of truth) and ancient authors like Josephus of the initial pictures and illumination than makes it a little different from most such
and Pliny are quoted, as are the arguments of the plain text, but it is the transmission guides is the confidence of its presentation
of historians and lawyers to date. There is that is explained and revealed. and production. Here we have the fullness
less philosophical discussion than helpful With computer programmes, my imagi- of church life (not merely the architecture
empirical examination of historical evi- nary student will never use the Eusebian of the building) laid out before us, with
dence and that of changed lives, albeit with Canons, anymore than I did when I saw the sacraments portrayed in full colour,
a Pauline bias. them written out in my Greek New Tes- including one of Bishop Keith Newton
The writer sees Jesus more in Damascus tament; but they are evidence of serious confirming. This is a surprisingly self-
Road terms than Emmaus Road terms. textual scholarship from the time before assured portrayal of the comprehensive-
He brings the book to a conclusion with printing. The manner of their presentation ness of rural Christian life – the multum in
a challenge to the reader: are you dead or a thousand years ago teaches us something parvo vision of the ancient parish church,
alive? There is an uneasy section indicat- about the place of Scripture in the life of even in the bleakness of the twenty-first
ing that those who are not born again are the Church that a modern commentary century.
spiritually dead – here the evangelist takes cannot. If nothing else, it will encourage As a bonus, it has a short history of
over! that delightfully modern virtue – respect. a remarkable little Anglo-Catholic col-
The resurrection can never be captured
S. Richards
lege that flourished nearly a century ago.
in prose. We need the anthems of Eastern From 1910–40, the then rector, Fr Edward
Orthodoxy and the poetry of theologians. Mears, with a generous stipend of £326 a
For Karl Rahner, Jesus’ resurrection was year and only 238
like the first eruption of a volcano, God’s REvERENCE MY souls in his care, set
fire, burning in the innermost depths SANCTUARY up The Brotherhood
of reality, bringing everything to a holy Guide to St Katharine, of St Paul, a theo-
glow in his light. A whole new creation Little Bardfield logical college based
with cosmic implications is revealed to us, Robert Beakin around his substan-
something that pervades Christian liturgy 50pp, £8 including postage tial vicarage. More
on the Lord’s Day. from The Vicarage, Braintree than 300 young men
Daniel Clark has performed a useful Road, Great Bardfield, were trained for the
service in assembling information geared, Braintree CM7 4RN priesthood, before its
among other things, towards countering gentle demise on Fr
the disinformation of the other Daniel This is a guidebook to a Mears’ retirement. A
(Brown)’s Da Vinci Code with its denial of parish church, notable for remarkable achieve-
Christ’s divinity. The graphics in the book being a Saxon foundation ment, and well worth
keep your attention, like the one of a pack and firmly Anglo-Catholic the telling.
of card-like tombstones in line with some- in its furnishings despite its
David Nichol
one pushing at the first one labelled ‘resur- rural setting in Essex. What
ND
rection’. If that truth falls, all the others in
Christianity will most certainly collapse.
John F Twisleton
The Diocese of Coventry
The Bishop of Coventry, in conjunction with the Bishop of Ebbsfleet
seeks to appoint an
BIBLE MANUSCRIPTS
1400 Years of Scribes and Scripture
Scott McKendrick & Kathleen Doyle
INCUMBENT
British Library, 160pp, hbk
For the Parish of St Thomas’, Longford, Coventry (an ABC Parish)
9780 7123 4922 2, £20
St Thomas’ is a UPA parish in north Coventry which has grown dramatically over the last
Which would I prefer to give to a poten-
few years owing to extensive new housing developments. (Present population c12,000)
tial ordinands, or some other young person
We offer:
seeking to deepen their understanding of
• Modern lively Catholic worship
the Bible – a commentary or this book,
• A faithful congregation
essentially a picture book of examples of
• An openness to new ways of thinking
biblical manuscripts? This one every time.
There are plenty of commentaries, and
We are looking for:
plenty of people to commend them, but if
• A gifted evangelist with a heart for mission
the student-beginner cannot gain a feel for
• A leader of people, a man of prayer and a wise pastor
the importance of the texts themselves, for
• Someone who will engage positively with the wider community
the care expended by the Church over the
If you believe that God may be calling you to serve here then take a look
centuries in transmitting them and pro-
at our website www.stthomaslongford.co.uk
tecting every word within them, all such
commentaries are lost.
Or send for further details from:
Old manuscripts are not the most appeal-
Mrs Angela Skelton, Secretary to the Archdeacon of Coventry,
ing objects, not least because in the case of
Diocesan Offices, 1 Hill Top, Coventry CV1 5AB
the Scriptures they will always be in a for-
Email: angela.skelton@covcofe.org
eign language – even Wycliffe’s English is
Closing date 25th September. Interview date 11th October
hard-going. Inevitably there are here more
August 2007
■
newdirections
■
29
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