Chretien's essays on reading sacred scripture are enriched by his immersion in the classics of ancient philosophy and theology, as well as his poetic sensibility. He is 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 to yield an admirably ecumenical perspective.
The book's title refers to James 1:23-24, which portrays the Word of God as a mirror into which one gazes. The concomitant notion of not only examining the text but also being examined by the Word is a fruitful one for learning how to be more fully nourished by one's study of the Bible.

About the Author
Jean-Louis Chretien teaches philosophy at the University of Paris IV. His books, as translated into English, include The Unforgettable and the Unhoped For (Fordham University Press, 2002), Hand to Hand (Fordham University Press, 2003), and The Call and the Response (Fordham University Press, 2004). He is one of the coeditors of Phenomenology and the "Theological Turn": The French Debate (Fordham University Press, 2000), as well as the author of the follow-up volume Phenomenology "Wide Open": After the French Debate (Fordham University Press, 2005).

Reviews
"In Under the Gaze of the Bible, Chretien opens up the depth and warming brilliance of the Word by finding how to appropriately address oneself to the Bible as a listener and doer of the Word, such as he has learned from Origen, Augustine, Aquinas, Pascal, Kierkegaard Barth, von Balthsar, and others. He shows us how to engage the Divine Word, mind and heart, so as to understand and live Christian wisdom, joy, hope, and witness as have the great Christian masters. In the span of eight well-crafted chapters, Chretien takes the reader on a journey through some key texts and themes of the Bible and draws upon some of the great thinkers of the Christian tradition. I enthusiastically recommend this book for its illuminating reading of the Word, for the wisdom it proffers, and for its surprising and delightful understanding of just what 'reading the Word' can and must entail." -- -John P. Hittinger University of St. Thomas "Chretien's meditations, especially the more popular essays, such as those on joy and hope, can thus be read with profit by readers unschooled in or uninterested in academic philosophy." -- William J. Collinge -Horizons



Book Information
ISBN 9780823262328
Author Jean-Louis Chretien
Format Paperback
Page Count 144
Imprint Fordham University Press
Publisher Fordham University Press