Rating: 
Summary: What a WASTE of Money !!!!
Review: There are several historical errors in this book. Firstly, Bathsheba was never acknowledged as a "queen" in Israel, so that makes his comparison of Bathsheba + Solomon to Mary + Christ a mute point. Secondly, Scott Hahn states: "there was never a Davidic king without a Davidic queen." Really? If this is true, then where is King David's mother in his story? Did each of the 19 succeeding Davidic Kings have a queen mother at his right hand throughout their entire reign? Obviously Hahn's statement is incorrect. Scott Hahn also gives a detailed analysis of Bathsheba's intercession with Solomon for his half-brother, Adonijah, as an example of the queen mother's power. After saying, "Clearly he will honor her requests," Hahn ingenuously omits the result -- which was Adonijah's murder -- who was killed at the request of Solomon's mother, Bathsheba. Why is that? Surely such ploys undercut credibility. It's hard to see how the evil manipulating and plotting Bathsheba is a "type" of "blessed mother" any more than David's adultery and murder preclude him from being a "type of Christ." But why did Scott Hahn wrote this book in the first place? He was "ashamed" of his own mother. Read where Hahn says he "suffering from adolescent insecurity, he was too ashamed to be seen walking with his own mother in the hallways of his high school." So once again, we have some phoney baloney writing, desperately seeking Marian "types" where no Marian "types" exist. Hahn is just another dysfunctional personality who finds his solice in another "placebo mother." Gee don't you just love the Oedipus complex Catholics suffer from?
Rating:
Summary: oh dear....
Review: as a cradle-catholic now finding myself drawn solely to scripture (which began the moment i first opened my bible in my teens, as a catholic, a decade before hearing of the concept of sola scriptura, with no help--i had no non-catholic influences), trying to read all he can from catholic apologists to allow them a chance to convict me of the catholic view of truth before i wave goodbye. i've read some catholic apologetic works that have caused me to slow down my move away from catholicism; this was one of the few that caused me to move *further* away. now had i come to this text without other readings first, i might have been carried away by its typologies and exegesis (some say eisegesis) of the passages. This book is conversational (the puns used as chapter headings gave me the impression hahn barely took his very serious topic seriously). There is some seriously poor scholarship found in this book. God bless you in your journey to find Him. mine seems headed straight to Scripture alone, though i will give the catholic voice my ear on a few more topics.
Rating: 
Summary: The best I've read on the subject!!!
Review: As a brand new Catholic, I've never REALLY undertand all the "hoopla" about The Blessed Mother. Dr Hahn's book makes it all crystal clear! For the first time, I understand who she REALLY was and her significance in our lives today. Thank you Dr Hahn for making my journey into Catholism so much easier!
Rating: 
Summary: Quick & Concise - A Theology of the Theotokos
Review: Dr. Hahn truly has a gift for taking complex subjects and breaking them down into digestable tidbits. This book will leave you a bit hungry for more of the same on Our Lady. And that, I believe, is one of Dr. Hahn's purposes in writing this book. It is far too short to completely explain and defend Catholic theology on Our Lady. However, the dogmas relating to Our Lady are all covered with appropriate emphasis on areas that may be sticking points between the Church and our non-Catholic brothers and sisters. After all, this may be the only book that a non-Catholic may read on the subject. Seen in this light, Dr. Hahn's explanation regarding Our Lady, and his obvious love and honor for her, shines through like a beautiful gem. For this reason, I give Dr. Hahn's witty and concise defense of our Faith and its honor of Our Lord's mother high marks. This belongs in everyone's library. Read it, and if it inspires you for more (as it is likely to do), let this book be the springboard for greater study. It is often said that if you love your friend, you would want to know his brothers, sisters and meet his parents. This is a good chance to meet Our Savior's mother. Don't let it pass you by.
Rating: 
Summary: Overstating th Case
Review: I share a number of similarities with Scott Hahn. In may ways I have had a similar spiritual pilgrimage to him. We even attended the same American Protestant seminary - Gordon Conwell in Boston. He graduated with highest honors a few years before I graduated with highest honors. But whereas he converted from Evangelicalism to Catholicism, I have remained in the Evangelical camp. So this review reflects some major theological differences. At the outset it can be said that Roman Catholics will (or should) like this book. It is an impressive defense of the veneration to Mary afforded by the Catholic church. As a convert to Catholicism, Hahn is both a passionate and an articulate defender of Catholic doctrinal teaching. And as a former Evangelical apologist, he is a skilled debater and thoroughly conversant with the biblical and theological issues at stake. What does a Protestant make of his work? As can be imagined, differences of opinion will abound. One key issue is that of authority. Protestants tend to look to Scripture as the final word of authority. Thus the doctrine of Mary, like any other, is judged from that basis. Hahn argues that Mary "fills the pages of Scripture"; that "Marion types abound in the Old Testament"; and Mary can readily be found in passages such as Rev. 11 and 12. But except for Acts 1:14, Mary is mentioned nowhere else outside of the gospels., and no clear Marion types exist. And many Patristic interpreters regarded Rev. 12 as referring to the church, not Mary. Indeed, the idea that it refers to Mary and her assumption does not seem to be held by any of the early fathers. Likewise, the doctrine of the immaculate conception does not appear until the fifth century (and was rejected by Anselm, and Aquinas, among others). Hahn also attempts to prove that Mary is the "mother of God". But when the fifth-century fathers used the phrase, it was in order to uphold Christ's deity, and only later did it become a title to uphold honor to Mary. At Chalcedon for example "theotokos" (God-bearer) was used, but the supplementary phrase by Cyril, "mater theou" (Mother of God) was rejected. He also argues that Mary was a perpetual virgin and that Jesus had no brothers or sisters. Concerning the former, biblical support is sorely lacking. Even, the late Catholic NT scholar Raymond Brown can speak of the "dubious methodology of assuming without proof Lucan knowledge of Mary's lifetime virginity". He claims that the references to brothers and sisters actually refer to cousins.. But as Brown says, this is "a thesis that in truth faces enormous difficulties". And Roman Catholic scholar J.P. Meier argues that "from a purely philological and historical point of view, the most probable opinion is that the brothers and sisters of Jesus were his siblings". Nowhere in the NT does the word adelphos (brother) mean cousin. Indeed, the NT has another word, anepsios which is used for cousin (eg., Col. 4:10). While adelphos can mean relative, the contexts in the gospels make blood brother the logical usage. Hahn also makes much of passages like Luke 1:42 where Elizabeth exclaims: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!" But in the OT there are similar descriptions. In Judges 5:24 we find the prophet Deborah praising Jael: "Blessed be Jael among women". And in the apocryphal Judith 13:18 Uzzziah says of Judith, "Blest of God Most High are you, daughter, above all the women of the earth". Appeal is also made to Luke 1:48 where Mary says,. "From now on all generations will call me blessed". But as Catholic scholar Joseph Fitzmyer explains, this is "not because of any intrinsic, personal holiness or merit, but because of him whom she is bearing". And again, it is not unique to Mary. A similar phrase can be found in the case of Leah: "How blessed I am! All women will count me blessed" (Gen. 30:13). As Brown puts it, "This OT background suggests that Mary's blessing is not purely a personal one. She has a role in God's plan for His people because she has conceived the Messiah who will be the glory of Israel (Luke 2:32)". Indeed, Jesus at times seems to rebuke his mother or claims made about her. For example: "As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, 'Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.' He replied, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it'." (Luke 11:27-28) Hahn maintains that the word translated "rather" can be used in different senses. Yes, but most careful NT scholars recognise that here it is being used as a correction or modification. If Jesus wanted on this occasion to elevate Mary, he could clearly have chosen less ambiguous terminology. And consider John 2:3-4: "And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no wine'. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what have I to do with you?' My hour is not yet come." Hahn says these words do "not signify reproach or disrespect" However, the use of the formula is one that conveys disagreement, with the point in question being disputed. Indeed, the idiom always denotes a distance between the two parties. Other objections could be raised. But as I said, Catholics will find this a welcome addition to the growing arsenal of Catholic apologetics (of which Hahn has been a major contributor). Protestants will find much of interest here, and some may be persuaded. But many will remain unconvinced. But the debate is worth pursuing, and Hahn has positioned himself as a formidable defender of his new found faith. For both sides of the debate, anyone interested in the subject of Mary will find this a stimulating and challenging book.
Rating:
Summary: Hail Mary!
Review: If you are trouble explaining some of the Church's teachings about our Blessed Mother, or if you are having some trouble with them yourself, I highly recommend this book. Dr. Hahn does an excellent job of explaining the Marian doctrines and what devotion to Our Lady should be. This book helped by better understand my own devotion to the Blessed Virgin. I suggest reading anything by Dr. Hahn.
Rating:
Summary: Eisegesis extreme
Review: It is truly remarkable the depths that Catholic apologists will stoop to to idolise the blessed mother of Jesus. Hahn resorts to intriguing eisegesis to betray any slither of evidence from the Bible to support his blatantly erroneous thesis. The ability of Roman Catholics to treat the Word of God with utter contempt by contorting the true and blatantly obvious meaning of Biblical passages to support their medieval error is beyond common sense and respectability. To read a brief yet true account of who Mary was (is it not the truth that is important) then read Doctor James White's "Mary, Another Redeemer?" This one by Hahn should be treated as wild speculative fiction.
Rating:
Summary: An authentic scriptural vision of Mary for all christians
Review: Who can have escaped the phenomenon that is Scott Hahn? From his singlarly dramatic vantage point of convert Evangelical seminary professor, he has been unlocking the Scriptures for us with his penetrating understanding of the Covenant. In particular, his mission seems to be to provide a solidly scriptural apologetic for all that is distinctively Catholic in doctrine. In "The Lamb's Supper," he drew on the Book of Revelation to explore the Mass. He has now turned his attention to Our Lady... He begins by recalling his own intolerance of anything Marian, even the ripping up of his grandmother's rosary, when it was bequeathed to him. Yet his discovery of the Covenant as Family changed him inexorably until his bias was dispelled. It is this understanding that serves as the starting point for Hahn's exploration of the Covenant as the fundamental way in which God furthers his plan in the Scriptures. He does not attempt a detailed analysis of all the New Testament Marian texts. His aim is to present an authentic scriptural vision, and it is hard to doubt the solidity of his premises or the logic of his argument. Emphasising the place of "types" as historical realisations of prophecies, he deftly goes to work, opening up new vistas before our eyes. As "Woman," Mary links Genesis, John and Revelation, and reveals the nuptial meaning of the New Covenant, especially at the Wedding Feast at Cana. She is disclosed to be the new Ark of the Covenant as the Temple in heaven opens in Revelation 11-12. As "Queen Mother", she fulfills the typology of the Davidic monarchy to reign at Jesus' side in the New Jerusalem. Hahn is able to show how the early Fathers drew their own conclusions about Mary. Whilst most of his points have been made by the Fathers over the centuries, Hahn's great skill is to show their scriptural roots and fit them together with such economy for a new generation of Christians. And by unlocking the Scriptures in this way, Hahn opens up the necessary links with the four Marian dogmas: Immaculate Conception, Mother of God, Ever-Virgin, and Assumption. Finally, and most insightfully, he gets to the heart of "Mary phobia". It lies at the failure to understand the Covenant as God's plan of divine filiation or divinisation. In other words, the Protestant mindset fails to penetrate through to the Hebrew understanding of Covenant. It remains at the level of servile contract. The legacy of Luther and Calvin is a vision of God as "Courtroom Judge" rather than as Father. Such an unfamilial vision has no place for a mother. Weighing in with his own argument for a final Marian dogma, Hahn concludes with a plea for a courteous defence of Mary, not a "full-contact sport" to score points. An appendix stresses the vital place of the rosary. For those who have not previously listened to some of his many tapes, or read his books, Hahn's style takes a little getting used to. His punning titles are awfully corny, but they are also ingenious ("From Here to Maternity", "Christmas' Eve", "Fetal Attraction"). Surely only the most humourless of his readers will fail to be infected by his dynamic enthusiasm. In the Foreword, Fr. Kilian Healey asks whether those of different denominations will listen to him, and answers optimistically. There are surely good grounds for agreeing with him.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book about Our Lady in Scripture!
Review: Scott Hahn has a very readable style for explaining why Catholics honor Mary as Queen of Heaven -- she "inherited" the title of queen mother of the Davidic kingdom --, the Ark of the New Covenant, and the New Eve. Scott has such great insights about the Book of Revelation -- which comes into play in both this book and in "The Lamb's Supper" (I have his whole audiotape series about the book of Revelation and it is excellent!) -- and about covenant theology in the New Testament as fulfillment of the Old, that reading what he had written is always spiritually invigorating! I highly recommend ANYTHING he has written, including this wonderful little treasure, "Hail Holy Queen."
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: This is an excellent and uplifting book for people who want to know more about the spiritual significance of the Mother of Jesus Christ.
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