Holy People, Holy Land
A Theological Introduction to the Bible
-
- $16.99
-
- $16.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
