The Catholic Faith: Review of Second Exodus

Dr. Eduardo P. Olaguer reviewed Second Exodus in The Catholic Faith, Jan-Feb 2001 issue. Read his review on The Catholic Faith web site. Or read it here:

Marty Barrack’s book, Second Exodus, combines zestful relish for the Catholic faith with penetrating intellect, true wit, and approachable style. Written as a Christian apology for those with a Jewish back-ground, as is clear from Barrack’s appeal to the Jewish conscience in Chapter 1, the book serves a larger purpose as a comprehensive catechism for both cradle Catholics and potential converts.

Second Exodus is not a personal account of Marty Barrack’s conversion to Catholicism, a counterpart of a counterpart to Stephen Dubner’s best-selling book, Turbulent Souls, which documents the deep struggle of a cradle Catholic reverting to the Jewish faith of his maternal and paternal grandparents. Stephen Dubner would perhaps have benefited greatly from reading Second Exodus prior to his decision to leave the Catholic Church, precisely because Barrack’s book is a cogent presentation of truth and an antidote for subjective thinking and feeling.

Second Exodus covers an immense range of Catholic faith and morals, yet remains tightly focu-sed and scintillating. Barrack’s Jewish roots give the book a powerful organizing perspective that leads the reader to a deeper appreciation of the continuity and underlying logic of Catholic worship. For example, Barrack cites the importance of oral tradition in Judaism as a precursor to Catholic Sacred Tradition, a matter of great value in demolishing the arguments for sola Scriptura and other Protestant truncations of Catholic Christianity. A second example is Barrack’s reference to the privileged position of the queen mother or gebirah in Jewish royal households to explain the role of Our Lady in the economy of salvation. Yet another example is provided by the Jewish Seder or Passover supper, the details of which are fascinatingly Christian in their subliminal references. Such knowledge helps one to appreciate the true value of the Mass, as well as its deep roots in the Old Testament.

One of the rare qualities of Second Exodus is its intellectual breadth. Barrack employs knowledge on many fronts, including modern physics, philosophy, art and literature, history, Jewish tradition and culture, and of course, sound theology and apologetics. It is truly a “catholic” work on several levels, above all because it is committed to the pursuit of truth, wherever it can be found and validated. Chapter 2 of Second Exodus is remarkable from this perspective. It starts out with the scientific evidence for God, making use of the most up-to-date understanding of physical cosmology, including references to the Anthropic Principle and Grand Unified Theory as indications of intelligent design of the Universe. Mirroring Psalm 19’s praise of God through the natural law and the Mosaic Law, Barrack then cites the recent mathematical analyses of the Torah and the so-called “Bible Code” (another Jewish contribution) as further evidence of an Infinite Mind governing Creation. Finally, Barrack invokes Pascal’s Wager to show the foolishness of ignoring the manifest probability of God’s existence. Barrack writes clearly and transparently so that readers with no background in these disciplines can easily understand his logic and evidence.

After delving into various aspects of natural theology and arguing for the supernatural basis of the Torah, Barrack proceeds to discuss the New Testament, in particular the evidence of the gospels for the divinity and Messiahship of Jesus. In doing so, Barrack appeals to collateral evidence from secular historians contemporary with the early Church, such as Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny the Younger, to establish the credibility of the New Testament as a historical document. He demolishes the theories put forward by modernist debunkers of the Gospels (e.g., Hugh Schonfield). These include the Swoon Theory, which denies that Jesus actually died on the Cross, and esoteric theories based on the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran, which posit a close connection between Jesus and the Essenes. Barrack then makes an excursion into the theory of Evolution as it has been used to deny the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible, the truthfulness of which Barrack faithfully asserts. This discussion should perhaps have been shifted to the section on natural theology or on the Torah, where it would have been more appropriate.

Barrack is at his best when he combines intellectual rigor with faith and devotion. He boldly affirms his belief in miracles, unlike so many trendy theologians of our day who placate the cognoscenti with condescension toward the beliefs of ordinary humans. In Chapter 2, Barrack continues his discussion of the evidence in favor of Catholicism by listing the most persuasive miracles known throughout the history of the Church, including Eucharistic miracles, the Shroud of Turin, incorruptible bodies, and confirmed apparitions. In discussing these phenomena, Barrack notes the public, documented, verifiable, and even ongoing visible nature of these miracles, repeatedly ending his citations with a phrase such as, “anyone can look them up.” This “show me” kind of insistence demonstrates the practicality of Marty Barrack’s appro-ach to Catholicism. Reflecting Pope John Paul II’s Fides et Ratio, Barrack is confident that true faith will be vindicated by reason and solid evidence.

Chapter 2 of Second Exodus concludes with a detailed discussion of the differences among the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant faiths. Key elements of this section are Barrack’s defense of the Marian dogmas and of papal primacy and infallibility. In discussing the papacy, Barrack cites interesting proof from the Church’s history. One such exhibit is the conversion of Pope St. Callistus from the heresy of monarchianism (also known as modalism or Sabellianism). Another concerns the repentance of Pope Vigilius, who cooperated in the murder of two predecessors to promote the heresy of monophysitism. Both these popes renounced their specific heresies upon assuming the throne of St. Peter, demonstrating Christ’s fidelity to His promise that He would keep the Catholic Church free from doctrinal error.

Chapters 3 and 4 of Second Exodus continue the explanation of the Catholic faith begun in Chapter 2 with the central doctrines of the Trinity and the Communion of Saints. These chapters are appropriately titled, “Meet God” and “Meet the Family.” Included in the latter chapter are a discussion of Marian devotion and prayer (e.g., the Rosary), veneration of saints and angels, and the four last things: death (and resurrection), judgment (and purgatory), heaven, and hell. Barrack spells out the fundamental motivation for these doctrines, saying: “Divine, spiritual, and human persons are all our covenant family. God invites us all into His covenant family.”

Chapter 5, entitled “Across the Ages,” returns to Marty Barrack’s primary objective of demonstrating the continuity and fulfillment of Judaism in the Catholic religion. Barrack first recapitulates Jewish history, beginning with the promulgation of the Old Covenant and leading up to the advent of Christ. He then cites a wide range of Old Testament prophecy to demonstrate that Christ and His New Covenant are indeed the fulfillment of the Law of Moses and of the Prophets. He continues by tracing the early development of the Church in relation to the synagogue and the various sects of Judaism that flourished between the Babylonian exile and the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple. The chapter closes with a presentation of the teaching of Vatican II and of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the relationship of Christianity to Judaism, echoing St. Paul’s insistence that the call of the Jews as God’s chosen people is irrevocable, despite their rejection of Christ.

While the initial chapters of Second Exodus focus primarily on Catholic belief as outlined in the Apostle’s Creed, the remaining chap-ters present the essentials of Catholic practice, beginning with the seven sacraments (Chapter 6), and concentrating deeply on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Chapter 7). Chapter 8, entitled “Mirrors of Christ,” then addresses Catholic moral teaching and spirituality, while Chapter 9 focuses more explicitly on issues pertaining to the Gospel of Life: human sexuality and procreation, contraception, abortion, homosexuality, and euthanasia. Chapter 10 highlights the Church Militant in the rockets’ red glare of the spiritual war. Finally, Chapter 11 offers additional resources that the convert will need to reinforce his newfound faith.

There are a number of memorable aspects in Barrack’s treatment of Catholic worship. Barrack notes, for example, that in Hebrew the word sheva corresponding to the Latin word sacramentum (oath), means both “oath” and “seven,” so that when we say in Hebrew, “I swear under an oath,” we are literally saying “I seven myself.” In reading this particular sentence in Second Exodus, I finally understood the meaning of the story in Genesis 21 concerning Abraham and the well at Beersheba (”well of the oath” or “well of the seven”), in which Abraham gives King Abimelech of Gerar a gift of seven ewe lambs. In accepting these gifts, Abimelech acknowledged the truthfulness of Abraham’s claim to the well. Likewise, when we Catholics receive the seven sacraments as a gift from God, we testify to God’s truthfulness in promising to give us the water of eternal life.

In discussing the sacrament of Baptism, Barrack recounts the story of a cardinal told by the midwife who delivered him that she had baptized him in the name of “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.” To his chagrin, he realized that his baptism had been invalid. He went to the Pope, who personally baptized him, confirmed him, gave him Holy Communion, ordained him a deacon, then a priest, then a bishop, and finally named him a cardinal, all in one day. This situation is by no means uncommon. Babies are sometimes baptized “in the name of the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier,” or merely dipped in a baptismal pool with no water flowing on the baby’s head. Both these circumstances invalidate a child’s baptism, and such sacrileges caused by bad theology sadly abound today.

Barrack rightfully gives pride of place in his book to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which is the sole subject of Chapter 7. He begins by listing the adumbrations of this perfect act of worship in the Old Testament, beginning with the sacrifice of Abel, and including the sacrifices of Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, and King David. Barrack notes the close relationship between the special Hebrew sacrifice called Todah (meaning “thanks”) and the Eucharist (which means “thanksgiving”). The Todah sacrifice had inaugurated the Old Covenant, when Moses and seventy elders of Israel went up to Mount Horeb and literally saw God. Exodus 24:11 states: “They beheld God, and ate and drank.” Likewise, the Holy Eucharist is both a ritual meal and a sacrifice that establishes the New Covenant, in which we literally see our Creator. The ritual meal aspects of the Mass correspond closely to the Jewish Passover meal or Seder. Barrack carefully notes the details of this relationship, as well as the relationship between the Mass and the sacrifice associated with the Tabernacle that housed the Ark of the Covenant and continued in the Temple of Solomon. He observes that Catholics follow this tradition, while modern Jews do not, implying that true Judaism is actually found in the Catholic faith and not in its rabbinic offshoots that survived the destruction of Herod’s Temple. Barrack goes on to describe in detail the various parts of the Mass for the sake of the potential convert, noting at every opportunity the Jewish motivation for each pious act.

In “Mirrors of Christ” (Chapter 8), Barrack shows how each Christian must live out the covenant with Christ in the midst of the world, with all the tensions that such a life implies, and which stem from the Cross of Christ. As Barrack states, “Reality is cruciform.” He begins by noting how the twelve apostles themselves had to be transformed in order to bring about the original Church, with its four marks that continue to this day in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Barrack then cites Jesus’ summary of the commandments as the love of God and neighbor, then proceeds to outline in detail how such a love is to be expressed through the life of divine grace. He describes this life as the practice of the theological and cardinal virtues with the aid of the intellectual gifts of the Holy Spirit. Barrack then explains the Catholic teaching on sin and forgiveness, in the process giving the reader a thorough basis for an examination of conscience. He concludes the chapter by stressing the importance of obedience to the Church’s authority, especially in matters of private revelation, by which many are deceived through inordinate curiosity and lack of submission. Barrack invokes the Latin phrase, Sentire cum Ecclesia, saying, “when the Church warns us away from something, we flee from it.”

Chapters 9 and 10 of Second Exodus remind us how fiercely the battle for souls can rage in this world. The promotion of the Gospel of Life amid the Culture of Death, the reality of Satan, and his tactics to destroy both the individual Christian and the Church at large are the subjects of these chapters. Among the sad aspects of this struggle that Barrack does not shy away from is the controversy in today’s Church stemming from the modernist heresy, which has been resurrected despite the valiant efforts of Pope St. Pius X to uproot it at the beginning of the twentieth century. In an interesting paragraph, Barrack says: “Today, Christ uses Satan’s very attacks on the Catholic Church to prove that it is the one true Church. Nobody much hates High Church Episcopalians, although their teachings resemble Catholic teaching. But many people under Satan’s influence have made themselves bitter enemies of the Catholic Church. They know deep down, that the Catholic moral witness is authentic. They have chosen to reject the Catholic witness, but it is deeply rooted in their tortured souls.”

Barrack notes that both the Jewish people and the Catholic Church are following the Lord across the ages in a long via crucis leading to death and ultimate resurrection, culminating in Christ’s Second Coming. He refers to the painting by Marc Chagall, which depicts Jesus as a Jew on the cross, as if to say that the Jews have, in a mysterious way, reflected the image of Jesus through the centuries, despite their not having recognized Him at His first Advent. Barrack writes: “Mystically speaking, the Jews were crucified at Auschwitz and three years later rose from the dead in the nation of Israel. All that remains is their mystical ascension to heaven in the new and true Israel through Yeshua haMoshiach (Jesus, the Messiah).”

On the whole, Marty Barrack has given us in Second Exodus a tour de force for the defense of the one true Faith. There are, however, certain areas that plausibly might have been covered by the book, particularly in the chapter entitled “Across the Ages.” These include the Catholic view of the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust, historical events to which Jews are extremely sensitive. While these are not matters of doctrine, they remain to many Jews a stumbling stone to the realization of the Catholic Church’s divine mandate. Whatever reasons Jews may have for not entering into the one ark of salvation are ultimately reasons of the heart that must be addressed. Moreover, potential Jewish converts might have been encouraged by the contributions that Catholic saints of Jewish descent have made to the Church over the centuries. Examples that come to mind are the great Spanish mystics, Saints John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, and more recently St. Edith Stein, the Jewish philosopher who became a Catholic nun and was martyred at Auschwitz. Perhaps Marty will do us all a favor by writing another book, just as delightful and informative as Second Exodus.

Marty Barrack has definitely made a positive contribution to Catholic-Jewish dialogue. In the process, he has enriched many who are already Catholic or perhaps just plain Christian. I would not hesitate to recommend Second Exodus as a reliable catechism for Catholic RCIA programs, high school or adult apologetics classes, and one-on-one ecumenism. Jews, Protestants, and other outsiders to Catholicism will find much that is fascinating in this book even from a cultural standpoint, and all the more so because it presents a compelling view of Catholic Christianity that stands to reason.

Dr. Eduardo P. Olaguer, Ph.D., MIT, teaches biblical studies on the faculty of Regina Coeli Academy, an Internet high school for homeschooling Catholics. He is the author of Born From Above, a meditation on the Gospel of St. John, published by Ambassador Books of Worcester, Massachusetts. He is also a scientist who has served on several national and international panels in environmental research and policy. He is on the editorial board of Environmental Science and Pollution Research, and is an honored member of Strathmore’s Who’s Who.