Using Protestant textbooks

[Brother Adam]

[url="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0801021766/qid=1126107611/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5166517-5430204?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"]Encountering the Old Testament[/url]
[img]http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0801021766.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg[/img]

Well...I know the Prof. told us it was Protestant and that we were using it for the Old Testament overview it gave, but I'm entirely annoyed that we are using a Protestant text when so many good Catholic texts are available on the Old Testament. Having to sit at FUS and read a chapter on why the Bible only has 66 books and how the Protestant canon of the Old Testament is the correct canon insults the senses to why I became Catholic and went to FUS in the first place. ugh.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

Perhaps you could discuss this with your prof and then you can name off all the excellent textbooks that could be used instead of the garbage you are using now... but then again, I don't know if it is garbage to begin with, you'd be the one to judge...

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Could be worse...is he doing it for "tolerance building"?

I hated when the seminary tried to do that...

[Brother Adam]

I wouldn't necessarily call it garbage, because it does adequately discuss the content itself of the OT books it addresses, however theological conclusions and such are of course way off base. I know it isn't likely to scandalize anyone in the classroom, but still, it is very frustrating.

[kateri05]

wait. how can you do an overview of the old testament if you aren't OVERVIEWING ALL of it? you'd think a FUS professor would understand that. they want a bible textbook? use scott hahn's new one (granted, its geared for high school students, but still!)

i am personally insulted on behalf of judith, sirach, baruch, tobit (tobit! the only dog in the bible! ), parts of daniel and first and second maccabees.

[Brother Adam]

The text is required reading, but he only draws from it for class discussions. We are using a very solid Catholic Bible for our Bible readings (RSV-CE) and will of course go over those books (as far as I know). I guess I'm just venting.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

Perhaps it is in preparation to befuddle protestants with their own muddled theology?

[Brother Adam]

I just saw that I have 54 helpful votes out of 100. That means that about half the people that read my reviews don't like my opinions. I must be doing something right :

[Brother Adam]

[quote name='FutureNunJMJ' date='Sep 7 2005, 12:02 PM']Perhaps it is in preparation to befuddle protestants with their own muddled theology?
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Naw, this wouldn't be as upsetting if that were the case.

[p0lar_bear]

[quote name='kateri05' date='Sep 7 2005, 12:51 PM']wait.  how can you do an overview of the old testament if you aren't OVERVIEWING ALL of it?  you'd think a FUS professor would understand that.  they want a bible textbook? use scott hahn's new one (granted, its geared for high school students, but still!)

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Just FYI, Scott Hahn uses Protestant books as texts too.

Just because a book is Protestant doesn't mean it isn't useful. If the prof can make up for what is lacking in the book, using it as a reference where it is right and correcting where it is wrong. If this book has excellent summaries or what-not of all the books in the Protestant Bible, then why not use them and add the information on the "deuterocanonicals"? Sometimes the best treatment of a subject (even one relating to theology) has been written by a Protestant.

Could the professor have found a Catholic book that covers the same material? Perhaps. But maybe it was not as good, or was horribly expensive, or was too vague, or too intense.

"Test everything, hold fast to what is good."

[Brother Adam]

If Scott Hahn does it, why does that make it okay?

[Theoketos]

Using protestant books can be good. It is good to know what other people think. Typically, I no longer read stuff so that I can see how some one agrees with me, but I read so that I may understand another's point of view. Just a thought.

Also, what would you recomend to use instead?

[Thy Geekdom Come]

I can see both sides of this. While I think there should be an alternative and it's a little distressing to see use of non-Catholic sources as a required text at FUS, I'm also quite certain that a professor of FUS has method to his madness.

[kateri05]

i never implied that protestant materials are worthless at all. CS Lewis was a fabulous writer and theologian and Mere Christianity is a gem to all Christians.
however, you can't full understand the Bible unless all the books are present, correct? and bro. adam specifically pointed out that the theology implications in the text are terrible. why pay $$ to read incorrect things that the teacher has to correct anyways?
and i wasn't subscribing to hte Scott Hahn has the speaking power of the Magisterium school of thought :, simply stating that he has a wonderful new textbook out. its not the using of protestant sources thats the problem. its using ANY source that isn't RIGHT.
i was just trying to sympathize with bro. adam so i'm going to go make copies now

[p0lar_bear]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Sep 7 2005, 01:11 PM']If Scott Hahn does it, why does that make it okay?
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Sorry, that was in reference to her saying the prof should use Scott Hahn books instead.

[Brother Adam]

A better option: Where we got the BIble, our Debt to the Catholic Church by Bishop Henry Graham

Edited September 7, 2005 by Brother Adam

[homeschoolmom]

Do Baruch, Judith, Sirach etc. contribute to the over all narrative of the OT? If the point of the class is to discuss the history of the Isrealites from "The Beginning" up to the New Testament, is anything really lost ([i]from the narrative[/i])? The only exception I can see would be Maccabees.

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Sep 7 2005, 11:44 AM'][url="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0801021766/qid=1126107611/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-5166517-5430204?v=glance&s=books&n=507846"]Encountering the Old Testament[/url]
[img]http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0801021766.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg[/img]

Well...I know the Prof. told us it was Protestant and that we were using it for the Old Testament overview it gave, but I'm entirely annoyed that we are using a Protestant text when so many good Catholic texts are available on the Old Testament. Having to sit at FUS and read a chapter on why the Bible only has 66 books and how the Protestant canon of the Old Testament is the correct canon insults the senses to why I became Catholic and went to FUS in the first place. ugh.
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This happened when I did theology as well, and I was not pleased either.
Protestant approaches to the OT are not catholic. Read the Navarre bible series instead.

[Brother Adam]

Actually I'm not all the fond of Navarre anymore : but yeah, that would be an improvement lol.

[kateri05]

[quote name='p0lar_bear' date='Sep 7 2005, 10:28 AM']Sorry, that was in reference to her saying the prof should use Scott Hahn books instead.
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argh. i did NOT say "use scott hahn books." i was referring very specificially to his high school scriptuer textbook, somewhat in sarcasm as my "for high schoolers" comment should have indicated.