I finished Alexander Shaia’s Heart and Mind, 2^nd Edition feeling much the same as I did after having finished Tolstoy’s War and Peace, wondering just what I could write in a few words that might even come close to condensing its message in a few pithy paragraphs. 

Shaia  provides a short bio at the beginning of the book that serves as an interpretive touchstone for much of what follows. I was moved by the story of his grandmother’s house in Birmingham, AL, being burned to the ground simply because she was a Maronite Catholic. Her words, “no hate,” resonate throughout the book.

The book lies at the heart of the Quadratos approach to Christian Scripture. Fundamentally, this approach views the four gospels as a paradigm of the four stages of human growth common to all cultures and popularized by Joseph Campbell: initiation/enlightenment, suffering, joy and service. In Shaia’s view, the choice of four gospels was no accident. Each lines up with one of the stages: Matthew with initiation/enlightenment, Mark with suffering, John with joy and Luke with service.

We are provided with five “keys” to unlock the meaning of the gospels in this context. In Shaia’s view, the connection between the gospels and the stages of human growth existed in the early church and was later lost, so that the gospels were simply viewed as parallel accounts of the same story. The purpose of Quadratos is to recover the ancient pattern and guide people through it.

Each gospel is examined in its historical context, to make the connection to the fourfold paradigm clear. I found the book to be neither biblical exegesis, or polemical. It’s a guide, plain and simple. It’s one man’s view of the gospels, taken through the lens of a model he finds apt. I took a look at the sample study guide that’s available at the Quadratos website, and it became even more clear the book is meant to be used by groups committed to the Quadratos journey.

I found many passages that made me think, others made me ponder, a few were amusing and others left me wishing for a deeper explanation. One passage that struck me was the statement that a gift, to be given, requires and open and thankful heart. Without that, the gift simply vanishes. I found myself pondering that for quite a while, and I’m not done yet! What, for example, do we make of God’s gifts to us? Without an open and thankful heart, we simply don’t receive them – all the way on up to the gift of the Eucharist.  Not truly receiving the Eucharist seems to me to be a heartachingly terrible miss.

Eight practices are offered to be used by Quadratos pilgrims. They all serve to connect the experience of Scripture with everyday life, it seems to me.

For those seeking to explore the gospels within an overarching framework of human growth and development, Heart and Mind will provide a valuable approach to consider.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.