Book review - Nothing Superfluous: An Explanation of the Symbolism of the Rite of St. Gregory the Great

By Mrs. Adfero

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If there was ever a book for our times, it is Nothing Superfluous: An Explanation of the Symbolism of the Rite of St. Gregory the Great by The Rev. James W. Jackson, FSSP. 

We have found ourselves in a pivotal moment in history as we watch the COVID-19 pandemic unfold.  We are deprived of assisting at the Mass in a Church.  We are isolated from one another.  We find ourselves depending upon the fickle internet on our technological devices to connect with one another and to help us fulfill the Sunday obligation we hold so dear. 

With so much anxiety, uncertainty, and an onslaught of information regarding the coronavirus crisis, Nothing Superfluous will bring you calm and a deeper, richer appreciation for the Mass, “A Pearl of Great Price.” Written plainly and clearly, as for an adult education class, it does not intimidate with lofty academic language, making the information in this book accessible for all. 

The symbolism in this book of the Rite of St. Gregory the Great is stunning.  Fr. Jackson does not leave anything out – from the reason we use the Latin language in the Mass, which many may know, to the symbolism of the cavity of the bell, which many may not know.

New Release: Reprint of Danielou on Biblical Typology

From the first centuries of its existence, the Church has interpreted the historical events recounted in the Old Testament as being "types" or "figures" of the events of the New Testament and of the sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ. In fact, the traditional Latin liturgy was born from this intimate connection of ancient temple sacrifice and incarnational fulfillment. Ironically, those who were promoting the "ressourcement" of the Church Fathers were the same ones who gleefully slaughtered the liturgy that best represented the mind of the Fathers.

Jean Cardinal Danielou, one of the foremost Catholic scholars of the twentieth century, and a theologian especially concerned with the relationship between history and the Christian revelation, examines in this excellent book -- now reprinted in a nice new edition by Ex Fontibus -- the typological interpretation of the Fathers of the Church and their contemporaries during the first three centuries of the Christian era. Among examples he discusses are the crossing of the Jordan by the Israelites as a type of baptism, Rahab as a type of the Church, and the fall of Jericho as a figure of the end of the world. The complex interpretations of Adam, the flood, and the sacrifice and marriage of Isaac are also described in full and commented on. Like Louis Bouyer, Jean Danielou is at his best when he is transmitting the rich content of tradition to modern readers.