Letter & Spirit is a journal of Catholic Biblical Study put out by the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology started by Scot Hahn. It appears that they release a new volume annually and are currently on their fifth volume. I have not read the previous volumes, but judging by this one I will have to rectify that situation.
What this journal provides is the latest in solid Catholic Scriptural study with submissions from multiple authors. This journal is put out as a paperback book which is a good format for it. This volume has as its theme Liturgy & Empire and concentrates on the liturgy through the ages and the effect on society from Old Testament times on. While this is certainly a professional journal I think that even those newbies to scripture study such as myself can learn a lot from it.
Scott Hahn is always an engaging writer and his first essay on the view of the writer of 1-2 Chronicles is no exception. But I found something fruitful from every single essay in this volume as you might expect when you have Catholic Biblical scholars the like of Brant Pitre included. Scott Hahn has written many books that address liturgy and how integral and important it is in scripture. But there is a lot of there there and this volume only scratches the surface on this topic as it covers specific books in the bible.
As good as these article are there are also additional notes such as the excellent coverage of scriptural interpretations by Robert Barron and the Liturgical intersection with Social Justice and the vision of Virgil Michel.
But wait there’s more… Yes also included is a new translation of St. Thomas Aquinas’ commentary on 2 Thessalonians. Louis Boyer covers Satan and Christ in scripture and the early Church. Last but not least is homily by Cardinal Ratzinger on Faith and Politics that takes its anchor from a letter of Peter and presents this subject in quite an intriguing way.
So if you are interested in the latest in Catholic Scriptural Studies along with some classic thought on this subject, then this series and the latest volume is for you. Their mission is to foster deeper understanding of Sacred Scripture and I say they succeed quite well.
Letter & Spirit, Vol. 5 – Liturgy and Empire
This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Letter & Spirit, Vol. 5 – Liturgy and Empire .
