Catholics, Scripture, and Culture. Oh, and Conversion.

Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith reflects in the Catholic Herald on the dearth of conversations about Scripture and the loss of culture that results from a Scripture-challenged (my term, not his) society:

I had lunch with a young evangelical the other day and we talked about the Bible. This led me to reflect that I do not often have conversations about the Bible, and that interest in the Holy Scriptures as such (as opposed to proof texting, which means picking out quotes that back up your opinion on some controversial subject) seems to be a rare thing these days. This is a great pity, I think, especially in the light of the Second Vatican Council which was supposed to inaugurate a new appreciation of the Scriptures among Catholics.

That Catholics are not as interested in Scripture as they might be could be a reflection on how academics treat the Scriptures. I will never forget (and I fear never get over) the way the Scriptures were taught so badly in the Roman Pontifical University that I attended. The course on the synoptic gospels was good, and we had a lively and interesting teacher, who clearly loved her subject; but the courses on the Old Testament were dismal in the extreme. Before I studied theology, I had read English Literature at university, and in my humble opinion the approach to Scripture could learn a great deal from the study of Eng Lit. In other words, start with the story the Old Testament tells, and spare us the memorable (in all the wrong senses) opening lectures on who the Hittites were.

He goes on to comment on his favorite books of the Bible and the influence of Scripture in British culture and literature. He concludes: "Our current ignorance of the Scriptures represents a terrible loss to our culture. So: next time you sit down to lunch with someone, why not ask them which bit of the Bible they like best? Who knows, you might be in for a pleasant surprise."

It's a most fascinating topic, especially for someone such as myself, who was grew up in a Fundamentalist/Evangelical setting and then entered the Catholic Church in my twenties after a couple of years at an Evangelical Bible college. One of the greatest gifts my parents bestowed on me was a definite and persistent immersion in Scripture and an overt love for the same. At the age of three or four, I (along with several children of the same age) would stand at the front of our small church, before a few dozen folks, and recite verses from the Bible. Sunday School, needless to say, was filled with stories from the Bible, including all of the Big Ones from the Old Testament (Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses and the Exodus, David and Solomon, the Judges, etc.) and the New Testament. I took it for granted and was surprised as I made my way through elementary school that many of my classmates were hazy and indifferent about the famous men, women, and events of the Bible. Didn't everyone read the Bible on a regular basis? No? Really?? (I'm not suggesting that I was sheltered; I'm just noting I didn't understand my upbringing diverged in some ways from that of most other kids. Okay, I was a bit sheltered.)

At the age of nine or ten, I also took a number of correspondence Bible courses from Moody Bible College (Chicago), and I continued to memorize large chunks of the Bible, not only passages from John 3 and Romans 3, but several of the Psalms and sections of the Proverbs. The prophets, in general, were given short shrift, with the exception of Daniel, who was linked, connected, and obsessively intertwined with the Book of Revelation, which itself was always a favorite. Romans, not surprisingly, was a book that garnered much attention; by the time I arrived at Briercrest Bible College, the margins of my Ryrie Study Bible (NAS) indicated that Romans, the Psalms, and the Book of Revelation were fairly regular fare for me. When I was first starting to read, my parents were still using the King James Version; I'm rather thankful such was the case, because I was immersed, for a few years, in the rich language of that translation (setting aside the issue of theological biases, which, frankly, wasn't on my four-year-old radar). This meant that when I began reading this and that by Milton, Jonson, and Shakespeare, I was at least comfortable with tackling it and enjoying it, even if I barely comprehended it.

Our little Bible Chapel made the switch to the New American Standard translation (which is quite similar in many ways to the RSV) when I was about ten; I was then gifted with my Charles Ryrie Study Bible, itself a more modern take on the dubious but semi-venerable practice of dispensationalist glossings first introduced to mankind by Cyrus Scofield in 1909 (revised in 1917), who used the KJV (of course). During my junior high years I discovered the shockingly modern and dangerous poetry of T. S. Eliot, whose pre-Anglican poems (Prufock!) rocked my semi-geeky world. Lucky for me, all of the other kids in Plains, Montana, were also enamored with Eliot and e. e. cummings (no, of course they weren't; don't be silly). During my high school years, I was reading more and more "worldly" books (Chaim Potok, Kenneth Roberts, Frank Herbert, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Aldous Huxley, and such), but was still getting plenty of Scripture on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. At that point, my interests were more artistic than theological, and there was a definite stagnancy in both my approach to Scripture and my faith. In retrospect, some of it was due to feeling boxed in by the rather utilitarian approach to reading and studying the Bible that I thought was being foisted upon me; it was something I increasingly "had to do". For the most part I viewed Scripture as a combination Moral Handbook and Story of Jesus. The scriptural swimming pool was shallow and at that time I had no idea how to find the deep end.

My first year at college (a one-year course in graphic design) was quite rough emtionally: I was a thousand miles from home, in a big city, and I didn't have an iPhone (nobody else did either, in 1988, but I especially felt the void left by the not-yet-invented technology). I began spending time reading and memorizing Scripture. Once again, I gravitated back to Romans and the Psalms, but this time with a rather raw, existential ache. Yep, I was homesick. I was out in the big, bad world, and it was a bit overwhelming. I vividly recall moments of painful awareness of my mortality; for the first time, the transitory and often brutal nature of life was evident to me (and yet I did not become Buddhist). The Psalms were a special source of comfort, as they have been for countless Jews and Christians for thousands of years. My zeal for "sharing the faith" was demonstrated by convincing my Catholic roommate to ditch his works-oriented, ritualistic man-made religion and attend a "real church" with me. It turned out he had never really read the Bible and knew nothing about basic Christianity, further reinforcing my objective and completely fair belief that Catholics were biblically-illiterate pagans who were bound for hell.

During a short stint the next year at Northwest Nazarene College (Nampa, Idaho), I took an elective in Scripture and wrote a research paper on chapter four of the Book of Revelation. It was really the first time I had ever delved into commentaries that presented views quite different from my own; I was challenged to think more critically and reflectively about how to read and inerpret Scripture. Soon after, I decided to take off a year from studying art and go to Bible college. I ended up spending two years at Briercrest Bible College (Saskatchewan), and it was there that many of my simplistic presuppositions, shallow understandings, and limited perspectives about the Bible were taken to the woodshed for a much needed whuppin'. One of the best things that happened was that I was exposed to different perspectives on studying Scripture and different approaches—theological and literary—to assimilating it and living it.

For example, a series of Old Testament classes by Ken Guenter showed me that while I had a decent sense of the main characters and events of the OT books, I was mostly clueless about the historical context(s), the culture, and the theological premises and priorities of, say, the authors of Deuteronomy, Judges, Isaiah, and so forth. A most fantastic class on the Gospel of Matthew (taught by Dr. Bruce Fisk, now at Westmont) opened the doors to a fresh and far deeper understanding of Jesus and the Gospels than I had ever heard before, one that was vibrant and engaging. Some classes in New Testament Greek further helped me appreciate nuances of rhetoric and language (I sometimes joke that I've studied enough Koine Greek "to be dangerous, but not enough to be helpful". Actually, it's not a joke; it's true). Classes in Christian fiction and poetry—Flannery O'Connor! Charles Williams! Gerard Manley Hopkins!—made connections to blblical images and theological motifs within literary and artistic settings; I read Eliot's post-conversion poetry and was entranced by the rich theology and numerous references to Scripture found in "Four Quartets", "Ash Wednesday", and others. And so forth and so on.

My point here, in addition to taking a shameless stroll down memory lane, is to be consider and recognize how profoundly (well, I hope profoundly) my life and thinking has been shaped by knowing, hearing, reading, memorizing, studying, teaching, and writing about Scripture. I simply cannot begin to fathom what it would be like otherwise; I cannot comprehend a life without the Bible. Becoming Catholic (in 1997) was a logical fulfullment of the arch that began to be traced at a young age, despite the puzzlement (and anger) expressed by some friends and family members. The most important piece of the puzzle was recognizing the intimate relationship between the Bible and liturgy (I could point to a number of books here, but Jean Danielou's The Bible and the Liturgy, is a great place to start). When I first attended a Mass, in 1995, I heard Scripture from beginning to end; I had never heard so much Bible in a church service in my life. But I heard it in a completely new and distinctive way, and I knew it was meant to be heard in that liturgical setting, oriented to and flowing from the Eucharist.

As Josef Pieper explained so well in his classic book, Leisure: The Basis of Culture, culture flows from the cultus, the worship, of a community; in Christian culture, it is rooted in divine revelation, which comes through Scripture and Tradition, via the Church founded by Christ. Pope Benedict XVI, in the magnificent 2010 apostolic exhortation, Verbum Domini, described the Bible as the "great code for cultures", writing:

Down the centuries the word of God has inspired different cultures, giving rise to fundamental moral values, outstanding expressions of art and exemplary life-styles.Hence, in looking to a renewed encounter between the Bible and culture, I wish to reassure all those who are part of the world of culture that they have nothing to fear from openness to God’s word, which never destroys true culture, but rather is a constant stimulus to seek ever more appropriate, meaningful and humane forms of expression. Every authentic culture, if it is truly to be at the service of humanity, has to be open to transcendence and, in the end, to God. ...

Sacred Scripture contains anthropological and philosophical values that have had a positive influence on humanity as a whole. A sense of the Bible as a great code for cultures needs to be fully recovered.

Finally, what part of the Bible do I like best? The easy (and not entirely wrong) answer would be, "The Book of Revelation". But I find it increasingly difficult to pinpoint a favorite book, because every time I lead a study of a "new" book at our parish (we've now been studying Proverbs for a year or so), it becomes my favorite book. Put another way, the more I study Scripture, the more I see the 73 books of the Old and New Testaments as a single book, pointing a single Man, inspired by a single Holy Spirit, revealing a single Gospel, gifted by a singular Triune God, for the establishment of a single Kingdom. Reading Proverbs, I am impressed by how a book written some three thousand years ago can be so applicable to my life, as well as to current events (I hope to write a post soon titled something like, "Proverbs and Riots").

In the words of St. Ambrose, "Divine Scripture is the feast of wisdom, and the single books are the various dishes." Dig in! Or Pope St. Gregory: "The Bible is a stream wherein the elephant may swim and the lamb may wade". Dive in!

From Ignatius Insight:

 • "A Symphony of the Word" | A Short Guide to Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini | Carl E. Olson
• The Ten Commandments and the Gospel | Carl E. Olson
• "A Word Addressed by God to His People": Benedict XVI and the Interpretation of Sacred Scripture | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Introduction to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's God's Word: Scripture, Tradition, Office | Peter Hünermann and Thomas Södin
• God, The Author of Scripture | Preface to God and His Image: An Outline of Biblical Theology | Fr. Dominique Barthélemy, O.P.
• Going Deeper Into the Old Testament | An Interview with Aidan Nichols, O.P.
• The Pattern of Revelation: A Contentious Issue | From Lovely Like Jerusalem | Aidan Nichols, O.P.
• Origen and Allegory | Introduction to History and Spirit: The Understanding of Scripture According to Origen | Henri de Lubac
• How To Read The Bible | From You Can Understand the Bible | Peter Kreeft
• Introduction to The Meaning of Tradition | Yves Congar, O.P.
• The Bible Gap: Spanning the Distance Between Scripture and Theology | Fr. Benedict Ashley, O.P.
• The Divine Authority of Scripture vs. the "Hermeneutic of Suspicion" | James Hitchcock

Comments

[John Pacheco]

As an art teacher, I love when I become a preacher and I introduce the world of the Bible to my little pagans. The history of Western art, of course, cannot be appreciated without understanding Jesus as revealed by scripture and the Church. Lamentably, the influence of His role and person to the art and artists of the past is simply an artifact to most of our young people. True inspiration is replaced by voyeurism and despair. Though I disagreed with him at the time, I think my art professor, Morton Sachs (a Jew, by the way), had it right when he said, "All else being equal, a painting of the Madonna is more beautiful than a painting of a cabbage."

[Agnieszka]

Carl, thanks, I like your story. Mine is different and pretty generic.
Like a typical "unchallenged by Scripture" cradle Catholic, I did everything backwards (looking for wisdom in many unholy books and places) before picking up the Bible. Now I still read, and re-read a lot but if it doesn't have Christ in it, I consider it a waste (of time too).

[Carl E. Olson]

Thanks, Agnieszka. But I don't think anyone's story about becoming Catholic, staying Catholic, being Catholic is ever generic. It's always interesting; there are always unique aspects that inspire, edify, and educate. For example, when you refer to "unholy books", I wonder: what is being referred to?

[Laura]

Thanks, Carl. I enjoyed your "shameless stroll down memory lane." Our stories are similar in some aspects. My husband was the one who, like you, studied a lot. I came with him into the Church because what he explained from his studies made sense and because I believed that husband and wife should stand together in faith. I heard the call from God loud and clear, and I answered it. What resonated most with us (after the Eucharist, that is), was the fact that the liturgy was so closely tied to and flowed from Scripture. We were shocked to hear far more Scripture at Mass from those "Bible-illiterate, works-oriented Catholics" than we had ever heard at our church. We are pleased to see that more Catholics are getting into Scripture. Now if only we could get someone to lead parish Bible studies who doesn't dismiss miracles and prophecies as "embellishments" and insist that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were not actually written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.....!! I liked the two quotes at the end of your post, too. I may borrow them!

[Agnieszka]

Carl, I agree with you that it's way unfair to call anybody's conversion or being/living/staying Catholic, "generic" . Actually, it's almost an insult to describe it as that - I apologize.

I'm unable to produce a list of "unholy books"(and I don't just mean Oprah's Book Club).
I was mostly referring to adolescent (immature) infatuation with Holden Caufield types or Sylvia Plath kind of literary figures. They've been happily replaced.

[Ann Applegarth]

I, too, enjoyed your "stroll," Carl. My Southern Baptist childhood was similar and, thanks be to God, I have no memory of life without the Bible. Without it, I doubt that I would have survived long enough to discover the joy of Catholicism!

[John Dunn]

I was raised in the Catholic Church in the 1950's and attended parochial school. We were never exposed to Scripture. We might have heard readings in church, but that would have been it. Later I converted to Judaism precisely because Scripture - albeit what Christians call the Old Testament - was the focus of Jewish life. Later, under the guidance of a rabbi I began to study the New Testament as well. To this day I read Scripture, both "old" and "new" through Jewish eyes.

[John Dunn]

I just posted a comment and then went out to the Ignatius Press website to see what they offer in the way of Bible study and exegesis. Apparently nothing, if the categories that appear when you click the BOOKS tab at the top are any indication. I saw Bibles, but that was all. Yet I know that I bought a book on Biblical theology within the past year from the Press, but happened to find that only because it was on you "sale table". If you want Catholics to get into Bible Study, you might want to add a new category. Just a thought from a sympathetic friend of the Press and fellow Bible enthusiast.

[Carl E. Olson]

Thanks, John, for the comments. Ignatius Press commentaries and some books about reading the Bible can be found under "Adult Education", in the "Study Bible" section. Other works, including some having to do with exegesis, can be found by doing a search for "Scripture". Having said that, I think your idea is a good one. By the way, IgnatiusInsight.com has several essays and book excerpts about reading Scripture, exegesis, and related matters.

[John Dunn]

A further comment. The rabbi who set me to studying the New Testament also set in motion the slow realization on my part that Jesus was who and what he said he was. Sort of a case of compound metanoia, leading me back into Christianity but not back to Rome. At least not yet.

Thanks for the tips on finding the book and for the links to the articles.

[Carl E. Olson]

Thank you, John, for your remarks and for sharing a bit of your story and journey. Keep us posted, if you are able and willing!