Holy People, Holy Land: A Theological Introduction to the Bible

by Michael Dauphinais, Matthew Levering

Overview

The Bible doesn't come with a secret decoder ring, which means that it is left to church theologians to make sense of the Bible's many intricate and overlapping themes. Over the centuries, the church has identified several themes—such as love and covenant—that have helped the faithful to better understand a sometimes bewildering book.

In Holy People, Holy Land, authors Dauphinais and Levering make the case that holiness—which they define as communion with God through love of neighbor—is the central theme of Scripture. Holy People, Holy Land will give any reader the tools to better understand Scripture by showing how a holy God desires to recreate his children in his image so that they too can be holy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441231710
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/01/2005
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	266
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Michael Dauphinais (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame) is professor of theology at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida. Matthew Levering (Ph.D., Boston College) is professor of theology at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. Dauphinais and Levering are coauthors of Knowing the Love of Christ.

Editorial Reviews

The authors, associate professors of theology at Ave Maria University in Naples, Fla., present the narrative of the Bible in the context of God's passion for restoring humankind to a state of original holiness. They consider holiness-defined as a condition of balance and innocence before God and his creation-to be the underlying theme of all scripture. As such, it provides a paradigm for God's intervention in human affairs, unifying sacred history as the record of God's reaching out to a world in need of grace. The authors sidestep questions of historicity and authorship, focusing instead on the biblical stories as reflections of God's hand in human affairs. As the title suggests, they chart a pattern of holiness, not just in people, but in the land the people possess. This theme builds until the final chapter, which addresses the restoration of holiness of person and place, a future time when "the people of the new covenant have become the righteous dwelling place of God." Although written for undergraduate theology students and fraught with intimidating-looking footnotes, the material is easily grasped by the average reader and is highly recommended for Catholics and Protestants alike. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Dauphinais and Levering (both associate professors of theology, Ave Maria Univ.) argue that a common theme runs throughout the Bible. Beginning with Genesis and moving through Revelation, the authors show that the Bible focuses on holiness, envisioned as love of God and neighbor. Reading in this light, they explore how themes in the Hebrew Bible-such as Covenant, Land, Law, and Temple-all contribute to shaping the people of Israel in holiness. As orthodox Catholic scholars, the authors naturally believe the theme reaches its apex in Christ and the Church. In this respect, they follow the tradition of St. Augustine (an influence they freely acknowledge). And like Augustine, they accept the Bible on its own terms, ignoring as irrelevant historico-critical issues other scholars have used to separate doctrine from the history of biblical texts. This eminently readable work of conservative Catholic scholarship is recommended for theological libraries, undergraduate libraries, and larger public library religion collections.-Christopher Brennan, SUNY Coll. at Brockport Lib. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal