Scott Hahn [Inconnu(e)] - A Father Who Keeps His Promise: God’s Covenant Love in Scripture

The imprimatur and nihil obstat are declarations that this work is considered to be free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the same agree with the contents, opinion, or statements expressed.

Scripture passages have been taken from the Revised Standard Version, Catholic edition. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. Verses marked CEV have been taken from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible. Versus marked NAB have been taken from the New American Bible.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America. Copyright 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Cover photo: Dennis Frates, Oregon Scenics

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Hahn, Scott

A father who keeps his promises : Gods covenant love in scripture / Scott Hahn

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-89283-829-9 (alk. paper)

1. Redemption. 2. GodLove. 3. Salvation. I. Title.

BT775.H15 1998

CIP

ISBN-13: 978-0-89283-829-5

ISBN-10: 0-89283-829-9

1998 by Scott Hahn, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

Published by Servant Books, an imprint of St. Anthony Messenger Press

28 W. Liberty St.

Cincinnati, OH 45202

www.ServantBooks.org

Printed in the United States of America

Printed on acid-free paper

09 10 11 12 13 20 19 18 17 16

To the Monday Afternoon Scripture Class:

Michael, Gabriel, Matt, Anthony,
Catherine, Sia, Katie and Genice.

And to my beloved wife, Kimberly, without whom this book
wouldnt have been possible or readable.

CONTENTS

I once asked my friend Peter Kreeft which of his twenty-plus books he regarded as his most important. He thought for a moment, and then replied: Id say it was the one I didnt write during the years that my kids were young and needed me around. Good answer. For me, this book nearly ended up in that category.

It started seven years ago, when Fr. David Testa invited me to teach a series on salvation history to his parishioners at St. Pauls in Hudson, New York. These talks were taped by St. Joseph Communications and subsequently transcribed. Ann Spangler of Servant Publications later suggested that I revise and publish the transcripts for people wanting to get to know the Bible better.

Not a chance.

I had just started writing what turned out to be a 775-page doctoral thesis. I was also working with my wife, Kimberly, on another book, Rome Sweet Home . A third book seemed to be out of the question.

But during my conversations with Servant, Ann Spangler and David Came suggested finding an editor to work with me on the transcript for publication. They found a good one in Pam Moran who did a fine job sifting through some pretty dense verbiage.

Meanwhile things got even busier: two more babies; full-time teaching at the Franciscan University of Steubenville; finishing and defending my doctoral thesis, and so on. Meanwhile, the manuscript just sat there, collecting more and more dust.

Along came additional help with some more patient editors, Bert Ghezzi, Heidi Hess and Paul Thigpen, who coached me along to the point where I could see the project to completion. Finally, I can offer them my sincere thanks, and a finished manuscript.

However, what really made it possible to finish this project was being awarded a sabbatical for the Spring 1997 semester. I want to thank Franciscan Universitys president, Fr. Michael Scanlan, and the acadmic dean, Dr. Michael Healy, along with my colleagues in the Theology Department, for making the sabbatical possible.

The greatest motivation of all came to me one afternoon in the car when Kimberly was reading an earlier version to our two oldest boys while we were driving to Cleveland to see Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls slaughter the Cavs. I sat in the drivers seat listening to their comments, and it suddenly dawned on me that they were really getting into it. Both boys encouraged me to read parts of it to their high school classmates who met in our home every Monday afternoon for an hour and a half of Bible study. The same thing happened. All I can say is thanks, and this ones for you.

Of course, more than a few rough edges remain, and I alone am responsible for that. Here again, I draw consolation from one of my favorite writers, G.K. Chesterton, who said, If something is really worth doing, its worth doing badly.

After many years of teaching this material at various levels (high school, undergraduate and graduate), Im more convinced than ever that it certainly is worth doing. In fact, I cant think of anything more worth doing than sharing the biblical story of Gods covenant love in salvation history. Thats what this book is all about. So its not written as a textbook or academic monograph, but a simple retelling of the stories that make up the Story.

For the most part, I stick to the major characters and events, since the stories make up the Bibles main plot. My primary goal is to convey the big picture, which has been lost to many readers of Scripture in our day. In the process, I also hope to show how much practical wisdom the Bible contains for the ordinary believer, especially rank and file Catholics. That is one of the reasons I emphasize the twin themes of the covenant and family, because they touch us right where we live. The other reason for focusing on these closely related themes is because the Bible itself does.

The approach taken here is anything but new. I follow the basic guidelines of the Church fathers and doctors, recent papal teachings, the Vatican II documents, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Biblical Commissions recent instruction on The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. This narrative approach to the biblical account focuses our attention on Gods fatherly plan in making covenants with his family throughout salvation history. We employ the method known as canonical criticism, which involves reading the Old Testament in the light of the New, and vice versa, following the wisdom of St. Augustine, cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New (#129). Our approach is also ecumenical, drawing insight from Protestant biblical scholars, and ancient rabbinic and modern Jewish sources. All of this is especially evident in the endnotes, which I strongly encourage readers to consult.

One final word before beginning: This book is not designed to serve as a primary text for Scripture classes at any level. In fact, I am strongly opposed to anyone who would use it as such; there can only be one primary text for studying Scripture, and that is the Bible itself. On the other hand, this book might prove to be useful, in various contexts, as a supplemental guide for study.