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The Mirror of Scripture: The Old Testament Is About You
The Mirror of The Old Testament is a chronicle of humanity, but it is also the story of each one of us, of our own spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical struggles. As we navigate the narratives of this great book, if we pay attention, we constantly find ourselves in familiar surroundings; the depths of love and hate, the corrosive effects of egoism, bitterness, malice, envy and self-focus, but also the heroic struggle of mankind, the presence of hope and joy. There, we find the same constant tensions between constraint, self-discipline and self-control, and the chaos and destructive energy of unconstrained desires and passions. All these are present in the daily lives of each one of us, and in the society and culture around us. Join me in examining the ways in which the Hebrew Scripture tells the story of each one of us, of our parishes, our families and our communities, as it unfolds the history of Israel.
- GenresReligion
190 pages, Paperback
Published August 23, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 13, 2020
The first half or so of this book was really good. Puhalo brings an Eastern Orthodox perspective to the Old Testament, emphasizing it contains universal meanings that still apply today. This is refreshing when it seems a lot of Bible scholarship sits solely in what it meant for the original readers. Of course, examining the historical and literary context is vital. Its not an either/or. But if some seem to only focus on application, others only focus on the history and the Bible becomes an irrelevant history text.
That said, I expected a bit more allegorical reading and more focus on how the entire Bible story, from a Christian perspective, centers on Jesus. I read this while reading John Behr’s Formation of Christian Theology where Behr examines how the early Church theologians saw the God revealed in Jesus as the God of all of scripture. I expected this book to be a more practical level sort of book that focused more on application where a book like Behr’s focused on theology.
It was intriguing in the beginning when Puhalo made a few points along the lines of “of course these stories did not actually happen.” This would of course be controversial in some Christian circles, but it seems that the literal or historical occurrence of the stories early in Genesis is less important than lots of Christians make them. There was plenty of depth and thoughtful stuff in Puhalo’s work on Genesis.
Yet as the book continued, it seemed to settle into just life application of the sort you might find at any seeker-sensitive contemporary church. Lessons found in the story of David or Solomon or whomever are just “don’t be like this” or “this is a good example.” There is nothing wrong with such interpretation, per se, but I guess I was hoping for more Christ-centered exegesis and application.
Overall, this is still a solid book applying the Old Testament to our lives. I think it is better than a typical “Christian living” book. Puhalo limits the corny anecdotes and such, some even a casual reader would get a general idea of the Bible story. I could see this being read as part of a daily devotional (that’s essentially what I did). So if you want that, then check it out. But I was expecting something a bit more.
That said, I expected a bit more allegorical reading and more focus on how the entire Bible story, from a Christian perspective, centers on Jesus. I read this while reading John Behr’s Formation of Christian Theology where Behr examines how the early Church theologians saw the God revealed in Jesus as the God of all of scripture. I expected this book to be a more practical level sort of book that focused more on application where a book like Behr’s focused on theology.
It was intriguing in the beginning when Puhalo made a few points along the lines of “of course these stories did not actually happen.” This would of course be controversial in some Christian circles, but it seems that the literal or historical occurrence of the stories early in Genesis is less important than lots of Christians make them. There was plenty of depth and thoughtful stuff in Puhalo’s work on Genesis.
Yet as the book continued, it seemed to settle into just life application of the sort you might find at any seeker-sensitive contemporary church. Lessons found in the story of David or Solomon or whomever are just “don’t be like this” or “this is a good example.” There is nothing wrong with such interpretation, per se, but I guess I was hoping for more Christ-centered exegesis and application.
Overall, this is still a solid book applying the Old Testament to our lives. I think it is better than a typical “Christian living” book. Puhalo limits the corny anecdotes and such, some even a casual reader would get a general idea of the Bible story. I could see this being read as part of a daily devotional (that’s essentially what I did). So if you want that, then check it out. But I was expecting something a bit more.
December 28, 2018
Not what I expected, fairly disappointed. Early on, the author notes that it’s not surprising that if people are petty and wrathful the OT writers would depict God as petty and wrathful. However, the majority of the book consists of fairly simple moral readings of Hebrew Bible stories. The point is usually “what these people did is what people do now,” which is not a very deep observation.
March 20, 2019
A simple and short book, which is very easy to read. And yet, within its simple commentaries, Archbishop Puhalo puts forward some beautiful and poignant reflections.
Not only is this a great exhibit of Orthodox theology, it’s also a great guide to the biblical story.
—Tristan Sherwin, author of *Love: Expressed*
Not only is this a great exhibit of Orthodox theology, it’s also a great guide to the biblical story.
—Tristan Sherwin, author of *Love: Expressed*
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews