Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1948.

My mentor and friend introduced Merton to me a long time ago. However, I began reading his books only months ago.

The Seven Storey Mountain was Merton’s autobiography. The title of the “Seven Storey Mountain” may come from Dante Alighieri’s Purgatorio, where each terrace corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins. (Probably not from the Seven Mountains of Revelation 17, and definitely not from the so-called Seven Mountains Mandate.) Merton recalled the idea of getting baptized and said: “I was about to set foot on the shore at the foot of the high, seven-circled mountain of a Purgatory steeper and more arduous than I was able to imagine, and I was not at all aware of the climbing I was about to have to do.” (p. 221) The book ended when he was formally accepted into the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance as a Trappist monk. Merton’s father was an artist from Christchurch, New Zealand. His mother went to the Quakers. His mother died when he was very young. And his father was painting everywhere and often was not home. He did bring him along from time to time, so he was educated in France and in England. Somehow, he was sensitive to desolation, emptiness, and abandonment. He was educated at the University of Cambridge and Columbia University. I guess his conversion to the Catholic faith draws the attention of many readers, including me. How on earth did someone who could live well in the secular world give up all and become a monk? That’s the interesting part. Merton’s later life was somewhat controversial, especially his embracing Eastern religions, but this is not included in this book.

He read the Bible in Latin. It was the interior peace that he found in the Bible and the holy places that drew him into Catholicism. However, he was interested in mysticism and Eastern mysticism. His definition of mystical life is “the life of sanctifying grace and the infused theological virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost­.” (p. 229) But he had a high view of the Scriptures: “God often talks to us directly in Scripture. That is, He plants the words full of actual graces as we read them, and sudden undiscovered meanings are sown in our hearts, if we attend to them, reading with minds that are at prayer.” (pp. 293–94)

He lived a contemplative life. “First comes the active life (practice of virtues, mortification, char­ity) which prepares us for contemplation. Contemplation means rest, suspension of activity, withdrawal into the mysterious interior solitude in which the soul is absorbed in the immense and fruitful silence of God and learns something of the secret of His perfections less by seeing than by fruitive love. Yet to stop here would be to fall short of perfection. According to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, it is the comparatively weak soul that arrives at contemplation but does not overflow with a love that must communicate what it knows of God to other men.” (p. 415)

He had a very high view of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: “She kept everything that was bourgeois about her and was still not incompatible with her vocation… [she was] the greatest saint there has been in the Church for three hundred years–even greater, in some respects, than the two tremendous reformers of her Order, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila.” (355–56)

Merton is famous for his writings on spirituality and interfaith dialogue. I am not a big fan of interreligious dialogue, because there are fundamental differences between religions that will never be settled. For example, does a Creator exist? A Zen Buddhist and a Christian will disagree with one another. I think, but I am not so sure now.

As to spirituality, it is more than feeling good in the nature. True spirituality must be seen in how one views God, his life, his family and friends, and the world. Nature, contemplative life, and life in a monastery may shape one’s spirituality. However, at the end of the day, spirituality is not just between you and God.

Nijay K. Gupta, A Beginner’s Guide to New Testament Studies. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020.

Gupta selected 13 topics in New Testament Studies and outlined different scholarly opinions on each topic. He is even-handed and gives some points for thoughts as concluding remarks on each topic. The topics are:

1. The Synoptic Problem
2. The Historical Jesus
3. The Fourth Gospel and History
4. Jesus and Paul
5. Paul’s Theological Perspective
6. Paul and the Jewish Law
7. Interpreting the Book of Revelation
8. Pseudonymity and the New Testament Letters
9. The New Testament and the Roman Empire
10. Women in Leadership in the New Testament
11. Justification by Faith and Judgment according to Works
12. The Old Testament in the New Testament
13. The Application and Use of Scripture

This book is helpful for those who want to read about the history of interpretation on a specific topic and highlight the key differences between various views of interpretation. Gupta also provides a suggested reading list, which categorizes significant books on the subject into beginner, different perspectives, and advanced levels.

All essays are helpful; I am particularly interested in the topics of Pseudonymity and the New Testament Letters, and The Application and Use of Scripture. If I could use one word to describe the book, it would be “complicated.” When one says “the Bible says,” he had better qualify his words. But on the other hand, it makes biblical studies an interesting discipline. Can I find a good topic for a PhD? This is the question.

I have The Interpretation of the New Testament 1861-1986 by Stephen Neill and Tom Wright. Now this book is dated. But as a history of interpretation, it should still be readable.

David Instone-Brewer, Church Doctrine and the Bible: Theology in Ancient Context. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020.

David Instone-Brewer is a Baptist minister and has a PhD from Cambridge. His expertise is in the Rabbinic background of the New Testament.

This book is a collection of short essays on theology. Instone-Brewer divides the theological topics into three parts: doctrines that divide, doctrines that confuse, and doctrines that matter. The categories are arbitrary and, of course, controversial. He does have his stance on all these topics. “Divide”, “confuse”, and “matter” are how others conceive these topics. For example, churches are divided on baptism, confused on original sin, and the doctrine of the Trinity does matter. One can shuffle the topics into other categories, and the result may probably be the same.

He begins by pointing out that the discipline of biblical studies is different from theology. Biblical studies focus more on the text, whereas theology focuses more on the development of how ideas have been conceived. And he argues to allow knowledge of the original context of Scripture to inform the doctrine, which he attempts to do in every essay.

For some reason, I am always interested in the topic of the Rapture. He mentions an episode that he experienced: “In 1981, for example, the tenth nation joined the European Union – a thrilling match to the number of horns on Revelation’s beast (Rev 17:12).” I still remember this event, and I thought the End of the World would come immediately. Of course, the End did not come then. People then begin searching for new candidates, and published new books and now, YouTube videos. The 神棍 always makes sensational “prophecies” to make money, without studying the context and the background of the text. I think prophecy is more about promise than prediction, more about comfort than fear, unlike the modern day self-proclaimed prophets.

I find his essays on original sin and hell are interesting. And the topics in the section of Doctrines that Matter are excellent. The topics there are selected based on the sermons in Acts.

These days, YouTubers become prophets and theologians. Sensational videos replace sensible and serious work in theology. Woe to those who are addicted to YouTube sensational “prophets.”

今天讀完了St. Thérèse of Lisieux 的 The Story of a Soul, 開卷三個月，今天才讀畢。說實在的，讀的時候有點眼濕濕。

聖小德蘭是法國 Carmelite 修女，過的是隱修院的生活，終年24歲。The Story of a Soul 其實是她寫給院長的信，可視作自傳，另外也收錄了她給其他人的信。

聖小德蘭出身虔誠的天主教家庭，父親本想修道，但因為拉丁文不濟，被摒門外。婚後育有九名兒女，四名早夭，其他的都做了修女。

聖小德蘭在信中表達的信仰十分單純，在日常小事上實踐信仰，不外乎愛、包容、寛恕、服事… 我估這正是她吸引人的地方。太多的神學理論，只是眩人眼目；希奇古怪的神醫預言，或能引人入勝，但終究是微末小節，而且假的不少。

聖小德蘭「晚年」病痛纏身，但仍堅持盼望。聖保羅說:
2 Cor 12:9 … “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.(NRSVUE)

我覺得，聖小德蘭比那些神棍先知更接近上主。

Michael Bauman, Pilgrim Theology: Taking the Path of Theological Discovery. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.

Someone suggests that this book, like Helmut Thielicke’s A Little Exercise for Young Theologians, is a must-read. Well, I bought and read Thielicke’s book, but I forgot about it, having read it decades ago. My impression is that Bauman’s book is more understandable and quite amusing.

In the first part, he argues against “Fortress Theology.” In other words, he criticizes indoctrination and argues for education, that is, a journey of discovery which evaluates ideas with intense scrutiny and critique. “In short, we ought to be biblical, skeptical, objective, and tolerant.” (p. 28)

In the second part, he argues for contextualization. He criticizes people who make Christ in their image. He says Thomas à Kempis reduced Christ into “a medieval monk.” (p. 83)

In the third and final parts, he criticizes Freudian, Marxist, Reader’s response, and Feminist theology. The most helpful part, in my opinion, is his critique of the unhealthy zeal for eschatology.

• Such books only nourish our taste for the sensational, not hunger for God and godliness.
• People often see the Bible as a railroad timetable of things to come. “Reading Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 as if they were tomorrow’s newspaper headlines and the New York Times as if it were a biblical commentary by F. F. Bruce or B. F. Westcott.” (p. 220)
• Modern state of Israel “eschatology has nothing to do with it.” (p. 220)
• “Only later did I learn the hard and humbling lesson that virtually every generation in Christian history thought of itself as the last, and that in every instance it was wrong. How could I escape that fate?” (p. 220)

The Bible clearly says, “the kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed.” (Luke 17.20) Even Jesus himself does not know the time. (Matthew 24.36) Yet so many YouTubers make money by so-called prophesying on the End times, and so many followers take the bait. They must be smarter and know better than Jesus. They think.

Edith Stein: The Life of a Philosopher and Carmelite (Washington, D.C.: ICS Publications, 2005)

This book is the third biography of the Carmelite nuns that I have read recently. If St. Thérèse of Lisieux demonstrated that mystical faith could be practical and apparent in small services in daily life, St. Teresa Benedicta a Cruce showed that mystical faith could also be philosophical on the other end of the spectrum.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross had been a star in philosophy before she became a nun. She was a student and assistant of Husserl, the German philosopher who established the school of phenomenology. She wrote her doctoral thesis under Husserl and was awarded the highest honor. She helped Hersserl organize his manuscripts. Heidegger helped her in the process.

Nevertheless, because she was a female, and later because she was a Jew, she did not get a teaching post at the University. She was not a religious person at all. But one day she randomly picked a book and read the biography of St Teresa of Ávila. She was captivated by the book and read it in one sitting. When she closed the book, she exclaimed, “That is the truth!” Very soon, she was baptized, and joining the Carmelites seemed natural for her.

She continued her academic work after becoming a nun, especially in relating phenomenology and Aquinas’ theology, but the rise of Nazism prompted her to escape to Holland. However, she did not escape the fate of being gassed in Auschwitz. I cried while reading this episode. A nun seeking a contemplative life could only benefit society. How can someone like her hurt anyone?? Her strong faith in the Lord leaves an everlasting impact on the world, not only for Catholics but for anyone.

on Heidegger
his philosophy as “the philosophy of a bad conscience.” (p. 91)

on suffering
“If we are faithful and are then driven out into the street, the Lord will send His angels to encamp themselves around us, and their invisible pinions will enclose our souls more securely than the highest and strongest walls. We do not need to wish for this to happen. We may ask that the experience be spared us, but only with the solemn and honestly intended addition: “not mine, but Your will be done!” (p. 193)

Oskar Skarsaune, In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002)

I was introduced to this book soon after it was published. I bought the book, but since I had no time to read it, I sold it. Only in recent months have I repurchased it and read it.

I have to confess that I don’t know much about Judaism. The shortcut to remedy is to consult study Bibles that use Jewish literature to illustrate the New Testament Text. Books such as the Zondervan Background Commentary, the IVP Background Commentary, and the Complete Jewish Bible are helpful. The Jewish Annotated New Testament, written from a Jewish perspective, is valuable too. Certainly, Strack-Billerbeck’s massive commentary also helps, if used according to its original purpose.

Oskar Skarsaune’s In the Shadow of the Temple is divided into four parts. It begins by describing the development of Judaism up to Jesus’ time. Then it describes the beginning of the church and the relationship between Jews and Gentiles. The third part is about the Jewishness of the early church, and ends with an epilogue in part four.

I read this book in preparation for the Bible class at the church. I find parts one and three most helpful. I chose four topics for the Bible class, namely, 1. JudaismS in the New Testament times; 2. Jewish roots of baptism; 3. Jewish roots of the Lord’s Supper; 4. Where Jews and Christians part their ways.

Still need to re-read the relevant portions.

David Instone-Brewer, Techniques and Assumptions in Jewish Exegesis before 70 CE (Tübingen: Mohr, 1992)

As titled, this book (his PhD Thesis in Cambridge) is about Techniques and Assumptions in Jewish Exegesis before 70 CE. 70 CE is an important date, because when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, the Temple-centered Judaism had to be changed. Rabbinic Judaism eventually developed and became the mainstream of Judaism. The author points out that “The exegetical techniques and assumptions used by the Jews of the late Second Temple Period should help us to understand the exegesis of the Old Testament in the New.” (p. 2)

However, Rabbinic Judaism could not be regarded as the Judaism of the New Testament period. In fact, there were JudaismS at that time. To be precise, Rabbinic Judaism adopted the Pharisaic strand of Judaism, but not the Sadducees or the Zealots. And of course, Kabalah mysticism developed after the New Testament times.

David Instone-Brewer clearly distinguishes scribal exegesis and non-scribal exegesis. He adopts an inductive approach. Firstly, he identifies the pre-70 CE works; then, he discusses their exegesis; and then he synthesizes the principles they used. He notes that the scribal exegesis was “nomological” and the non-scribal exegesis was “inspirational.” “Nomological” looks for the plain meaning of the text, and “Inspirational” looks for the hidden meaning of the text.

His conclusion:
“III.4 In conclusion, the differences between the exegesis of the scribes and their contemporaries can be summarised by their approach to Scripture. The scribes regarded Scripture as fixed law while their contemporaries regarded it as living prophecy. This difference resulted in the scribes interpreting Scripture according to its context, without looking for spiritual or secondary meanings, and accepting only one standard text as valid. At the same time, their contemporaries expected new secondary meanings to be revealed, which might be completely independent of the original context. They expected copyists and translators to be inspired so that all versions and text traditions were of equal value.

The distinctions between these two approaches to Scripture began to become blurred and disappear after 70 CE when the rabbis inherited both Nomological and Inspirational principles.” (p. 225)

Lesson learned:
Must be very careful to say “the Jews believed…” The date (before or after 70 CE) and the type of Jews who made such a statement should be examined first.

The book is very rich in content. Unfortunately, there are few examples of how the New Testament used the Hebrew Bible. My interests are: 1. The NT writers seem to be atomistic in quoting the NT; 2. The NT writers seem to have their own definition of how the OT was fulfilled. I still need to explore…

A very helpful article is the Introduction of the Lexham English translation of Strack-Billerbeck, written by David Instone-Brewer. He argues that S-B is helpful for its purpose, i.e., for illustrating sayings, concepts, parables, theological background, and cultural assumptions. However, one needs to be aware of some critical issues, such as the dating of the source and its representativeness. One has to be mindful that most rabbinic literature comes from after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, and the Judaism that survived was only one strand among many in Jesus’ time. In other words, one should not use S-B to construct a comprehensive Jewish theology as if S-B contains all the Jewish thoughts of Jews throughout all times.

Peter Enns, The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires our Trust More than our “Correct” Beliefs

The title captures the essence of the book: 1. There is no “correct” belief; 2. we can only trust.

Peter Enns, a Harvard PhD in the Old Testament, resigned under pressure from the Westminster Theological Seminary, his alma mater, where he had taught for many years. There is no need to list how he teaches differently from the “correct” beliefs, as this can be found easily on the internet.

While reading this book, I can feel the pain and the anguish of his soul. I think he wrote in a reactionary way. He is confident that the Bible contradicts modern science, history, and other “correct” knowledge. Yet he chose to trust God. I believe Bart Ehrman is also confident that the Bible contradicts modern science, history, and other “correct” knowledge. However, he chose not to trust in any God. I can understand why Bart Ehrman did, but not Peter Enns.

A catching phrase in The Sin of Certainty is “trust God anyway.” He argues that one can still trust in God even if one does not understand the mystery. But at the same time, he discredits the Bible in many aspects. Peter Enns gives courage to believers who have serious doubts about the Bible to stay as Christians. His citing of the Wisdom Literature helps Christians to put their doubts and faith in perspective. But readers outside the faith would simply ask why, in the first place, I need to trust in God if the faith builds on falsehood and mistakes??

“I can choose to trust God with childlike trust regardless of how certain I might feel.”
“I need to be willing to let go of what I think I know, and trust God regardless.”
“a faith that is not so much defined by what we believe but in whom we trust.”

I am sure many Christians who still hold “correct” beliefs share his attitude, too, though they are going in different directions.

“I believe that faith in the Creator is necessarily transrational (not antirational) and mystical.” Well said. But it does not communicate. It will leave seekers dumbfounded.

“Of course, believing is never empty of content. The Israelites trusted God because of what God had done for them, namely delivering the Israelites from harm (Egyptian slavery and Babylonian captivity being the two big examples).” Wait a minute, Christians who believe in the Bible, which records the very same event, seem to be treated differently by Peter Enns.

All in all, this book is challenging. To those who are in doubt, this book can point you to two ways: either give up your faith (easier to do), or trust in God anyway (but based on what?)

Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity: Spiritual Writings, Edited by M. M. Philipon, New York: P. J. Kenedy & Sons, 1962.

St Elizabeth was a French Carmelite Nun. She was a contemporary of St Teresa of Lisieux, only a few years younger, and also died at an early age.

Being a mystic, St Elizabeth is easy to read but difficult to understand. Reading her words about union with Christ, devotion to Christ, etc, makes my heart warm. But when I think about what it actually means, I am always puzzled. “If I fix my eyes on Him… I lose myself in Him like a drop of water in the ocean” (p. 58). These words sound puzzling! She quoted from the Bible a lot, especially Paul’s epistles.

In a monastery, these things help one to devote to Christ:
– silence (besides 2 hours of recreation time, all the rest of the time must keep silent)
– solitude
– service doing chores
– regular schedule (begins the day with prayer at 5 am)

Terms seem to have special meaning to Carmelites:
– movement
– recollection

Quotable quotes:
“Let us live for love, always surrendered, immolating ourselves at every moment, by doing God’s will without searching for extraordinary things…”(pp. 54-55)

“Death is the sleep of a child in the arms of its mother.” (p.71)

“(Quoting Father Vallée) The contemplative is a being who lives in the radiance from the Face of Christ, and who enters into god’s mystery, not by light derived from human thought, but by that produced by the message of the Incarnated Word.”(p. 73)

“suffering is the greatest token of love that God can give to His creature.” (p. 114)

The editor has an interesting note to St Elizabeth’s quoting Life of Angela of Foligno: “Such pious exaggerations, though dear to some of the mystics, have no warrant in the Gospels…” (p. 116) I think this caution applies to all mystic writings: pious, but not without exaggerations.

“the secret of happiness I should say it was to care no longer about oneself, to deny oneself all the time.”

“As it is love that unites us to God, the more intense our love the deeper we enter into God, and become centred in Him.” (p. 142)