Gabriela Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Hi everyone. My best friend is FINALLY open to learning about the Faith. She was very anti-Church for a long time, so I feel like it's important that I get this right. (I know, I know: God's got this even if I screw up. Still...) She wants a book that introduces people to the cultural and historical context of the Bible. She's reading the Old Testament and finding it upsetting. I told her it was actually quite "progressive" for its time. Does anyone know of a book that overviews what the Bible meant in its contemporary context, maybe one that goes era by era/book by book? Also, I remember that when I was listening to Scott Hahn tell his conversion story on a Lighthouse Catholic Media CD, he talked about when he came across a certain type of theology that looked at the symbols that appear at various points in the Bible. He specifically mentioned the ones that were used in the Abrahamic covenant and then in the New Covenant. The strength of this type of theology is that it shows very clearly the continuity between the books of the Bible. It's very holistic. I remember that his discovery of this theological approach was a critical turning point in his conversion process, but can't remember what it's called. Can anyone tell me what this particular theological approach to the Bible is called, and maybe recommend a book on it? I think my friend would find this perspective very interesting. IMPORTANT: My friend has a Master's degree in analytic philosophy. She specialized in philosophy of language. She's very analytical and extremely intelligent. So when I say we're looking for "general introductions", I don't mean the kind that's intended for people without a high school diploma. She'll be insulted by that. I think she'd like something that's intelligent but clear, basic but deep, intellectually engaging but not a laborious read. Put simply: She's brilliant, but knows jack squat about the Bible/Christianity. Help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 It doesn't sound like the kind of thing the Daughters of St. Paul usually carry. Although if you have one of their bookstores nearby, you might ask them. And Lord knows I certainly can't suggest any titles or authors! I'd recommend contacting a monastery - maybe a university, but they're usually so large you wouldn't know whom to ask. But if you can get a hold of some Jesuits, or Dominicans, or Benedictines, or Trappists... In the monastery near me, there are around 30 monks, and 6 or 7 of them are converts, often raised as atheists. At least one of them is, like your friend, very brilliant (doctorate in philosophy from an English university). And from what I hear, it's not all that uncommon to have learned folk including converts in monasteries. So they'd be the ones to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marigold Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Yay for being open to the faith! Trying not to get all snivelly about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puellapaschalis Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 When I was doing a module on the OT as an undergrad (though it was open to the whole college), this was the book we used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egeria Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I've only just started it, but this might be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 She might like some stuff by Rene Girard, particularly "Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World": http://www.amazon.com/Things-Hidden-Since-Foundation-World/dp/0804722153 It's not an apologetics book, but relates to her concerns with the Old Testament. There's also a very good 5-part CBC series on YouTube about Girard's thought. I haven't read his work, am only familiar with him second-hand, but his main thesis as I understand it is that we can only criticize the violence of sacrifice because the Biblical religion has changed things, it has "uncovered" the logic of sacrifice and exposed its essential lie (the lie of the victim which unites people around a murder). Here's the Amazon summary of the book above: Girard's point of departure is what he calles "mimesis," the conflict that arises when human rivals compete to differentiate themselves from each other, yet succeed only in becoming more and more alike. At certain points in the life of a society, according to Girard, this mimetic conflict erupts into a crisis in which all difference dissolves in indiscriminate violence. In primitive societies, such crises were resolved by the "scapegoating mechanism," in which the community, en masse, turned on an unpremeditated victim. The repression of this collective murder and its repetition in ritual sacrifice then formed the foundations of both religion and the restored social order.How does Christianity, at once the most "sacrificial" of religions and a faith with a non-violent ideology, fit into this scheme? Girard grants Freud's point, in Totem and Taboo, that Christianity is similar to primitive religion, but only to refute Freud—if Christ is sacrificed, Girard argues, it is not becuase God willed it, but becaus ehuman beings wanted it.The book is not merely, or perhaps not mainly, biblical exegesis, for within its scope fall some of the most vexing problems of social history—the paradox that violance has social efficacy, the function of the scapegoat, the mechanism of anti-semitism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriela Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 Thank you all! Does anyone recognize the theological approach I mentioned? The one that helped Scott Hahn on his way into the Church? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amppax Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Thank you all! Does anyone recognize the theological approach I mentioned? The one that helped Scott Hahn on his way into the Church? Typology. I'm pretty sure that's what you're talking about. Cardinal Jean Danielou's From Shadows to Reality would be a good book on that topic. As far as book recommendations... give me a little bit and I can come up with some. Although not about the OT per se, Hahn's Politicizing the Bible and Kinship by Covenant are both excellent. They're academic, not popular like the majority of his books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriela Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 Typology. I'm pretty sure that's what you're talking about. Cardinal Jean Danielou's From Shadows to Reality would be a good book on that topic. As far as book recommendations... give me a little bit and I can come up with some. Although not about the OT per se, Hahn's Politicizing the Bible and Kinship by Covenant are both excellent. They're academic, not popular like the majority of his books. Yes! That's it! It's typology. Thank you so much! I look forward to the rest of your book recommendations! Cardinal Jean Danielou's From Shadows to Reality would be a good book on that topic. OMGosh that costs $120. Any other suggestions for typology? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not The Philosopher Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 John Bright's A History of Israel might be of interest. Emphasis on the, "cultural and historical context," of the OT as opposed to poring over the text itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papist Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 (edited) If he/she is coming from a protestant tradition, Surprised by Truth series - Patrick Madrid Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism - by Scott Hahn and Kimberly Hahn The Protestant's Dilemma: How the Reformation's Shocking Consequences Point to the Truth of Catholicism - Devin Rose Catholicism And Fundamentalism - Karl Keating Edited July 13, 2015 by Papist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marigold Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 @Papist: read the OP! @Gabriela: The Bible and the Liturgy by Danielou is also good, deals with typology a lot, and is considerably cheaper than the other (!). It might be a good 'second wave' book to get your friend deeper into Scripture and the Church, once she has some kind of established idea of what it's all about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sponsa-Christi Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I second Bright's History of Israel. However, it is NOT light reading! I can't think of any super-pertinent titles off the top of my head, but I know Card. Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI had a lively theological interest how the Old Testament foreshadowed the New Testament. So perhaps some of his writings might be a good place to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egeria Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I second Danielou, although I've only read The Bible and the Liturgy, and quite a while ago. Also, I haven't read this, but I think Louis Bouyer's The Meaning of Sacred Scripture could be worth investigating. I have a feeling that there's something else that I can't think of at the moment... In addition, and I know that this isn't what you were asking for as it isn't on the Bible specifically but I'll mention it anyway, Robert Louis WIlken's The Spirit of Early Christian Thought strikes me as an invaluable book for someone like this. Apart from being really good, it is also beautifully written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marigold Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I'm taking notes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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