Alberto de MINGO KAMINOUCHI. An Introduction to Christian Ethics: A New Testament Perspective, trans. Brother John of Taize. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2020. pp. 200. $19.95 pb. ISBN 978-0-8146-8809-0. Reviewed by Dolores L. CHRISTIE, Shaker Heights, OH 44122.

In the Epilogue the author states his purpose: “to sketch out a Moral Grammar of the New Testament.” While that may sound exquisitely boring, the book is not. Setting a foundation for his argument in the insights of notable moral thinkers past and present, including Aristotle and Alasdair MacIntyre, as well as contemporary thinkers from different religious perspectives, he parses the message of scripture into the elements of purpose, transformation of being, and the necessity of community— essential elements of an authentic Christian life. Christianity is not simply a code of beliefs or even a code of behavior. It challenges the reader to a full immersion into being and acting as Jesus demonstrated.

What does that mean? Part One addresses that question. Christian ethics must involve a blossoming of moral thinking beyond the detached pre-Vatican II approach. The first chapter in this section outlines the history of this shift. For those of us who might be termed “mature” moral theologians, it is a trip down the memory lane. The second chapter challenges the reader to a visceral, existential approach to Christ, to the Jesus whose goal was to point to the Father. The creed—what we believe about Christ—is only the frame, as the text notes. The gospel is the image. The matrix for what to believe is not found in the “sclerosis of dogma,” but in the life of Jesus. In the third chapter the author discusses Aristotle’s treatment of happiness, virtue, and love.

Part Two applies the outlined “grammar” by expanding the meaning of happiness, virtue, and love. This is perhaps the most compelling portion of the book. The author moves from an academic consideration of these qualities to a passionate discussion of scriptural application of them to a Christian life. Virtue is viewed as a capacity, a starting point possessed by human beings that must be activated and practiced for the moral virtuous person to develop. The author spends significant time on love, which of course in Greek is qualified by the varied definitions. The chapters in this section go beyond scholarly abstraction, although they are based firmly in professorial competence—as all good spirituality should be. They are certainly the meat of the book.

I found it interesting to see moral theology through the lens of a scripture scholar. The author does more than simply lift “moral teachings” from the biblical text as moral theologians often do. Even when he moves from the life of Jesus to such passages (e.g., the Beatitudes), he employs them as a launch pad, detailing happiness beyond personal enjoyment to human excellence and fulfillment. Perhaps I loved the book for this very reason. 
Calling this an introduction to Christian ethics from New Testament perspective does not reflect adequately the content. I find it hard to see this book in an undergraduate introduction course, but it certainly would be an excellent reading for graduate students, seminarians, and serious readers beyond the classroom. To my aged mind, it is much more a book of spiritual reading located in authentic scholarship, for those who are seeking to live a deeper, more generous life. 

While there are a few minor flaws in the book, it is wonderfully optimistic and creative. It is hard to get one’s head around the fact that it is a translation. The quality of writing is excellent. It lacks an index or questions for class discussion, but it has an extensive bibliography, with annotations that would be most helpful to the reader. Curiously, the bibliography is alphabetized by the first names of the authors.

I agree with James Keenan’s comments: the book is “ultimately satisfying.” It is compelling in many ways—maybe because I resonate with the successful marriage of scripture to moral thinking. When all is said, moral theology is a “service,” as the epilogue notes, to those who struggle to contribute positively to a “culture in crisis.”