Scripture Matters: Essays on Reading the Bible from the Heart of the Church

by Scott Hahn

Publisher:

Emmaus Road

, 2003

Overview

In Scripture Matters: Essays on Reading the Bible from the Heart of the Church, Scott Hahn takes a penetrating look into the depths of Scripture, showing the reader how to uncover its many layers of meaning and inspiration.

Scripture Matters serves as both an instructional guide to reading the Bible and a delightful meditation on the grandeur of God’s Word. Hahn effectively illustrates his discussion with the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Josemaría Escrivá, Cardinal Ratzinger, and other exemplary scholars of Scripture who truly speak “from the heart of the Church.”

In the Logos edition, Scripture Matters is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Provides essays that help people read and understand the Bible
• Contains 12 poignant selections to grow the reader in their walk with God
• Discusses complex concepts such as the reliability, efficacy, meaning, and importance of sacred Scripture

Contents

• Returning to Our Senses: Reading the Bible from the Heart of the Church
• Scholars and Sense: What Makes for Good, Sound Biblical Scholarship?
• Family Ties: If You Want to Know the Faith, Look Homeward
• The Angelic Doctor and the Good Book: (Or, Should Old Aquinas Be Forgot . . . ?)
• “Search the Scriptures”: Reading the Old Testament with Jesus, John, and Thomas Aquinas
• Passionately Loving the Word: Putting Scripture to Work with Saint Josemaría
• Going on Vocation: Why Fathers Are Priests and Priests Are Fathers
• Indecent Exposure: The Unadulterated Truth about Mercy and Judgment
• The Hour Is Coming: How Should We Read the Signs of the Times?
• Come Again?: The Real Presence as Parousia
• The Bible Politicized: The Roots and Fruits of Historical Criticism
• “O Wondrous Depths!”: On the Unique Importance and Relative Primacy of Scripture

Top Highlights

“Thus the New Testament did not abolish the Old. Rather, the New fulfilled the Old, and in so doing, it lifted the veil from the face of the bride.” (Page 3)

“The first Christians read the Bible this way. Saint Paul describes Adam as a ‘type’ of Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:14). A type is a real person, place, thing, or event in the Old Testament that foreshadows something greater in the New Testament. From type we get the word typology, the study of Christ’s foreshadowing in the Old Testament (cf. Catechism, nos. 128–30).” (Page 3)

“When an exegete emphasizes either faith or reason at the expense of the other, he errs. Overemphasizing faith, he falls into fideism; overemphasizing reason, he falls into rationalism.” (Page 11)

“Systematic theology is based on the logical order of the various doctrines, whereas biblical theology is based on the chronological order of the divine economy of salvation history.” (Page 55)

“History’s rhyme scheme is what we call typology—the science that discovers the new concealed in the old, and the old revealed in the new. Saint Thomas explained that human writers use words to signify things; but God uses even created things as signs.” (Page 19)

Praise for the Print Edition

Scott Hahn has done it again! Through a collection of challenging and fascinating essays on biblical matters, he has prepared our minds and hearts to be open to the Holy Spirit at work in the life-giving Word of God.

—Stuart W. Swetland, director, The Newman Foundation

Scripture Matters is a masterful guide to reading and understanding the Bible—a work that combines intelligence and depth with a wonderful readability. Dr. Hahn’s chapters on historical criticism, the real presence, and the place of Scripture in Catholic teaching are worth reading again and again.

—Charles J. Chaput, archbishop of Denver

[Dr. Scott Hahn’s] new book, Scripture Matters, reflects not only a profound theology of God’s Word . . . but also analyzes and critiques some of the more prevalent errors which have crept into discussions of the interpretation and proper use of Holy Scripture in the lives of individuals and the life of the Church. I heartily recommend this work for students and all who wish to enhance the effective role of Holy Scripture in their lives.

—John J. Myers, archbishop of Newark

One does not have to agree with Dr. Hahn in all particulars of Scripture Matters to see that he succeeds admirably in stirring things up in the world of contemporary Catholic biblical scholarship in the United States. This book should prove to be a useful stimulus for getting all of us who love Scripture to come to terms with it in our lives.

—James Swetnam, distinguished fellow, St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology

Dr. Hahn has provided in Scripture Matters an invaluable series of essays that will not only help to keep students of Sacred Scripture on track, but also give them a sense of certitude concerning the Church’s long-standing tradition of interpretation. After reading Scripture Matters, you will jump into Scripture study with a renewed zeal. Dr. Hahn’s excitement for Scripture will rub off on you—get ready!

—Jeff Cavins, editor, Catholic Scripture Study

Product Details

• Title: Scripture Matters: Essays on Reading the Bible from the Heart of the Church
• Author: Scott Hahn
• Publisher: Emmaus Road Publishing
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 191

About Scott Hahn

Scott Hahn (born October 28, 1957) is a contemporary author, theologian, and Catholic apologist. His works include Rome Sweet Home and The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth. He currently teaches at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic university in the United States.