis of the Samson narratives:

Jesus the New Adam: Reflections on the First Sunday of Lent

The readings for today’s Mass are exceptionally rich and could be the subject of several weeks' worth of lectures, so we will have to limit ourselves today to a few central themes.

(Disclaimer to my students: many of you have heard this before.  In fact, all of this is in the tradition.  I claim no originality.)

The First Reading is the account of the Fall, in which Eve, followed by Adam, gives in to temptation by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The classic scriptural formulation of the nature of temptation is found in 1 John 2:15-16:

 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.

The New Covenant Document is Completed

Covenant themes are shot through today’s readings, as Jesus finishes the Sermon on the Mount in a way reminiscent of covenant documents of antiquity.

Moses told the people,
“Take these words of mine into your heart and soul.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign,
and let them be a pendant on your forehead.

“I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse:
a blessing for obeying the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today;
a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
but turn aside from the way I ordain for you today,
to follow other gods, whom you have not known.” (from Deut 11:18-32)

Our first reading is from Deuteronomy, which is The Law of Moses par excellence, since Moses takes personal responsibility for the giving of the laws in Deuteronomy in a way unlike anything previously seen in Exodus through Numbers.  We see this in today’s reading: “Moses told the people, ‘Take these words of mine into your heart and soul ...”  Moses’ responsibility for some of the laws of Deuteronomy is highlighted in Jesus’ teaching: “Moses allowed you to divorce your wives ...” (Matt 19:8).  This is significant, because some of the laws of Deuteronomy are not God’s highest and best, but accomodations authorized by Moses.

This Man Puts Things in Perspective

We owe it to this newest of Catholic martyrs, to take two minutes and watch what has become his last testimony to his faith and his struggle for peace and justice in the Middle East:

What Qualifies a Person as an Authority on Scripture or Theology?

I just received, as I am sure a lot of others did as well, several catalogs from the major theological publishers this week.  Browsing through this year's offerings, I found books by experts on every conceivable branch of theology promising to tell me what the "church" really ought to do, and what this or that portion of the bible "really" means.  I began to wonder to myself, what really makes a person an authority in these matters? 

Getting good grades and fellowships in grad school?

Landing a big contract with Brazos, Fortress, etc.?

An ivy league degree?

Being very rhetorically persuasive?

Getting a lot of speaking engagements?

Landing a "cherry" position at a major university or seminary?

What qualifies a person to understand and mediate the divine mysteries?  Is our "system" really designed to do that?

Yes, I know the sword cuts in all directions, because I've been part of the "system" myself!

Feel free to comment below.

Don't Worry, Be Happy: The Readings for the 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;
my LORD has forgotten me.”
Can a mother forget her infant,
be without tenderness for the child of her womb?
Even should she forget,
I will never forget you. (Isaiah 49:14-15)

Today’s first reading is from the second half of Isaiah (40-66), which is, for the most part, one long word of comfort to Israel concerning the glories of the coming age.  In this passage, “Zion” is urged to take comfort in the fact that the Lord has not forgotten her.  Zion was the location in Jerusalem of the royal palace and government of the Kingdom of David.  (If you want to see it live, come with me in May to Jerusalem).  The Kingdom of David is, according to Raymond Brown ...

What is the Biblical Form of Church Government?

Yesterday's feast day, the Feast of the Chair of Peter, and today's Feast of St. Polycarp (an early bishop), bring up to my mind the issue of the structure and government of the Church.

During my years of training to become a Calvinist pastor, the issue of church polity was quite a live one.  Calvinists themselves do not agree on what is the "biblical model" for church government.  Presbyterian, Reformed, and Congregational denominations share a Calvinist doctrinal heritage but different governing structures.  There was more or less a consensus that the New Testament was unclear about the manner in which church leaders should be selected and what their roles were.

It may be true that the New Testament leaves much unsaid about the role of church leaders, but I don't think it is as unclear as we thought it was.  Rather, I think that what was clear was not seen by us, because it was unacceptable and unworkable for us.

"Be Perfect": The Readings for the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

The readings for the Seventh Week continue to explore Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

The First Reading, from Leviticus 19, recalls that fact that ancient Israel was called to be a holy people because God dwelled among them.

The Book of Exodus ends with the completion and dedication of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness of Sinai.  God’s presence inhabits the Tabernacle, in the center of the Israelite camp.  From one perspective, the Book of Leviticus (most folks’ least favorite book of the Bible, although the one on which I wrote my dissertation) can be understood as a collection of laws to teach Israel how to live in the holy presence of their God.

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist: #1 in Catholic Books on Amazon!

I don't know how long this will last (probably not long!), but as of today, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, which was released two days ago, is ranked at #1 in three Amazon.com bestsellers lists!:

#1 in Books on Catholicism
#1 in Books on Judaism
#1 in Books on Ritual

I am a happy man.

To top it all off, on the Catholicism list and Ritual list, I'm shoulder to shoulder with my two favorite Catholic authors: Pope Benedict XVI and Scott Hahn.

Thanks again to everybody who helped with this project, especially the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, who gave me a generous grant to begin the research some five years ago.

Ad majorem dei gloriam!

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist Released Today!

Today's the day! After five years of research, and many months of waiting, my new book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, was officially released by Doubleday Religion today, February 15th! 

As many of you know, I've been working on two manuscripts alongside one another for the last several years: one a readable and accesible book with Doubleday Religion and another longer academic monograph on Jesus and the Last Supper with Eerdmans. (The latter is still in progress.) These years of research on the eucharistic words and deeds of Jesus have been some of the most exciting of my life; it's tremendously gratifying to finally get to share some of it in print with a wide audience.

Here's a brief description from the Random House website, as well as the table of contents:

About The Book
In recent years, Christians everywhere are rediscovering the Jewish roots of their faith. Every year at Easter time, many believers now celebrate Passover meals (known as Seders) seeking to understand exactly what happened at Jesus’ final Passover, the night before he was crucified.

     Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist shines fresh light on the Last Supper by looking at it through Jewish eyes. Using his in-depth knowledge of the Bible and ancient Judaism, Dr. Brant Pitre answers questions such as: What was the Passover like at the time of Jesus? What were the Jewish hopes for the Messiah? What was Jesus’ purpose in instituting the Eucharist during the feast of Passover? And, most important of all, what did Jesus mean when he said, “This is my body… This is my blood”?

     To answer these questions, Pitre explores ancient Jewish beliefs about the Passover of the Messiah, the miraculous Manna from heaven, and the mysterious Bread of the Presence. As he shows, these three keys—the Passover, the Manna, and the Bread of the Presence—have the power to unlock the original meaning of the Eucharistic words of Jesus. Along the way, Pitre also explains how Jesus united the Last Supper to his death on Good Friday and his Resurrection on Easter Sunday. 
      Inspiring and informative, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist is a groundbreaking work that is sure to illuminate one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith: the mystery of Jesus’ presence in “the breaking of the bread.”

Table of Contents
Foreword by Scott Hahn
Introduction
1. The Mystery of the Last Supper
2. What Were the Jewish People Waiting For?
3. The New Passover
4. The Manna of the Messiah
5. The Bread of the Presence
6. The Fourth Cup and the Death of Jesus
7. The Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
8. On the Road to Emmaus


Thanks
For a full list of thanks-givings, you can see the acknowledgements section of the book. But I would like a take a moment here to especially thank my good friend Scott Hahn, who graciously agreed to write the Foreword to the book, my editors at Doubleday Religion, especially Gary Jansen and John Burke, for their fantastic hard work in bringing the whole thing to fruition. 
Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my wife Elizabeth, to whom the book is dedicated, for everything. To top off what is already a great day, the book, which is dedicated to Elizabeth, was (in God's providence) released on her birthday! 
Happy birthday, my love. I hope you like your present.

Jesus, the Divine Law-Giver: Thoughts on the Lectionary for the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time

In the Gospel Reading for today’s Mass (Feb. 13), we continue to read from the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 5:17-37):

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill....

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with brother will be liable to judgment ....

“You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart....

It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife - unless the marriage is unlawful -
causes her to commit adultery....

“Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.
But I say to you, do not swear at all....

In this Gospel Reading, Jesus “dares” to correct not only the common interpretations of the Law of Moses, but even (in places) the Law of Moses itself!

What is the Pillar and Bullwark of the Truth?

Here’s one of those verses I never saw for thirty years before becoming a Catholic:

1Tim. 3:14   I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that,  15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.

St. Paul here asserts that the Church is “the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” (I accept Bo Reicke’s arguments that the pastoral epistles are genuinely Pauline.)

Can a Calvinist call the Church the “pillar and bulwark of the truth”?  I submit: only with difficulty.  A Calvinist is much more comfortable calling the Scriptures the “pillar and bulwark of the truth.”  But that verse isn’t in the Bible.

What ecclesiology is assumed by the statement “the Church ... [is] the pillar and bulwark of the truth”?

I suggest it entails an ecclesiology in which the Church is a (1) single, (2) visible body.

If the Church wasn’t a single body, it could not serve very well as the “pillar and bulwark” of the truth, because one would not know which of the various churches was teaching the truth.

If the Church wasn’t a visible body, it could not serve very well as the “pillar and bulwark of the truth,” because it could not be identified with certainty, nor could it speak with clarity.  An invisible, voiceless Church cannot be the support and defense of the truth.

Therefore, I submit that St. Paul assumes that Church is a single, visible body.  His ecclesiology is Catholic.

But everyone is free to contradict me.  Share your thoughts in the comments.

The Confession iApp

The priest who is co-leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land May 9-18 with me, Fr. Dan Scheidt, was part of the team who came up with the first iApp to receive an imprimatur.

Father Dan was the theological consultant for the project, and then got the finished app an imprimatur from Fort Wayne-South Bend's (think "Notre Dame's") Bishop Kevin Rhodes.

Friends from South Bend sent me an announcement a few weeks ago:

The app received an imprimatur from Bishop Kevin C. Rhodes of the Diocese of Fort Wane - South Bend, IN. It is the first known imprimatur to be given for an iPhone/iPad application. The text was developed in collaboration with Rev. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Rev. Daniel Scheidt, pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mishawaka, IN.

The release of the app follows Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for January 2011: "That young people may learn to use modern means of social communication for their personal growth and to better prepare themselves to serve society."

To see the app, click here.

For an example of the buzz it's creating in the news media, click here.

To go on a pilgrimage with this amazing priest, click here.

UPDATE: The buzz has already reached the Vatican: click here.

UPDATE: Interview with the South Bend creators of the iApp: click here.

In the Beginning, God Created ...

Speaking of translations, the Mass readings for today (Feb 7) began with Genesis 1:1. The version used in mass is an adaptation of the NAB, and reads:

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland ...

Interestingly, "when" is not in the Hebrew. The Hebrew, according to the Masoretic pointing, reads "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." I did a study on this some years ago, and all the ancient translations--the Greek (LXX), the Latin (V), the Syriac (S), etc.--also read "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

Nonetheless, the NAB's reading--with the slipped-in "when", which makes v. 1 a temporal clause with v. 2, rather than a separate sentence--is the current "fashionable" approach. That's how the NRSV and the New Jewish Publication Society (NJPS) versions also read. What's the agenda here?

It also raises an interesting question. What does it mean to say, "The text means X," when there's no evidence that anyone understood the text to mean "X" prior to, say, your own generation? Second Temple Judaism, the New Testament authors, the Church Fathers, the Medievals, etc. all read "In the beginning God created ..." What does it mean to now say, that's not the "meaning" of the text? Can the "meaning" really be different than what everyone understood the meaning to be? Whatever one's answer, it's an interesting question.