23 Page Excerpt from
Margaret Feinberg’s Scouting the Divine:
My Search for God in Wine, Wool and Wild Honey .
Hardback: Zondervan, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

Michael Silverblatt of KCRW’s Bookworm talks with E.L. Doctorow about his new novel Homer and Langley (Random House 2009).

Earth’s Answer
William Blake

Earth raised up her head
From the darkness dread and drear,
Her light fled,
Stony, dread,
And her locks covered with grey despair.

‘Prisoned on watery shore,
Starry jealousy does keep my den
Cold and hoar;
Weeping o’er,
I hear the father of the ancient men.

‘Selfish father of men!
Cruel, jealous, selfish fear!
Can delight,
Chained in night,
The virgins of youth and morning bear.

‘Does spring hide its joy,
When buds and blossoms grow?
Does the sower
Sow by night,
Or the ploughman in darkness plough?

‘Break this heavy chain,
That does freeze my bones around!
Selfish, vain,
Eternal bane,
That free love with bondage bound.’

“Bearing Witness in Her Body”

A Review of
Redeemed Bodies:
Women Martyrs in Early Christianity.
by Gail Streete.

Reviewed by Kate A.K. Blakely.

Redeemed Bodies:
Women Martyrs in Early Christianity.
Gail Streete.
Paperback: WJK Books, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

The female martyr has her own place both alongside and apart from her male counterparts. She stands in history alongside Paul as Thecla, and with her sister martyr, as in two female victims of the Columbine massacre, Cassie Bernall and Rachel Scott. Streete adds to these accounts the less easily appropriated martyrdom stories of female suicide attackers, which she proposes to examine in light of the same lens she uses with more traditional accounts, like those of Perpetua and Thecla. Streete notes the often conflicting responses of readers to stories of martyrdom. Some see these stories as attestations to ancient appreciation for unique female power and testimony. Others are not so complimentary, noting the pressures placed upon females to become “male,” or to epitomize certain characteristics, like chastity. Writes Streete, “because the model is ambiguous, so is its appropriation” (11). Streete’s focus in Redeemed Bodies is two-fold: 1) to demonstrate that the lens of gender is a valid one through which to view and evaluate martyrdom, and 2) to illuminate the complexity and ambiguity of Christian interpretation of martyrdom.

The martyr eschews legal and social standards specifically because of prior religious convictions. This inappropriate action of refusing to submit to standards is subversive. When such subversive actions lead to torture and martyrdom, Streete proposes, the martyr’s bodies (alongside their speeches) serve as the voice of witness. Martyrological literatures imbues the death itself with meaning through the body of the martyr. Streete then argues that the bodies of martyred women signify and signified something meaningful about power, both as symbols of gender and more generally of physicality, as both subject and object of powerful actions. Streete argues that, seen in tandem with Platonic and Aristotelian anthropologies, the female body was something that was to be doubly controlled, as both physical (contrary to the eternal spiritual) and passionate (contrary to the desired rationality).

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“Refreshing Our Memory”

A Review of
The Westminster Handbook
to Medieval Theology.
edited by James Ginther.
and
Medieval Christianity in Practice.
edited by Miri Rubin.

Reviewed by Chris Smith.

The Westminster Handbook
to Medieval Theology.
James Ginther, ed.
Paperback: WJK Books, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

Medieval Christianity in Practice.
edited by Miri Rubin .
Paperback: Princeton UP, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

Scripture shows us that God has chosen a people to bear witness to God’s work in the world.  Since the church is God’s people in the world today, we can only come to know our identity by remembering the faithful people of God who have gone before us.  There are many stories of faithfulness contained within the pages of the Bible (e.g., the stories of Heb. 11).

However, there are also many stories that testify to God’s ongoing work in creation that are not included in Scripture.  The second century account of the martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas begins:

If ancient illustrations of faith, which both testify to God’s grace and tend to mankind’s edification are collected in writing so that by the study of them, God may be honored and humanity may be strengthened, why should not new instances also be collected, that shall be equally suitable for both purposes?

All stories of God’s work in history serve to remind us of who God is and of the divine plan for reconciling human kind and all creation.  Given that we tend to forget what God has done and is doing, there is a desperate need to have our memories refreshed with stories of the faithfulness of God’s people. If there is one particular era of church history that is little known, frequently misunderstood and of which we are very much in need of having our memories refreshed, it is the period – from roughly 600 to 1500 A.D.  Two excellent new books do well at illuminating the stories of God’s people in this much maligned era.

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A Brief Review of

Why Is There a Menorah on the Altar?:
Jewish Roots of Christian Worship.
by Meredith Gould.
Paperback: Seabury Books, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

Reviewed by Baya Clare, CSJ.

This review originally appeared on Baya’s blog: http://bayathread.blogspot.com/
It is reprinted here with the reviewer’s permission.

Meredith Gould is one of those people whose calling it is to occupy the space between two societal entities. It’s an uncomfortable place to live life, especially for someone who’s also committed to making the world a better place. From a between-place it’s possible to see things that can’t be seen from inside the fences, and those things include the misconceptions each side has about the other. Christians and Jews have a lot of misconceptions, misunderstandings, and misapprehensions about one another. Some of them are harmless, some are hurtful, some have been deadly for Jews. Truth-telling, which is what those in-between dwellers like Meredith Gould do, is about healing those ancient wounds which, though familiar, are nevertheless signs of dis-ease, not only in our relationships with one another, but also in our relationship with God. If we are to be about God’s work in the world, then we must attend to them.

Gould’s newest book, Why Is There a Menorah on the Altar? is a good place to start. Aimed primarily at Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans, it is a very readable and even occasionally humorous guide to the Jewish antecedents of many customs and practices in liturgical churches. The author, who considers herself “a Jew in identity, a Christian in faith, and a Catholic in religious practice,” did a considerable amount of research into similarities and differences with regard to scripture, historical events, and worship, and this comprises the first half of the book. In the second half of the book she looks at the sacraments of baptism, holy communion, and confirmation to find the echos of Judaism therein.

Anyone who has been to seminary or studied theology in any depth will probably (I hope!) find much here that is familiar, though there will assuredly be surprises as well. Gould approaches the words and actions of Christian worship from a vantage point unfamiliar to the vast majority of Christians, and allows us to see them with fresh eyes. This book would be a great addition to a study group, confirmation curriculum or Sunday school class, and is presented in a format that facilitates such uses. There are special explanatory paragraphs set apart in borders throughout, and discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

Several chapters have timelines at the end, which are helpful for keeping it all in historical context. There is also a glossary of Hebrew terms and Jewish concepts, an appendix of selected letters and statements on Jewish-Christian relations, a list of resources, and a timeline of Christianity’s emergence from Judaism at the end of the book.

My only quibble with this work is a small one which I hope can be corrected in reprints: the timeline at the end of the chapter on Holy Communion would be more useful if it consistently noted which denomination produced which decree. Only people who have studied Reformation history and documents in depth will be on familiar ground here; the rest of us could use a few more notes.

Why Is There a Menorah on the Altar? is highly recommended for Christians of any denomination, and anyone interested in interfaith understanding.

A Brief Review of

A Prayer to Our Father:
Hebrew Origins of the Lord’s Prayer.
Nehemia Gordon and Keith Johnson.
Paperback: Self-published, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

Reviewed by Lucas Land.
This review originally appeared on Lucas’ blog: http://wwje.wordpress.com/
It is reprinted here with the reviewer’s permission.

A Prayer to Our Father was written by an African-American Pastor and a Jewish Hebrew Scholar about the prayer that Jesus’ taught his disciples and followers to pray. It’s written as a sort of DaVinci Code mystery suspense thriller. Unfortunately, it also tries to be a scholarly analysis of ancient texts, Hebrew and Greek grammar, a tale of overcoming prejudice and religious difference and a popular theology/devotional book. This is too much weight for a book of less than 200 pages to bear. It’s not all bad; it just lacks focus and thus never succeeds on any of the levels at which it tries to reach readers.

As a thriller it is pretty lame. There are a couple points at which the author(s) try to build suspense, but the reveal is as disappointing as the lack of real tension. There are no earth-shattering revelations here about The Lord’s Prayer. There are some interesting thoughts and ideas, but not much proof or evidence. I was left wondering what the mystery was and when the real suspense would start.

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20 Page Excerpt from
Paul Moses’ The Saint and the Sultan:
The Crusades, Islam,
and Francis of Assisi’s Mission of Peace .
Hardback: Doubleday, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]

In our continuing effort to fund the publication and free distribution of The Englewood Review, we are going to be collaborating more intentionally with Christian Book Distributors.  Primarily, we will be offering you the opportunity to buy bargain books from CBD that we think of are interest.  Buying books this way is a win / win / win proposition.  You get great books for a great price,  CBD gets the sale and we get an excellent referral fee from CBD.  These books make great gifts!

This week’s bargain books (Click to learn more/purchase):

The Religion of the Earliest Churches $3.99 – Save $26 !!! By Gerd Theissen / Augsburg Fortress

Creeds of Christendom, 3 Volumes By Philip Schaff / Baker $19.99 – Save $130 !!! This classic set is the definitive source on church creeds. Schaff introduces and critiques the creeds, including the personalities surrounding their framing and their impact on church history.

The Complete Sermons of Martin Luther, 7 Volumes By Martin Luther / Baker $44.99 – Save $305!!! Incredible savings! You get all three volumes of The House Postils—plus a 4-volume collection of 175 more sermons—at an outstanding price.

Hymn to Christ
Clement of Alexandria

O Thou, the King of saints, all-conquering Word,
Son of the Highest, wisdom’s Fount and Lord,
The prop that doth uphold through toil and pain;
The joy of ages through immortal reign;
Yet born of mortal flesh for life’s brief span,
O Saviour Jesus, Shepherd, Husbandman;
Helm Thou to guide, and bridle to restrain,
Wing of the holy flock that heaven would gain;
Catcher of men from evil’s whelming sea,
The holy fishes, saved that are to be,

Drawn from the billowy deep with sweetest lure
Of life that shall for evermore endure:
O holiest Shepherd of enlightened sheep,
Lead Thou Thy flock the upward heavenly steep:
O King of holy children, lead the way,
And pure may they both follow and obey!
Thou art, O Christ, the living heavenly Way,
The ever-flowing Word, unchanging Day,
Eternal Light, and mercy’s healthful Spring;
The Perfecter of every virtuous thing;

Pure Life of all the happy ransomed throng
Who hymn their God through all the ages long:
The heavenly millk milk, from holy breasts that flows,
By which the infant Church in wisdom grows,
And graces rare, as it befits the Bride,
Adorned, O Jesu Christ, for Thine own side.
Thy feeble children gather with sweet smile,
To sing with holy mouth, and free from guile,
Thyself, in songs and praises without end,
The children’s leader, and the children’s friend.

O little children, thus so gently led,
So tenderly with truth and reason fed,
And filled with the Holy Spirit’s dew,
Our hymns and praises feeble, yet all true,

In grateful homage unto Christ the King,
Who taught us life, let us together sing:
A peaceful choir, Christ-born, and undefiled,
A people wise, sing we the strong-born child;
Sing we with heart and voice, and never cease
To praise with one accord the God of Peace!