Othodox Books?

[Brother Adam]

Hi all,

I've picked up several new title while bargain shopping and was wondering if you could tell me any problems with the following:

Basics of Catholic Theology by Coleman
Why Believe by Eileen Flynn
Ministries: A Relational Approach by Hahnenberg
The Dead Sea Scrolls by Wise Abegg and Cook


Thanks!

[mom25angels]

Sorry, Bro but I haven't read any of these. Who are the publishers you can [i]usaully[/i] tell if they're orthodox or not by them.

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

I'm assuming they don't have the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatuer?

[Apotheoun]

Although I have not read the book, "Basics of Catholic Theology," by Coleman, if the book is by Fr. Gerald Coleman, the rector of St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park CA, I would read it with caution. I say this because I have read a book by Fr. Gerald Coleman entitled "Homosexuality" in which he equivocates on the gravely immoral nature of homosexual acts, and in which he doesn't fully acknowledge the Church's teaching that the homosexual condition itself, although not a sin, is an objective disorder tending toward an intrinsic moral evil, and thus the homosexual inclination is not benign, but is a pathological condition which can in no way be affirmed as a natural component part of a person's self identity.

As far as the other authors are concerned, I have not heard their names before, nor do I remember reading anything written by them.

I hate to add this comment, but I would use caution in reading almost any book of Catholic theology written after 1965. I normally recommend reading books by authors like, Jean Cardinal Danielou, Fr. Loius Bouyer, Karl Adam, Fr. John Adam Mohler, Fr. Matthias Scheeben, Fr. Emile Mersch, Fr. Fernand Prat, etc., along with the writings of the Church Fathers, and the saints. I want to be clear about this, I am not saying that everything written after 1965 is intrinsically heretical, but books written since that time are often of uneven quality.

Edited July 29, 2004 by Apotheoun

[phatcatholic]

bro adam,

i always check Amazon and see what others say about them:

[b]Basics of Catholic Theology by Coleman[/b]
--couldn't find at amazon


[b]Why Believe by Eileen Flynn[/b]
--[i]Dr. Robert Ludwig, DePaul University, Chicago, and Series Editor[/i]
In a time when too many are ill-informed or simply not informed at all, Flynn presents a one-volume overview that teaches, and teaches well.

--[i]From the Publisher[/i]
Drawing upon her twenty years of teaching at the college level, Flynn connects theological themes to the questions, hopes, and interests that students bring to the classroom and their daily lives.

--[i]Book Description[/i]
The first in Sheed & Ward's new Catholic Studies Series, this book gives a basic background for the study of Catholic theology for students who are new to the field. Beyond presenting the historical facts and key concepts of theology, this book offers students insight into the relevance and meaning of Catholic Christianity and how it can make a positive difference in their lives


[b]Ministries: A Relational Approach by Hahnenberg[/b]
--no reviews available


[b]The Dead Sea Scrolls by Wise Abegg and Cook[/b]
--[i]From Publishers Weekly[/i]
In 1946, the world of biblical studies was rocked by the discovery of several scrolls in caves around the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea Scrolls contained translations of portions of the books of the Hebrew scriptures, a manual of discipline for the community responsible for producing the scrolls and a scroll that narrated an apocalyptic battle between the sons of light, led by a figure called the Teacher of Righteousness, and the sons of darkness. These documents gave biblical scholars a tantalizing glimpse of the then relatively unknown period of first-century Judaism and of the theology of at least one of its sects. Very quickly, though, the ownership of the scrolls became a point of great political contention between the Israeli government and American scholars like Frank Moore Cross at Harvard, and, consequently, translations of the scrolls appeared very slowly, if at all. Finally, in 1991, author Martin Abegg, then a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati, published a volume of previously unreleased scrolls. Following this publication, the Huntington Library announced that it had photographs of all the unreleased scrolls and that it would allow unrestricted access to the photos. Wise, Abegg and Cook's collection is now the most complete collection of the Dead Sea Scrolls available. The authors' English translations capture the nuances of the Hebrew, and sometimes the Greek, of the scrolls, many of which are merely fragments. Also contained here is a thorough introduction to the history of the discovery of the scrolls and a theory about the community that produced the scrolls: the authors convincingly argue that the Essenes, to whom the scrolls are traditionally attributed, were likely not the community responsible for writing the scrolls. For all interested in learning from primary texts about the development of first-century Judaism, this is an essential volume
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

--[i]From Library Journal[/i]
Wise (The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, LJ 2/1/93) and his team of scholars and writers occupy what might be called the minority position in scrolls scholarship: The Qumran group cannot be identified simply as "Essenes," the site itself was not a headquarters, and few if any of the scrolls were written at Qumran. The position of Wise et al., in contrast with the "Standard Model" (as they call it), is set forth in a brief introduction along with the usual information about the discovery and publication of the scrolls. One of the most helpful things these translators do for nonspecialist readers is to explain the process of manuscript reconstruction and the use of brackets and parentheses to indicate missing portions of text and the like. The translations themselves are generally more idiomatic and less stiff than those in Florentino G. Martinez's The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated (Eerdmans, 1996. 2d ed.). As the fruit of an alternative approach to the origins and significance of the scrolls, and as a smooth translation, this work should be in collections where there is scholarly and popular interest.?Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama Lib., Birmingham
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

--[i]From Booklist[/i]
As many people know, access to the Dead Sea Scrolls, a cache of 2,000-year-old Jewish writings, was long denied to the public and to most of the academic world. The scrolls were finally wrested away from the scholarly team that controlled them when one of this book's authors, Martin Abegg, used computer technology to reconstruct hundreds of texts from an extant concordance. Except for the original seven intact scrolls (held and translated promptly by the Israelis), the rest of the scrolls were in thousands of fragments. What the authors present here is quite amazing. Almost every legible portion of the texts is translated into English, and commentary is offered for each text. Perhaps only those truly interested in the subject will make their way through the texts themselves, but even the most general of readers should be fascinated by the authors' introduction. Not only do they succinctly summarize scroll history and show readers how to read the scrolls, they put forth their own theories and accessibly compare them with what have been the standard interpretations. An engaging necessity for updating Dead Sea Scrolls collections. Ilene Cooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

--[i]Journal of Biblical Literature[/i]
"...a rather readable presentation of a large portion of the non-biblical scrolls, which commends itself to the general reader."

--[i]John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus, De Paul University and author of The Birth of Christianity and The Historical Jesus[/i]
"The Dead Sea Scrolls are not just for scholars anymore. They are here in a book that anyone can understand. Read these texts. Hidden in their caves, they survived the ravages of time and decay to speak to us today across two thousand years. They have survived their authors and will survive us, their readers."

--[i]Bible Review[/i]
"...the spirit of debate and critique, reappraisal and revision is here very much present. The brief discussions of the languages and scripts of the scrolls are a nice and somewhat unusual touch in a volume of this kind."

--[i]Ingram[/i]
"An essential volume" ("Publishers Weekly") from the cutting-edge new generation of Dead Sea Scroll scholars--the most reader-friendly and comprehensive translation of the Scrolls ever published.

--[i]From the Publisher[/i]
The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation is a landmark work that brings to life the long-inaccessible ancient scrolls of Qumran. Three distinguished translators at the forefront of modern scrolls scholarship reveal the rich tapestry of writings known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is the most comprehensive translation ever compiled for the general reader in any language.

Translated into modern-day English by Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr. and Edward Cook, this book contains virtually every legible portion of the fragmented scrolls, including revelatory information on early Christianity and its roots far deeper than previously realized in ancient Judaism. Included as well are scroll fragments that promise to alter dramatically our view of biblical history, including never-before released texts and newly discovered writings by and about key biblical prophets and ancestors. The translators provide illuminating commentary throughout that place the scrolls in their true historical context. They also present a compelling, insightful introduction that gives the reader an overview of the often surprising contents of the scrolls and discusses what are perhaps the greatest mysteries of the scrolls -- who authored them and why.

From a new generation of Dead Sea Scrolls scholars, here is a fresh look at the scrolls, including the most recently released texts. Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr. and Edward Cook unlock the secrets and rich mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the most comprehensive translation ever published for the general reader in any language. Their brilliant scholarship and illuminating commentary add dramatic new knowledge to our understanding of the scrolls. This historic translation includes:[list]
[*]Intriguing revelations about biblical history and the roots of Christianity.
[/list][list]
[*]Never-before-seen stories about the biblical figures Abraham, Jacob and Enoch -- including a text explaining why God demanded the sacrifice of Isaac.
[/list][list]
[*]Twelve texts not included in the Bible that claim Moses as their author.
[/list][list]
[*]New psalms attributed to King David and to Joshua.
[/list][list]
[*]Texts illuminating ancient doctrines about angels and writings claiming to be revelations of angels themselves including the Archangel Michael.
[/list][i]The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation[/i] will set the standard for scrolls scholarship for years to come. This is an important, rigorously researched work that renders the scrolls vibrant and accessible.

In their great variety and stunning richness, the Dead Sea Scrolls as captured in this groundbreaking translation offer modern readers an unprecedented glimpse of the complex roots of modern Christianity. Its dozens of never-before-published texts encompass poetry and prose, teaching parables and magical tales, astrology, apocalyptic visions, lists of buried treasure, stories of messiahs and antichrists, demons and angels and together comprise a new classic of religious history.

Long withheld from public view, the ancient scrolls found in the caves of Qumran near the Dead Sea are revered by many but known in full by very few. Now three translators at the forefront of modern scrolls scholarship have revealed the entire rich complex of writings, stories, poems and texts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

[i]About the Author[/i]
--Michael Wise, who is among the foremost young scholars translating the Scrolls today, has been profiled in Time, The New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune. He is Scholar-in-Residence and Professor of Ancient Languages at Northwestern College, St. Paul, Minnesota.

[i]Book Description[/i]
--From a new generation of Dead Sea Scrolls scholars comes this landmark work. Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr. and Edward Cook bring the long-inaccessible ancient scrolls of Qumran vividly to life, translating and deciphering virtually every legible portion of the fragmented scrolls, with startling results. For the first time since their discovery, this historic volume reveals:[list]
[*]Intriguing revelations about biblical history and the roots of Christianity.
[/list][list]
[*]Never-before-seen stories about Abraham, Jacob, and Enoch -- including a text explaining why God demanded the sacrifice of Isaac.
[/list][list]
[*]Twelve texts not included in the Bible that claim Moses as their author.
[/list][list]
[*]New psalms attributed to King David and to Joshua.
[/list][list]
[*]Texts illuminating ancient doctrines about angels and writings claiming to be revelations of angels themselves -- including the Archangel Michael.
[/list]The translators provide pointed commentary throughout that places the scrolls in their true historical context. Their compelling, insightful introduction not only presents an overview of the often surprising contents of the scrolls, it discusses what are perhaps their greatest mysteries -- who authored them and why.


i hope this helps.........pax christi,
phatcatholic

[Apotheoun]

The following is an excerpt from a book review written by Eileen P. Flynn:

[quote]Being an angry Catholic woman, numbered among the "devout" (weekly church attendees), I looked with interest for a description of my alienation. I found it in Chap. XIV, "The Domestic Church," where Durkin speaks of tokenism, paternalism, institutional structure, patriarchy, and altar girls. And Greeley revealed why, despite my anger, I have staved with it. The picture of God, in my imagination, exorcised the incompatibilites between the image of Church in the past and the image of Woman in the present. I have been able to continue in the Catholic Church because in the deep recesses of my mind and heart I relate to God as Lover. Thus, I am able to overcome my distaste for many aspects of institutional Catholicism, and I worship God in the flawed community to which I have always belonged.

Persons interested in faith, imagination, gender gap, reconciliation, and evangelization should read this book. While not the last word, it is a thoughtful commentary on a very pressing problem.

Eileen P. Flynn
Saint Peter's College
Jersey City, New Jersey[/quote]

To read the whole book review click the link below:

[url="http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1984/v41-3-bookreview10.htm"]Book review of "Angry Catholic Women"[/url]

I have found a blog that states that Eileen P. Flynn, a professor at St. Peter's College in New Jersey, supports the ordination of women to the priesthood, but I have so far been unable to find anything on the internet written by her where she herself indicates that she support women's ordination.

Edited July 29, 2004 by Apotheoun

[Apotheoun]

Here is an article by Professor Eileen P. Flynn, in which she calls for an end to the Latin Rite tradition of clerical celibacy, and speaks of women eventually being able to serve as priests. Based on what I have found on the internet alone, I would not put any of her books on my recommended reading list. Here is her article from the Miami Herald:


[i]Posted on Mon, Jan. 05, 2004[/i]

[b]CATHOLIC CHURCH: Changes are welcome, but more are still needed[/b]

BY EILEEN P. FLYNN
eileenpflynn@aol.com

Tomorrow the Catholic Church's Office of Youth and Child Protection is due to release a report on the compliance of U.S. dioceses to the procedures that they adopted in 2002. Most Catholics expect that the bishops will receive high marks for compliance. They will also probably apologize again for the suffering of victims and pledge themselves to better management of the church.

The bishops, however, will be making a big mistake if they think that this will be enough. Catholics will not agree to simply let them get back to business as usual. This New Year does not represent a chance to just move on; important steps remain to be taken. Two of these are of great significance: structuring financial reform and tackling the issue of the priest shortage.

Recent bishops statements about how much money dioceses have paid in settlements declare that monies paid have not come from annual appeals or Sunday collections. Bishops suggest that diocesan self-insurance, payments from insurance carriers and ''other'' sources of revenue, such as interest on investments or sales of properties, have been used.

This is disingenuous. No one has four wallets. In many cases, annual appeals would not have been necessary if diocesan funds were not used to settle claims.

[b]How much is insurance?[/b]

How do dioceses pay for insurance? It must be from money collected from parishioners. How much do dioceses pay today to buy insurance or self-insure? Comparison of amounts from 10, 20 and 30 years ago would likely show a huge increase because of the potential liability caused by the presence of sex abusers among the clergy.

In 2002, the Catholic hierarchy of the United States was hit by more than 10,000 headlines about sexual molestation. In 2003, bishops slogged through the disagreeable work of dealing with lawsuits and implementing procedures to make the church safe for children.

Guidelines adopted by the bishops in June 2002 have been put in place. These require background checks of personnel who work with children; training for priests, lay employees and volunteers; and instruction for children. The bishops have stated that if there are future allegations of sexual molestation by priests, these will be reported to law-enforcement authorities. Review boards have been established and will be consulted to determine if allegations are credible. If credible, accused priests will be removed from ministry until final determinations are made. No priest molesters will be returned to ministry. There will be no more secret monetary settlements or confidentiality agreements.

In short, much has been done, but there's still a long way to go.

In structuring financial reform, it is imperative that the Catholic bishops deliver on their promise of transparency. Parishioners have lots of questions; only with total openness will these be answered.

Why dont bishops turn over control of church finances to elected lay leaders? We have the time, the expertise and the interest to do an excellent job of financial management, and, if we had control of the money, the bishops could employ their time to better purposes. Delegation of financial responsibility could work as well in the Catholic Church as it does in other Christian denominations.

[b]Make celibacy optional[/b]

Another matter can no longer be ignored: There are not enough priests, and priests are aging. The Vaticans response is that Catholics should pray for vocations. Plan A has been in effect for generations, and for the past two generations, it has not worked. It is time for Plan B. This would require that the U.S. bishops take an active stance with the Vatican and lobby to make celibacy optional. There is no scriptural or theological reason why priests have to be celibate. If the celibacy requirement were lifted, it is likely that many more men would consider the priesthood.

Change would also result in women expressing desires to serve as priests. Someday their willingness to stand at the altar will be gladly accepted. Regrettably, however, Plan C is not yet on the Catholic horizon.

This will not be an easy year for Catholic bishops. If they compromise their corporate integrity and ignore underlying issues, they may buy themselves a temporary reprieve, but the peace that they achieve will be as false as it is short-lived.

[i]Eileen P. Flynn is a professor at Saint Peters College, a Jesuit institution in New Jersey, and author of [u]Catholics at a Crossroads: Coverup, Crisis, and Cure[/u].[/i]


To read the article on the originating website click the link below:
[url="http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/7634645.htm?1c"]Catholic Church: changes are welcome, but more are still needed[/url]

Edited July 29, 2004 by Apotheoun

[Apotheoun]

So far I have only found a couple of rather innocuous quotations from Edward P. Hahnenberg's book [u]Ministries: A Relational Approach[/u], and so I can't really make a detailed judgment about the orthodoxy of the book. But I would advise caution because his emphasis on "lay ministry" may be problematic, i.e., if he doesn't unequivocally assert and maintain the [i]essential[/i] distinction between the Ministerial Priesthood of the ordained and the Royal Priesthood of the laity, since this is a fundamental distinction in Catholic theology.

[p0lar_bear]

I'd be wary of anything published by Sheed and Ward after Frank and Masie died...

[phatcatholic]

[quote name='p0lar_bear' date='Jul 30 2004, 01:24 PM'] I'd be wary of anything published by Sheed and Ward after Frank and Masie died... [/quote]
its a shame that we must be wary, too

[catholicguy]

If you are looking for a good book about doctrine, I would get Apostolic Digest by Michael Malone, which contains over 3,200 quotations from Fathers of the Church, Popes, Councils, Saints, approved catechisms, and much more. It is very good. God bless.

[cmotherofpirl]

Look for [i]Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma[/i] by Ludwig Ott.

[EcceNovaFacioOmni]

Aquina's Shorter Summa is a great book on theology. It costs $13 or something. It is St. Thomas Aquina's own concise version of the Summa Theologica (written at the request of a friend toward the end of his life), without commentary. Available from the Sophia Institute Press, a publisher of an awesome line of Catholic books, including the Aquinas' Catechism, Aquina's Prayer Book (includes Latin versions), and books by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. And they don't have anything to do with the New Age Sophia goddess movement.
[url="http://www.sophiainstitute.com/"]http://www.sophiainstitute.com/[/url]

[MagiDragon]

Scepter publishers rocks![url="http://www.scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php"]Scepter[/url]

Opus Dei!

Peace,
Joe

Edited July 31, 2004 by MagiDragon

[Brother Adam]

thank you for the notes, yes i can look on amazon.com too, but unfortunately they won't say anything about othrodoxy like you guys will. But that is helpful.

No, I'm not looking for a book on doctrine in particular, I already have over 300 of them (Catholic books that is) I just buy them up as I see them (when I have money, which will end very shortly with going to Franciscan, haha)