Reviewed Elsewhere [Vol. 2, #46]
ERB Editor Chris Smith
Reviews Nora Gallagher’s THE SACRED MEAL
http://weblog.englewoodcc.com/?p=72
The “Ancient Practices” series from Thomas Nelson – with its deep historical rooting and careful theological attentiveness – is rapidly becoming one of my favorite ongoing series of books. Thus, I was pleased to see the release of two new volumes. The first of these volumes is Nora Gallagher’s THE SACRED MEAL, which explores the meaning of the practice of Eucharist (or communion, as it is called here Englewood and in many other churches). Gallagher eloquently reflects upon the communal nature of the Eucharist, the stages of participating in the Eucharist (waiting, receiving and afterward) and then explores the theological meaning of the bread and the cup as it has been honored in various traditions at various times in church history.
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Read the full review:
http://weblog.englewoodcc.com/?p=72
The Sacred Meal (Ancient Practices Series).
Nora Gallagher.
Hardback: Thomas Nelson, 2009.
Buy Now: [ ChristianBook.com ]
The POPMatters Review of
Chris Wickham’s The Inheritance of Rome:
Illuminating the Dark Ages 400-1000
http://bit.ly/596oPD
The Roman Empire and the Renaissance loom large on the timeline of human history, two great epochs of accomplishment and achievement that demonstrate our ability to shape and exert control over our world. The Middle Ages, so titled because they exist between those two monumental pillars of civilization, are often seen as the inverse, when humankind languished in an uncertain, anarchic world.
Chris Wickham, professor of medieval history at Oxford, challenges this point-of-view, arguing that the Middle Ages must be considered not just as a speed bump on the path of progress but rather on its own merits, as a complex and intricate system that emerged in response to a changing environment. His book, The Inheritance of Rome, is a very meticulous, overwhelmingly detailed account of an era largely unfamiliar to modern readers. It is, at times, exhausting and cluttered, but also laden with interesting passages that shed light on this volatile period in history.
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Read the full review:
http://bit.ly/596oPD
The Inheritance of Rome:
Illuminating the Dark Ages 400-1000.
Chris Wickham.
Hardcover: Viking, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]
ORION Magazine Reviews Poet Charles Wright’s
Newest Collection, SESTETS
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/review/4954/
THE POEMS in Wright’s astonishing nineteenth collection of poetry serve as a loyal lighthouse to the reader: a sure and steady beam that pulses, discovers, and searches out—all while allowing the reader that important and necessary pause to let his lines haunt and delight. When one thinks of “sestets,” six-lined poems, one would normally assume compression and density of taut lines. Not so: these expansive and gratifying poems often perform a sort of intimate “aside” to the reader. Wright breaks or “drops” the line part way into a singular line, as if to nudge the reader to pause for a bit and contemplate the themes of mortality and nature that often appear in these poems. What comes after the visual drop on the page is usually a somber reflection or a surprising twist on the previous image. The poems are almost bursting with notions of what it means to be at once at odds and in harmony with nature, and the visual drop deftly allows for this juxtaposition. Consider: “This is the light its wings dissolve in / if it ever gets out from underground.”
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Read the full review:
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/review/4954/
SESTETS: Poems.
Charles Wright.
Hardback, FSG, 2009.
Buy now: [ Amazon ]
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