Consuming the Word: The New Testament and The Eucharist in the Early Church

When I heard Scott Hahn was releasing a new book my immediate reaction was....this one goes on the review list. Like Dr. Hahn, I am also a convert to the Catholic faith, and have always found his books informative and well written and his latest release is no exception. Consuming the Word: The New Testament and the Eucharist in the Early Church is a book, that I feel is approachable for any level reader. In fact Scott has said he wanted everyone to be able to read and understand this volume. He did a very good job sticking to his plan, not making this a very heavy theological work that could be hard for some to understand. This book can be appreciated by anyone with an interest in the history of the Early Church through Pope Benedict XVI. Right out of the gate Scott does a fantastic job of driving a point home. The New Testament in the Early Church was not a collection of books in the Bible. Instead it was the new covenant established by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and in turn becoming the Eucharistic celebration which is the central part of the Holy Mass. To substantiate this he draws on writings of various Church Fathers including Clement, Ignatius, Eusebius, Cyril, and Irenaeus as well the Gospel writers themselves. This is a very important point to remember. The Early Church in its infancy did not have the collected works of what we currently call the New Testament. Only the extremely rich could afford written "books" thus letters were transmitted verbally and Tradition ruled the day. This would continue until the second century. After establishing the original meaning of "New Testament", Scott goes on to detail how the canon of what would become the collected works known as the New Testament was established. He also covers the lectionary and its use throughout the year of the Church calendar. Near the end of the book is a chapter on how to read the Bible "from the heart of the Church". This was a very good chapter which for me had a great take away in the lines "Most important, we should read the Bible in its natural and supernatural habitat. We should read the Bible in the light of the liturgy." Simply put, Scripture should be read in the thought and setting of the Mass. In this chapter Scott goes extensively into Pope Benedict XVI's 2010 apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini which he refers to as "arguably the most important documentary on Scripture produced by the Church in many years." Consuming the Word is a perfect title for this book. Scott describes how you should "consume the Word", let it fill you and become a part of you. He clarifies that "Word" is so much more than the Bible you hold in your hand today. Do not forgo Tradition and the Early Church Fathers. Their voices are just as loud and clear today as they were in the first century....if you only listen....and consume them. You can find out more about the book from publisher Image Catholic Books.

In his introduction Dr. Hahn writes: "God reveals himself and gives himself in the scroll. What begins as poetry, however, we can allow to degenerate into jargon; and so the Greco-Latinate terms "covenant," "testament," "liturgy," and "Eucharist" - all workaday words that inspired our ancestors to sing - now drop with a thud of a technical vocabulary." Catholics and even non-Catholics are intimidated by Catholic terminology. In 2011 when we received the New Translation of the Roman Missal - the text that Catholics use at worship - there was great lamentations and gnashing of teeth when the phrase "one in being" in the Creed was changed to "consubstantial". We were told by "liturgical experts" that no one would understand it. However it is that dumbing down of our faith for decades that has lead the faithful to be separated from the mystery experienced in the words of our faith. Dr. Hahn opens up these words and their meanings in the Early Church for us. When we hear "New Testament" we immediately think of the books that encompass the last 1/3rd of the Bible. What did "New Testament" mean to the early Church, long before we had a canon of which books belonged in the Bible? We even find the term in Jeremiah 31:31, far before the time of Christ. Learning the answers to these sorts of questions is not mundane, but a fascinating journey into the Sacred Scriptures. It will give the lay reader a new sense of wonder for what they experience at Mass. Do not be intimidated that Dr. Hahn uses Greek and Hebrew words - he does an excellent job explaining them and the chapters are short. It is very readable for the lay person who takes their time with the text. Those who are avid readers of theological material will be able to "consume" this text in a day. Dr. Hahn relates his work to the New Evangelization, and helps us understand that by entering into the Eucharist into the Early Church and learning to evangelize as the early Church evangelized, we can hope that "perhaps our world can be remade and renewed as theirs was remade and renewed." Not quite as satisfying as the Lamb's Supper, it still earns 5 stars and is another stellar text by Dr. Hahn that deserves to be read and talked about. I know I will be passing along to my fellow co-workers in the vineyard.

Ancient testaments often take the form of farewell discourses delivered by Israel's father figures. ( Jacob, Moses, Jesus, Joshua ). Facing death, these men gathered their sons, tribes, or disciples ( typically twelve ) to renew the covenant and impart future blessings for their 'family'. We see this in Genesis 49 ... " Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel." In Deuteronomy 33 ... This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death. He said: "The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes. Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hands. At your feet they all bow down, and from you receive instruction, the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob." Joshua 23... After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, summoned all Israel--their elders, leaders, judges and officials--and said to them: "I am very old. You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain--the nations I conquered--between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you. John 14 ... We see our savior gather His twelve together just before His death as well. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah." It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,declares the Lord. ~Jeremiah 31:31 AWESOME BOOK!

This book is an interesting examination of the New Testament. The author explains that the books that we now know as the New Testament were liturgical documents intended to be read during Mass. The Church Fathers were fully aware of the familial relationship encompassed within the phrase "new and everlasting covenant" in the original Greek. The Latin translations chose the term testament (as in: last will and testament) because of the legal implications of inheritance. The author is a Roman Catholic and makes the connection between Ezekial (see Ez. chapters 2 & 3) being given a scroll to eat, and the dogma that Jesus Christ is present - body, blood, soul, and divinity - within the consecrated host during the Eucharist. The book has been granted an Imprimatur. A fairly quick read, I found that the book lagged a bit in the middle sections. The introduction and conclusions were quite good. My biggest complaint is that the book does not have an index. There is also no separate bibliography; however, the sources are identified within the end notes.

Scott Hahn has a tremendous knack for revealing covenantal truths from the Old to the New. This book is written by a scholar but for the non-scholarly. He doesnt assume we understand complex theological suppositions, so he delves in deeply to reveal for us the fundemental truths of Christ that may have been hidden from us. Case in point, he ananlyzes the biblical languages to help us understand that the names like New or Old Testament are misnomers. Instead of Testament , a better understanding is Covenant , which is the oath between God's people and God. He explains that Jesus is the New covenant that he presented to us at the last supper before he was to be crucified. Hahn also explains how the written Word can not be separted from the spoken Word, and that what is revealed in the written Word can not be separated from The Word made flesh. The apostles and earliest believers could not understand God apart from the Divine Liturgy. The new Testament or Covenant came alive in the liturgy, particularly when Jesus took Bread and Wine and gave them to us as part of the new Covenant. Consuming the written Word means consuming the Word made flesh who dwelt amongst us. The truth comes by hearing. The proclamation of the gospel at the Mass was where people heard the Word and consumed the Word. It is where they witnessed the sacrifice of Christ, the final living sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. Hahn reveals the new covenant once again, and we can continue to witness the ever present love of Christ as it is proclaimed at the mass. This book is an excellent followup to Hahns book, "The Lambs Supper" and is particulalry useful to compel the curious to investigate the Divine Liturgy which embodies the words of Christ to "Do this in remembrance of Me."

For those who have had the great fortune of having read Scott Hahn's books before it will come as no surprise that this book is a truly beautiful and reflective look at Scripture, Tradition and the wonders of the Church that Christ founded. As Dr Hahn mentions in his foreword I do recommend having read The Lamb's Supper and Letter and Spirit prior to reading this, although it is not a necessity. While it is difficult to review such a book without climbing into the nitty gritty of the content (too often reviewers with their own views will post long treatises of why they disagree with x,y or z) I will say that I find the "rediscovery" of terminology that Dr Hahn uses in his description of the Sacraments and the Scripture to be both moving and enlightening. I think that amidst all that I have learnt from this book, St Augustine's difficult battle between faith and reason (his conclusion is left for the reader to appreciate) is the most valuable reminder of the daily struggles we all face concerning what we have been taught and what we see before us. I hope everyone (for or against) gets the same benefit from reading this book that I have.

Scott Hahn has a special ability to explain complex biblical concepts in ways all can understand. As a convert from Calvinism, he has a very detailed knowledge of Sacred Scripture. He synthesizes scriptural passages concerning the Eucharist and the beliefs the Church Fathers held as well. By focusing on the early Church, we see that the Fathers believed in the real presence. The New Testament is replete with references that were always interpreted as defining as the real presence as dogmatic and true. The New Testament as a fulfillment of the Old Testament Covenant is also well explained. All Catholics should go to their parish library and read the books by Scott Hahn, this book especially. Hahn is a true servant of God and His people. His books will do a lot to steel your faith in these troubling times.

I am a Nazorean Jew. Like all my brethren, I have been hiding in the Roman Church for the past eight centuries. I have taken a hiatus from The Church to preside as the Rabbi of this secret congregation that meets in the homes of the faithful. Although we thought that our presence at Mass would not change our Jewishness, I have found that the Fulfilled Passover has changed us. Scott shows us how the participation in the Eucharist means a renewal of our faith in the Pesach mystery. He makes it clear that the Word given by Moses will be transformed by making it flesh in the miracle of the Mass. Like David, I found that I was hungry and to assuage that hunger, I had to creep secretly into the Sanctuary and steal the shewbread from the altar. I ate it and found that I was eating The Word which had become flesh. I went as Yeshua was taken by the liturgies and processed to the Altar on the cross in front of the Word that would be proclaimed. I could avoid the reality that the shewbread had somehow been transformed into the Living Christ. Thank you Scott for having led me to see that what was completed was Pesach in the Mass. If you wish to find the Tanach fulfilled read this book.

The author not only knows words but is deeply involved with the eternal knowledge given to men by the living Word. Delight comes to mind . Truth that refreshes and strengths the soul of those called upon to walk in a world of dryness and death.

I have many Scott Hahn titles and appreciate them a little more with each one I read. He never disappoints and I am so grateful for his insight. I just wish my children were young enough to go back to College!!

Another excellent book by Scott Hahn on the New Testament (Covenant) in the New Testament and the early church

What a fantastic book! Dr Scott Hahn is a master at writing easy to digest theology books, he gently builds his points and will amaze you in every chapter. Definitely a must read

Another great, informative book by Scot Hahn.