About the Author

DR. SCOTT W. HAHN holds the Fr. Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has taught since 1990, and is the Founder and President of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. From 2005 to 2011, he was the Pope Benedict XVI Chair of Biblical Theology and Liturgical Proclamation at St. Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Dr. Hahn is also the bestselling author of numerous books including The Lamb's Supper, Reasons to Believe, and Signs of Life. He lives in Steubenville, Ohio.

Reviews

Well-known Catholic theologian and author Hahn has contributed to the immense body of Marian literature with an accessible, almost conversational treatment of the place of Mary in Roman Catholic theology. Hahn's style is persuasively easy, but the theology he expounds and champions is at times complex, and he negotiates this difficult territory well. Hahn's book is an excellent American response to the current Pope's well-known devotion to the Virgin Mary and to the fact that her status in the official Church teachings has never been higher. Highly recommended where there is a strong Catholic readership. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Roman Catholics have long had a reputation for their devotion to the woman known as the Blessed Virgin Mary, and Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, is uniquely qualified to both explain and justify the practice. A former Protestant minister who once condemned Marian piety as idolatrous, Hahn's theological writings (Rome Sweet Home; The Lamb's Supper) now illuminate his adopted faith for many a cradle Catholic. His treatment of the woman many consider the mother of God is accessible theology, written in the style of one who is skilled in making lofty ideas understandable and interesting. Using the Bible and scholarly sources, Hahn asserts that Mary was given by Christ to be the mother of all Christians, and that those who do not accept her as part of their family are woefully bereft. He goes on to trace the Church's high regard for Mary to the early days of Christianity, when, he writes, Mary was regarded as the "new Eve" and was identified with the "ark of the new covenant." Hahn also deals carefully with the Catholic Church's teaching on Mary's immaculate conception and assumption into heaven, and answers the objections of those who, as he once did, regard devotion to Mary as akin to goddess worship. Although he writes mainly to enlighten fellow Catholics about the basis for the Church's great reverence for Mary, Hahn's well-researched work will be instructive to anyone interested in the history of the Church's teaching on this subject. (Apr.) Forecast: Hahn's most recent book, The Lamb's Supper, has sold more than 60,000 copies for Doubleday. Given the widespread interest in Mary among Catholics, this title should do even better. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.