Jean-Louis Chretien's collection of essays and speeches on reading sacred scripture is enriched by his immersion in the classics of ancient philosophy and theology, as well as the imaginative creativity and sensibility of a poet. He is just as likely to quote Claudel as Aquinas or Origen. His intimate acquaintance with patristic writings combines with a sympathetic understanding of such Protestant sources as Luther, Calvin, and Barth, yielding an admirably ecumenical perspective on the Bible. The title refers to the passage in the Epistle of James (1:23-24) concerning the Word of God as a mirror into which one gazes. The concomitant notion of not only examining the text itself but actually being examined by the Word is a fruitful trope for learning how to be more fully nourished by one's study of the Bible. The Great Conversation of author and reader that is the stuff of great secular literature thus plays itself out in Chretien's vision as a rich sacred dialogue between readers and their Author-Maker. He also makes particularly profitable use of Kierkegaard and St. Augustine as he explores topics such as the teachability of the bishop as teacher (like Chaucer's clerk, he would "gladly learn" before he can "gladly teach") and productively meditates on the biblical doctrines of joy, hope, and witness/testimony (for which there is but one word in French).

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