Sharing the Scriptures: The Word Set Free, Volume 1 (Stimulus Books)

Dr. Philip Cunningham explores the proper relationship between the "Old" and "New" Testaments, both in the history of the growth of the Bible as a combined book and in its use in the liturgical texts of the Christian Churches. He specially examines the Sunday Lectionary of Scripture Readings used by the major Christian denominations with a particular focus on the Roman Catholic tradition.

The book shows both the integrity of each of the Testaments, and the recognition in recent years by the Second Vatican Council and other church bodies that Christians cannot simply subsume the older Testament into a preparation or prefigurement of the New Testament.

In a highly informative and clear manner, Dr. Cunningham lays out all the issues and discusses the possible options of calling the two Testaments by other names that would help the mutual understanding between Christians and Jews, and allow more unity and wholeness to Christian use of the earlier Testament.

Philip A. Cunningham, Ph.D., is executive director of the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College. He is the author of numerous books on Jewish-Christian relations and coeditor of Sharing Shalom: A Process for Local Interfaith Dialogue (Paulist Press).