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Books by Fr. Shamon >
Exodus: Road to Freedom
by Fr. Albert Shamon
Does Exodus bring images of Cecil B. deMille’s
Oscar winner to your mind? (Our children probably think of the Dreamwork’s
production of Prince of Egypt.) The true Exodus is much more important than
even the best film can convey. Still, reading the book of Exodus, even in the
modern translations, is quite a task. How can you be sure you have heard God’s
message when it is a struggle to decipher the words themselves? Fr. Shamon,
author or Genesis the book of Origins, and the priest I would most like to have
over for coffee, has written a gem of a book to help us understand Exodus.
Exodus Road to Freedom not only helps us to understand the words but helps open
us to the message God contained in it.
Fr. Shamon needs only sixty pages to give a thorough and understandable
explanation of the book of Exodus. The ten chapters cover the enslavement of
the Hebrews, Moses, the plagues, the journey to Sinai, the tabernacle, priest’s
vestments and the covenant. An appendix explains the similarities between the
old testament Sacrifice of Yom Kipper and that of the Cross. Eleven
illustrations including the furnishing of God’s dwelling, the Tabernacle, add to
the thoroughness of the text. In Genesis the Book of Origins, Fr. Shamon
explained the patriarch Joseph rose to a position of authority under a Hyskos
pharaoh, a foreign conqueror. Exodus states that there came a pharaoh who knew
not Joseph. Fr. Shamon, in Exodus Road to Freedom, explains who this pharaoh
was. Ahmose I was the Egyptian pharaoh who came to power by vanquishing the
Hyskos rulers. Tutmose III, ruling eighty-five years after Ahmose I, revoked
the privilege status of the Hebrews. Fr. Shamon’s explanation of the Hebrew
enslavement in the context of history makes the scriptures more understandable.
I was completely fascinated by Fr. Shamon’s handling of the ten plagues. He
explains the first nine plagues were familiar natural occurrences in the Nile
Valley. The miracle was that they occurred exactly when Moses called for them
and in a more severe form than usual. The tenth plague and it’s consequences,
were a just punishment from God since Egypt had decades of unrequited labor to
pay for.
In chapter seven, Fr. Shamon clears up a question that evangelizing protestant
ask most Catholics. Why are the Ten Commandments numbered differently by
Catholics than by Jews and Protestants? The answer is quite simple. Catholics
accept the numbering found in Deuteronomy 5:6-21 while the Jews prefer the
listing from Exodus 20:2-17. The reason for preferring different versions is
really fascinating (and good to know when confronted by evangelizing protestant)
but you will need to read the book to find out
why.
Fr. Shamon’s book shows the two main themes of the book of Exodus: Grace and
Mercy. Even to this day God gives us Grace and when we reject Him, He still
extends His Divine Mercy to us. Fr. Shamon’s Exodus Road to Freedom will help
you truly understand Exodus. It is a wonderful book that helps open our hearts
to God’s message.
Reviewed by Nannette Halliwell,
Immaculate
Heart Homeschool
recently reprinted in
Heart and Mind
Other books available by Fr.
Shamon include:
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A Graphic Life of Jesus
the Christ
by Fr. Albert Shamon
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Junior/Senior High
Tells the story of the
Gospels in chronological order, combining the various Gospel narratives into
one cohesive story.
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$9.95 |
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