Worthy is the Lamb: The Biblical Roots of the Mass

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Summary: Worthy is "Worthy is the Lamb" by Thomas J. Nash
Review: Having left the Catholic faith in favor of Protestantism, I subsequently "read' my way back to the Catholic Church. When I started reading books about what the church actually taught, I was forced to give up many mischaracterizations of her teachings. Indeed, I was struck by the sheer depths of the historical, and biblical arguments in favor of the Catholic faith. This book, Worthy is the Lamb, follows in that line. With precision, lucidity, and charity Tom Nash demonstrates that the Catholic concept of the Mass is the heritage of Christianity. I only regret that I did not have access to such a book prior to leaving the Church, but I rejoice knowing that it is now available for others who struggle with the Church's teaching, or want to know more about it. This book is good for anyone interested in Christianity, and would make a great gift especially for someone considering leaving the church. Read this book if you are a Protestant. Read this book if you are agnostic. Read this book if you are already Catholic. Just read this book! And find out for yourself how the Mass fulfills the Old Testement. Thank you Tom Nash, and thank you Ignatius Publishing.

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Summary: Fantastic Book!
Review: Having returned to the Catholic Church three years ago after encountering Jesus Christ through evangelical Protestantism, I am constantly blown away by the richness and beauty of the Catholic faith. I read Worthy is the Lamb while working on a theology paper on the Eucharist. Wow, what a book! Tom Nash uses a salvation history approach to show the centrality of the Eucharist thoughout Sacred Scripture, beginning in the book of Genesis and going all the way to Revelation. I especially enjoyed Nash's explanation of the Day of Atonement sacrifice and his typological analysis of the priest-king Melchisedek.

Each chapter provides background Scripture reading to prepare the reader for the material to be covered. Tom Nash walks his readers through the various Old Testament sacrifices that God gave to His people in order to prepare them for the once-for-all sacrifice of His only begottten Son. After providing the background, Nash shows how the final and perfect Sacrifice began in the upper room and how the single act of life-giving love is made present in every Mass.

Nash provides excellent commentary and sound exegesis of the Book of Hebrews, highlighting its teaching on the priesthood and the perpetual character of Christ's sacrifice. The footnotes throughout are excellent and provide a wealth of supplemental information and additional resources. This book is one of the most comprehensive presentations of the biblical basis of the Eucharist I have seen.

In addition to the thorough presentation, the book is written in a pleasant, "breezy" style, making it accessible to a wide audience.

In his first book, Tom Nash has shown himself to be a serious scholar and a gifted writer. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more of Nash's work in the future.

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Summary: Worthy Is The Lamb IS worthy reading!!!
Review: What a great concise theological and yet catechetical work on the biblical history of the Holy Mass. The books format directs you as to what scripture reading to read at the beginning of each chapter, along with the questions at the end of the chapter, to drive home the important points to be remembered. This book I found is an excellent tool, not only for catechetical instruction on the biblical roots of the Mass and the priesthood, but meaty enough to be used as a textbook for colleges and seminaries, footnotes offer great resources for further reading. What particulary stuck out to me was the biblical commentary on the book of Hebrews in explaining the once-for-all sacrifice. Finally, a book that pushes back the tide of the post Vatican II thought, mainly that of the Mass being just a sacred meal with the gathered assembly, instead Nash systematically brings to the forfront what the Catholic church has always believed, that it is primarily a Holy Sacrifice represented, once-for-all, continually being offered by our great High Priest, Jesus Christ in the Heavenly Jeruselem for our salvation and the remission of sins.
Great book worth reading!!