Illuminating the New Testament: The Gospel, Acts, and Paul, Gerald O’Collins. PAULIST PRESS,
ISBN 9780809155835.
In this recent book Fr Gerald O’Collins has gathered articles in which he explored Biblical passages and themes. For him as a theologian, of course, the Scriptures are central to all his work. Theologians’ business is to give an account of faith that is faithful to Scripture, shapes a harmony from its diverse parts and speaks to the different cultures of their own time.
The articles that compose the book are helpful in drawing to our attention the ways in which words are often repeated in the Gospels, gaining significance with each fresh use. In Luke’s Gospel for example, the same Greek word is used to describe the inn where hospitality was denied to Mary when she was giving birth to Jesus, the inn to which the Good Samaritan took the mugged traveller in the parable, and the inn at Emmaus where the dejected travellers recognised Jesus after his crucifixion. With each repetition the image of the inn is more deeply associated with hospitality and mystery. It links the sacredness of God’s hospitality to us in Jesus and of our hospitality to one another as Christ’s disciples.
Many of the articles in the book enter controversies about the interpretation of events described in the Gospels. They often respond to flatter readings of Scripture than those in the Gospels, such as the view that Mark’s story of Jesus’ burial by Nicodemus has no historical basis. O’Collins’ instinct is always for a richer interpretation that leaves room for mystery in God’s presence in the world, not merely in the mind of the believer.