There’s much ado in all the papers about the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and the birth of the Beat Movement. I talked about the movement’s roots and fruits (and odd Catholic influences) back in 1997, in an essay posted here.
UPDATE: Pauli comments on my commentary.
Phil has reviewed the new edition of my book The Mass of the Early Christians.
A while back, I reported the arrival (at last) of an English translation of History and Spirit: The Understanding of Scripture According to Origen. We have Ignatius Press to thank for this fine edition of a very influential 1950 title by the French theologian (and later Cardinal) Henri de Lubac. The subject of the book is the third-century exegete Origen of Alexandria — one of antiquity’s most renowned biblical interpreters and theologians, yet a man whose life and afterlife have always lingered under a cloud of suspicion. Some propositions attributed to Origen were condemned by Church councils, though his advocates say the propositions, as they were condemned, did not properly represent his doctrine. De Lubac’s study is a systematic examination — and vindication — of Origen’s methods. It begins with “The Case Against Origen,” stated in its strongest terms, then proceeds to a biographical sketch, before rolling out a detailed study of Origen’s teaching on Scripture, especially the importance of both history and the “spiritual sense.” (Origen is sometimes accused of promoting biblical allegory at the expense of biblical history.) De Lubac responds to Origen’s critics point by point, and admirably restores the reputation of this ancient confessor, who suffered for the faith and wished never to have “thoughts different from the faith of the Church on divine dogmas.” De Lubac’s book prepared the way for the abundant use of Origen’s work in subsequent doctrine of the Catholic Church, including the Catechism and the encyclicals of Pope John Paul II.
Roger Pearse heralds the arrival of the long-awaited fifth volume of Quasten’s Patrology — The Eastern Fathers from the Council of Chalcedon (451) to John of Damascus (750).
On my shelf inches away is a treasured relic — a postcard from Father Quasten that fell out of a book someone gave me.
I cannot count the number of times I’ve recommended The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You, by Michael Dubruiel. I’ve lost count of how many copies I’ve given away. I recommend it to Catholics who want to know why they do the things they do every Sunday. I recommend it to Protestants who are just dropping in, or who are dating Catholics and bewildered by the unfamiliar round of sit-stand-kneel.
The book does for modern Christians what Cyril and Ambrose did for our ancient forebears. It’s a modern-day mystagogy — an easy-to-follow step-by-step walk through the ritual, revealing the meaning of all the words, gestures, postures, furniture, and vestments. Dubruiel also gives you the history and doctrinal significance of the various parts of the Mass. He draws testimony from the abundance of patristic material on the liturgy — the Didache, St. Justin Martyr, the Apostolic Constitutions, Cyril of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose of Milan. He’s also careful to lay the scriptural foundation for all the important prayers and actions.
And now Dubruiel has followed up with a pocket version — one you can carry to Mass with you. A Pocket Guide to the Mass doesn’t have anywhere near the detail available in The How-To Book of the Mass, but it’s a handy little cheat-sheet that can be carried in the pocket or pocketbook.
Both books are highly recommended for Catholics, the significant others of Catholics, seekers, and the merely curious.
From Oxford University Press I received a gem: The Appropriation of Divine Life in Cyril of Alexandria, by Daniel A. Keating. The author, an American theologian at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, examines the classic texts on divinization in Cyril of Alexandria (fifth century). One of history’s greatest biblical theologians, Cyril presented salvation in terms of sanctification and divinization, the appropriation of divine life. Keating develops these ideas, for the most part, as they appear in Cyril’s volumes of biblical interpretation. Keating pays close attention to Cyril’s exegeses of the accounts of Jesus’ baptism and resurrection as well as the institution of the Eucharist. Among the key scriptures considered is 2 Peter 1:4: “that you may become partakers of the divine nature.” Cyril’s biblical approach can be especially helpful for Protestants who wish to understand Orthodox and Catholic doctrines of salvation. Keating also applies Cyril’s thought effectively to “perceived east-west differences.” This is an important book for ecumenically minded Christians. The writing is extraordinarily lucid, making difficult ideas accessible even to us non-professionals.
Interesting titles, newly appearing…
The Ways That Never Parted: Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, edited by Adam H. Becker and Annette Yoshiko Reed.
Ancient Gnosticism: Traditions And Literature, by Birger A. Pearson.
Almsgiving in the Later Roman Empire: Christian Promotion and Practice (313-450), by Richard Finn (reviewed here).
A couple of years ago, my friend Karl Schultz wrote an excellent introduction to the Bible, The How-to Book of the Bible: Everything You Need to Know But No One Ever Taught You. Well, now he’s ready to take us to the next level, and help us to steep ourselves in the Scriptures prayerfully, the way the Church Fathers did. His new book is How to Pray With the Bible: The Ancient Prayer Form of Lectio Divina Made Simple.
Drawing from a variety of sources — from Origen of Alexandria to Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini — the author guides neophytes through techniques of reading Scripture that were developed in the monasteries of the ancient Church. The book is practical and winsome, easy to follow, yet quite ambitious and deep. The author sketches how lectio evolved, from its “Pre-Christian Roots and Universal Nature” through “Jewish Origins” and into the era of the Fathers. He considers several approaches to meditation. Schultz also examines the role of memory and the senses and touches upon related issues such as praying with icons. And he tackles the most common problems: impatience, distraction, the lack of discipline, and so on. An especially helpful chapter deals with “Reading Plans for Praying with the Bible.” Schultz is keenly sensitive to the Bible’s traditional home, which is the common worship of the Church, the liturgy.
The book’s a steal at less than ten bucks!
Our friend Kevin made his own pitch for lectio this week.
Touchstone magazine has archived a number of my book reviews, some related to the Fathers, some not. (Just search on “Aquilina.” I’m the only Aquilina in the database.) There’s…
my review of Fr. Mark Gruber’s Journey Back to Eden: My Life and Times Among the Desert Fathers;
my review of J.A. McGuckin’s St. Cyril of Alexandria: The Christological Controversy: Its History, Theology, and Texts;
my review of Fr. Robert Taft’s Through Their Own Eyes: Liturgy as the Byzantines Saw It;
my double-decker review of Adrian Murdoch’s The Last Pagan: Julian the Apostate and the Death of the Ancient World and The Last Roman: Romulus Augustulus and the Decline of the West;
and my triple-decker review of J. Budziszewski’s Ask Me Anything: Provocative Answers for College Students, John Waiss’s Couples in Love: Straight Talk on Dating, Respect, Commitment, Marriage, and Sexuality and Father Thomas Morrow’s Christian Courtship In An Oversexed World.
Touchstone runs several of my short reviews every month and usually one of my long reviews as well. They don’t even post half of them on the website. So please consider a subscription!
Mr. T at Thumos has posted a kind review of my book The Resilient Church: The Glory, the Shame, and the Hope for Tomorrow.
A kind review of my book The Way of the Fathers: Praying With the Early Christians, from a blogger I admire.
Wow — there’s a thoughtful review, on Amazon, of the new, expanded edition of The Mass of the Early Christians.
Also, several reviews have appeared for The Resilient Church: The Glory, the Shame, and the Hope for Tomorrow — and for Love in the Little Things: Tales of Family Life.
From Hendrickson comes a dream of a book: A Patristic Greek Reader, by Rodney A. Whitacre. This is more than a book, actually. It’s an opportunity to learn Greek from a superlative teacher and to learn Christianity from the greatest ancient masters. Says the publisher: “Passages that have played a major role in the history of Christian thought are included, as well as passages that contribute to matters of spirituality and pastoral care. Several passages are of more purely historical interest.” The book includes Greek texts, English translations, and abundant helpful notes. Here’s the table of contents, lifted from the Library of Congress:
Introduction
The Two Main Goals of This Reader
The Meaning of “Patristic”
An Approach to Reading the Fathers
The Selections from the Fathers
The Greek Notes
Suggestions for Using This Reader
Suggestions for Further Reading in the Fathers
Texts and Notes
1. Didache
2. 1 Clement
3. Ignatius of Antioch, To the Romans
4. Epistle to Diognetus
5. Martyrdom of Polycarp
6. Justin Martyr, First Apology
7. Melito of Sardis, On Pascha
8. Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies
9. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History and Life of Constantine
10. Athanasius, On the Incarnation
11. Gregory of Nazianzus, Orations
12. Desert Fathers and Mothers, Apophthegmata Patrum
13. John Chrysostom, Homiliae in Matthaeum
14. Hesychios the Priest, On Watchfulness and Holiness
15. Symeon the New Theologian, Hymns
16. Translations of All Texts
Appendix A: Vocabulary: Words Used 50 Times or More in the Greek NT
Appendix B: Principal Parts of Common Verbs
Appendix C: The Selections Arranged in Order of Difficulty
Bibliography
Greek Resources
Resources for Individual Selections
Dr. Whitacre’s anthology is unique, a model of both pedagogy and mystagogy. The Spirit has been leading the churches to “return to the sources,” and A Patristic Greek Reader is a beautiful beginning for that journey. Very highly recommended.
Amazon says the book will be out at the end of July. The galleys I’ve had since May look pretty finished to me. So pre-order your copy today!
Week before last, I was in Chicago for the Religious Book Trade Expo. I was there to promote my new collection of historical sketches, The Resilient Church: The Glory, the Shame, and the Hope for Tomorrow. The featured author for my other publisher, Our Sunday Visitor, was John Salza. I was pleased as any patristic nerd should be to receive a signed copy of John’s new book, The Biblical Basis for the Papacy. So nerdy am I that I started reading it that very night and couldn’t put it down till I was quite done. John is an attorney, and he knows how to work — economically and forcefully — with evidence. The book presents a concise but complete argument (actually many arguments, from many angles). Visitors to this blog will be especially pleased to read chapter eight, “What Did the Fathers Say,” a 27-page catena of texts on many aspects of the papacy, again usefully arranged. I highly recommend this book.
David Meadows alerts us to Bryn Mawr Classical Review’s review of a new history of early Christianity.