Reading and Living Scripture

For decades, respected Scripture scholar Fr. William S. Kurz, S.J. has exemplified the unity of scholarship, faith, and action. In this book, an international gathering of scholars pays tribute to his life and work. The first essay speaks to the need for the unity Fr. Kurz has lived so well. The next three essays illuminate the kind of scholarship typical of Fr. Kurz's career: one tracks the key verb "choose" across Luke-Acts; another investigates the dinner at Emmaus through an interpretation of Caravaggio's famous painting; a third explores how we should imagine the everyday life of ordinary people in the seven cities that first received the book of Revelation. The next two essays, together with the final essay of the volume, examine the necessary union of exegesis and faith: one cannot separate exegesis of the human events of Scripture from the theological meaning of the text, because human agency cannot be separated from the action of the divine agency. The remaining essays highlight how faith-filled scholarship should feed action: one interprets the relevance of Genesis 13 for a theology of work, and another argues that the early chapters of Genesis are still relevant for morality today; a third essay highlights the role of the charisms of the Spirit in the Christian life, reflecting Fr. Kurz's own background in the charismatic movement; lastly, one essay describes Fr. Kurz's long life of action in the pro-life movement. Written and assembled by friends, colleagues, students, and long-time friends of Fr. Kurz, this festschrift honours his accomplishments and mirrors his virtues.