SCOTT HAHN, Swear to God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments. New York: Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. 2004. Pp 1, 231. $19.95
Scott Hahn’s personal conversion narrative sets the stage for a theological discussion of the sacraments as signs of our covenant with God, oaths we swear participating in each sacrament, in everyday language. Summing up the Church’s teaching from the Catechism and various documents in relational language, Hahn’s own relational narrative sets a relatable stage from which to present Catholic sacramental theology to non-Catholics or poorly catechized Catholics. Drawing from his deeply biblical Presbyterian roots, Hahn discusses the salvific relationship of man and God through the sacraments through Old Testament concepts of “covenant” and “oath,” drawing out the unity of the two scriptures and the Christian perspective of Jesus Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Covenant without abolishing it.
Framing his presentation of the sacraments in examples of age old human practice and culture, Hahn insists that covenants and oaths have been practices to secure relationship since ancient civilization. De-magicalizing the Sacraments, Hahn emphasizes repeatedly that God does not circumvent human nature in enacting a plan to redeem it, but having created man and physical things good, works through the embodiment of creation through the incarnation of Jesus to lift mankind out of sin and into sonship. Explaining the Sacraments through the incarnation as works and presence of Christ, Hahn draws from prophetic imagery in the Old Testament to relate Sacraments as renewing and fulfilling a marital bond between the visible and Invisible Body of Christ. While the Sacraments do renew relationship with God, Hahn warns that they are still veiled images of greater glory to come: “If we seek our rest in the gifts, we will never find rest. If we look beyond the gifts to the Giver, we will know everlasting peace, even and the most terrifying difficulties in life.” (177) While purporting that the Sacraments make life with God possible in this life, since we are united to the Invisible Life of Christ. Maintaining the good of human nature and created things, Hahn emphasizes that the human nature has become fallen, and therefore even accepting the truth and believing it is not enough for salvation, because we are incapable of obtaining our own salvation, so the he deems the Sacraments (along the lines of the teaching of the Catholic Church) as a maintenance of the spiritual life. Noting that “Sainthood is our everyday duty,” (198) holiness is unattainable to man, except that through the Sacraments, “our Father gives it to us.” (199).
Hahn’s work confidently presents well-understood positions of the Catholic Church on sacramental theology in a very easy-to-read and comprehensible manner. A wonderful introduction and relatable explanation, Hahn does not burden elementary theological readers with the depth of complexity an author such as Aquinas exerts. Repetitive emphasis creates a cumulative effect so that the reader is always clear about Hahn’s point, even though the work does not follow a flow of introduction, explanation, and conclusion. Resurrecting the concepts of covenant and oath really demonstrates a well-grounded understanding of the Sacraments in Scripture, presenting a unity of old and new covenants.
While I have noted that this piece is a good introduction, it heavily assumes a Catholic understanding of Church Authority. Hahn’s conclusions regarding the nature and need of the Sacraments tend to be stated rather than reasoned, so that an inquisitive reader is left with more questions than before encountering this book. The flow of the varying arguments is stated conversationally, in an engaging manner, but would not satisfy any sort of academic interest in the sacraments. Continuing of the topic of the flow of the book, I feel that Hahn’s thoughts could use a bit of reordering: the initial five chapters or so assume a great deal more than they explain, stating needs that, if not accepted, cause the arguments to be absolutely superfluous. Digressing into greater detail towards the middle of the book, Hahn’s historical background for the meaning attributed to Sacraments is a bit after the thought from the subject of the Sacraments themselves. Chapters full of catchy little section titles may confuse the reader from the author’s intent in combining personal story and theological teaching.
Regardless of the assumptive (and to the skeptical reader), unsubstantiated presentation of the Sacraments as covenantal signs, Hahn achieves the persuasive purpose of his work. Flowing smoothly in and out of personal and theological narrative, one may not leave this work convinced of the spiritual need for sacraments in order to achieve a salvific relationship with Jesus, but will be deeply impressed with Hahn’s own scriptural conviction. Since personal testimony is a tribute to one’s professed relationship with God, Hahn says, this author makes a very convincing declaration of his beliefs.
Hannah M. Mecaskey
Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
