Brokenness and Blessing: Towards a Biblical Spirituality (review)

Frances Young’s extensive and insightful work on early Christian literature has set her apart as a leading scholar in the field. This unique book balances the scholarly with the autobiographical and the historical with the contemporary. It beautifully combines the fruit of her academic career in early Christianity with a personal aspect of her life—the encounter with the L’Arche communities and her role as a mother to Arthur, who was born with learning and physical disabilities. In so doing, Young demonstrates how the study of early Christianity can have a profound effect on one’s own spiritual life.

The volume begins with a short introduction which includes a ten-page glossary of important figures and words subsequently used. This quick overview will be particularly useful for those unfamiliar with some of the recurrent names and frequently repeated terms in the field of early Christianity. This opening section is followed by five chapters: (1) The Desert Experience, (2) Wrestling Jacob, (3) The Way of Jesus, (4) Strangers and Exiles, and (5) Desire Frustrated and Fulfilled. The last chapter is followed by a brief conclusion. These chapters are each preceded by a hymn which highlights the theme of that particular section. The hymns also reinforce the connection between the biblical and patristic themes with one’s spiritual life.

In an effort to answer the often-repeated question of how the riches of the past can be appropriated today, Young frames her response within the context of key aspects of the biblical narrative on which the fathers of the church based their writings. She marvelously shows how this narrative needs to intersect with our own personal narrative in order to form an authentic biblical spirituality that is simultaneously in touch with the past while intimately in tune with today’s world. Young notes that

the biblical spirituality which emerged from the project challenges the culture we have assimilated, and its assumptions and values, while offering both a realistic view of the human condition and the wonderful gift of grace which brings hope of transformation. It is this conversion of heart which constitutes the purpose of Scripture, according to the Fathers.

(8)

Thus, the title summarizes the many positive and negative experiences along this personal journey while the opening sentence of the introduction, which expands on the book’s subtitle, “Towards a Biblical Spirituality—Recovering the Past for the Future” (7) roots us in the witness of the communal tradition which has preceded us and to which we are integrally connected.

For Young, the “overarching story of the Bible was presented in terms of the desert motif, the exodus being the guiding metaphor” (26). The journey begins in the suffering of the desert but also focuses on being led through it. The second stage of the journey focuses on the story of Jacob in Gen 32.24–32 and how this passage became a model for the encounter with God. Third, our attention is turned towards Phil 2.5–11 and the kenōsis of Christ. The ecclesial affirmation of the reality of this event is presented and its practical implications for a self-emptying spirituality are highlighted. Further applications are brought out in the fourth stage that focuses on the gēr or “resident alien.” Young notes that although the idea of our true citizenship in heaven was important for the early church this was not divorced from a social responsibility that was intimately connected to the needs of the inconvenient other. The final section uses the Song of Songs to demonstrate the theme of longing and fulfillment.

The usefulness of this book can be highlighted in three points. First, it presents in a clear and succinct fashion an overview of key early Christian figures, a sample of their writings, and a glossary of terms most frequently used. Those looking for an introduction to early Christian literature would find this aspect of the book helpful. Second, this volume focuses on how the biblical narrative, which...