VIRTUES AND VICES ($16.95)
14.50
Two consummate storytellers--one a liberal Catholic priest and renowned novelist, the other a conservative Jewish rabbi and scholar--draw on their religious heritages to reveal fresh ways of understanding good and evil behavior. Inspired by scripture and oral tradition, each author presents a story on each of the seven primary virtues--faith, hope, charity, justice, temperance, fortitude, and prudence--and then offers a story on each of the seven deadly sins--pride, covetousness, lust, anger, envy, sloth, and gluttony. Father Greeley and Rabbi Neusner turn to their respective scriptures to shed light on the human predicament. Neusner uses the Oral Torah, and Greeley gives us key Gospel passages and his own homiletic reflections. Each vivid story offers profound insights into the ongoing battle of good and evil. These stories are full of problematic situations we recognize immediately; they lead us to consider how we, too, might overcome the temptation of sin in our lives. Intended for a broad audience, these engaging tales represent the best moral wisdom of two great faith traditions. They also offer a significant contribution to the current national debate on individual and communal responsibility.
