Homiletic & Pastoral Review : Review of Second Exodus

Michael G. Allen reviewed Second Exodus in Homiletic & Pastoral Review, March 2002 issue, p. 73. This is his review in its entirety:

Periodically one is touched deeply by reading a truly exceptional book. Martin Barrack’s Second Exodus is just such a book. The book is at once autobiographical and a masterfully written synthesis of our Catholic Faith. As such it reads more like a story than a catechism, though it most accurately presents the Catholic Faith and its historical and theological roots in Judaism.

A Jewish convert to the Catholic Faith, Mr. Barrack reminds readers that “Jesus came into the world as a Jew, went to shabat services, wore the traditional kippah and tallit and selected all Jewish apostles.” So it is from his Jewish roots that the author shares his new-found faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the Foreword, by the late Rev. John A. Hardon, S.J., Barrack is described as “an ardent convert from Judaism” who “like the early disciples of the Master who first met Jesus and hurried to tell their friends” is eager to share his newfound faith with all those willing to listen.

In a second Foreword, written by the late Rev. William G. Most, Ph.D., readers are reminded that when a Jew responds to the call of Christ he does not cease to be a Jew. Most describes the book as “written ... in the hope that it may help other Jews to become completed, as he (Martin Barrack) now is.” In the Preface, Barrack describes the intent of the book as “addressed to all who seek Christ.” However, it is “... particularly focused on Jews because the Jew in search of Christ walks a longer path to the Cross.”

Teaching the Faith involves our beliefs, how those beliefs illuminate our lives, and what connection we make with that Faith. This book addresses each question in a clear and concise manner. As such it presents the Catholic Faith in all its truth as well as its links to Judaism. In fact Barrack identifies the Catholic Church as the Synagogue transformed by the Messiah.

In succeeding chapters Barrack addresses the following elements of the Catholic Faith as well as their “Jewish connections”: The Dawn of Belief, Why We Are Catholics, Meet God, Meet the Family, Across the Ages, The Seven Sacraments, Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Mirrors of Christ, Life and Death, Spiritual War, and The Journey Home. The histories of God’s Chosen People and Catholicism are long, complex, and INTERCONNECTED! To truly understand each we must study and understand both. Like Old and New Testament they are inextricably linked.

Mark Drogin, associated with Remnant of Israel, New Hope, Kentucky describes Barrack’s book in the following manner: “Those who have labored in the field of Catholic-Jewish relations are most grateful to Marty Barrack for this book: Second Exodus is essential for anyone interested in Judaism or in the origins of the Catholic Church. This is not a book dealing with the experiences of Jews who have found their Messiah in the Catholic Church. In Second Exodus we see the Synagogue as it is transformed by the Messiah.” This reviewer concurs.

As “... a gift to Jesus ...” by the author, Second Exodus is an “intelligent [and] faith-filled ... apologetic” worthy of the time devoted to digesting its deep and rich message. For anyone interested in the Jewish Faith and the historical roots of Catholicism this book is well worth reading. Enjoy!