Fr. Paul Keenan
1946-2008
Fr. Paul died suddenly and unexpectedly on Tuesday June 10th. He was a man and a priest of great wisdom, care and humility - and a dear friend to Quadratos.
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Press Release
"Beyond The Biography of Jesus: The Journey of Quadratos, Book I"
by Alexander J. Shaia, Ph.D.
Did you know that for over 1000 years people around the world studied the same Gospel story, on the same Sunday? Today millions - from all denominations - are doing it again. Why?
Yes, we know the gospels contain discrepancies about Jesus' life, as well as misquotes and mistranslations. These arguments have succeeded in grabbing our attention and distracting us from a great truth. Christianity is not about a person, but a process of transformation. Of the 30 gospels written, why did the early Christians pick just four - Mathew, Mark, John and Luke - to be read on Sundays? Why were the four placed in an odd reading order, and read that way on Sundays for a thousand years? Why did the reading order suddenly disappear, and just as suddenly reappear and be re-instated by Christian Churches in the 1970's and 1980's?
Dr. Shaia's book reveals what many authors have sought to accomplish but failed - to provide a sound spiritual and psychological logic behind the choice of the four traditional gospels that satisfies our heads, touches our hearts and shows how these gospels are relevant to everyone - Christian and non-Christian alike.
Through years of research as an anthropologist, religious educator and psychologist, Dr. Shaia found a four-fold pattern to exist in indigenous rituals, all religions and even psychology. He names this four-fold sequence Quadratos. Dr. Shaia discloses how the gospels - in the restored reading sequence (Christianity's Universal Lectionary) - are a pragmatic map of our never-ending journey of psychological growth and spiritual transformation. Leaders across Christianity and world faiths are applauding this message.
The Journey of Quadratos and the Gospel Sequence with each's landscape:
- The Gospel of Mathew is an account of climbing a great mountain. Written after Jerusalem's Temple was destroyed. Worshippers experienced the end of something dear to them. Loss and grief, and the decision to begin climbing, mark the first path of the universal journey of growth.
- The Gospel of Mark is an account of crossing a stormy sea. Written when believers in Christ were being executed. Their lives were in terrible crisis. The second path is filled with bewildered tossing, chaos - even thoughts of dying.
- The Gospel of John is an account of arriving at and resting in a wondrous garden. Written at a moment when Christianity was harmonious and abundant. Reaching past the crisis, new concepts and attitudes arrived. The third path holds an epiphany that allows the transformation to be seen and felt.
- The Gospel of Luke is an account of walking the road of riches. Written when the Christian and Jewish faiths separated, and Christians charted a new road. The road was a practice of equanimity amidst struggle, flexibility amidst opposition, and joy. The fourth path leads to maturity and true happiness - reflected in strong relationships and vital community life.
Like the four seasons, the four paths of transformation are universal, invariant, cyclical and never - ending. The fourth path leads back to a new first. Beyond the Biography of Jesus gives a universal map to use in facing change and difficult moments. Everyone makes the journey. Having this map increases our sense of hope, equanimity and joy - in the midst of personal, cultural and political changes.
Valerie Andrews
Writer/Editor/Producer, San Rafael, CA
"This book is about a universal process that has the power to bring all religions back to their roots and to help us move beyond the notion of 'who's right' and 'who's wrong.'"
Rev. JeanAnne Swope
Interim Presbytery Executive, Presbyterian Church (USA), retired
"This is the most refreshing look at the Gospels that I have seen since seminary over 35 years ago. My faith has been invigorated and renewed."
About the Author
Born in Birmingham, Alabama into the Maronite Christian tradition, Shaia holds degrees in cultural anthropology, counseling education, religious education, pastoral psychotherapy, and a doctorate in clinical psychology, as well as a specialization in Jungian Sandplay.
A resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Dr. Shaia speaks internationally, conducting retreats, workshops and presentations on Quadratos, Christian spirituality and rites of passage. He is adjunct faculty at numerous universities and colleges, and is the creator of the Blue Door Retreat in Santa Fe, a place of beauty for contemplation and deepening in spiritual practice. To learn more about Dr. Shaia's work, please go to www.quadratos.com and bluedoorretreat.com
About the Books
Notes to the editor: Beyond the Biography of Jesus: The Journey of Quadratos, Book I
Published by Cold Tree Press, Nashville, TN
Hardback $22.95 Paperback $14.95 ISBN: 1-58385-043-0 171 pages 9x6
Regional on-sale date: June 23, 2006 National Pub Date: September 15, 2006
Distributed by Ingram
Beyond the Biography of Jesus: The Journey of Quadratos, Book I, reveals how Quadratos formed early Christianity's choice and sequencing of the four gospels, and the Gospels of Matthew and Mark as exemplars of the first and second paths of Quadratos.
Study Guide to Book I by Alexander Shaia with Darcy Wharton - available mid-August by purchase and download from www.quadratos.com.
Beyond the Biography of Jesus: The Journey of Quadratos, Book II available Holiday 2006 from Cold Tree Press. Book II reveals the Gospels of John and Luke as exemplars of the third and fourth paths of Quadratos, and describes the seven spiritual practices to move Christianity and all of us forward.
Study Guide to Book II available Winter 2007 from www.quadratos.com
To arrange an interview, speaking engagement or to receive a review copy, please contact: Melissa Weiner/ straydogmedia8@aol.com, 505-920-4006.
Cover Photo © Jack Hollingsworth/Corbis
Author Photo by JR Lancaster
