Treasure in the Field: Salvation in the Bible and in Our Lives

by Robert A Krieg

Overview

What does it mean to say that God offers salvation to humanity? What is this salvation, and how can we become more conscious of it in our lives? These are the questions that Robert Krieg faces in Treasure in the Field. While his intent is certainly to impart information and ideas found in Scripture, church teaching, and theology, it is also to illumine our own experiences.

Krieg retrieves the Bible's teaching on salvation and expresses it in contemporary terms. Drawing deeply from Scripture, he defines salvation as God's gift of personal identity, of wholeness. In this perspective, God calls us not to invent ourselves but to discover ourselves as God intends us to be. Those who gradually make this discovery become grateful recipients who give themselves and their talents for the well-being of other people and creation.

Robert A. Krieg is professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. He is the editor and translator of Romano Guardini: Spiritual Writings, as well as the author of Romano Guardini: A Precursor of Vatican II; Karl Adam: Catholicism in German Culture; and Story-Shaped Christology. His work has also appeared in America, Theological Studies, Worship, and many other journals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814680681
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	02/01/2013
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Robert A. Krieg received his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame in 1976 and has taught there since 1977. He is the author of several books, including Treasure in the Field: Salvation in the Bible and in Our Lives (Liturgical Press, 2013). Krieg has published articles in America, Comment, Commonweal, The Heythrop Journal, The Irish Theological Quarterly, The Journal of Religious Thought, Theologische Quartalschrift, Theological Studies, and Worship. He has known Cardinal Kasper since 1980.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Chapter 1 God's Gift: Creation and Salvation 1

Chapter 2 Sin: Our No to God's Gift 21

Chapter 3 Conversion: Our Yes to God's Gift 41

Chapter 4 Suffering: Threats to God's Gift 61

Chapter 5 Hope: Actively Awaiting the Gift Fulfilled 81

Chapter 6 Jesus Christ: God's Gift and Our Yes 101

Chapter 7 Gospel Portraits of Jesus Christ 121

Chapter 8 Salvation: The Gift Fulfilled in God 141

Notes 160

Index 163

Editorial Reviews

Treasure in the Field is a theological reflection on the theme of God’s love in our lives. Though Robert Krieg examines the biblical material with a critical eye, his solid explanations are addressed to the non-specialist. He reinforces the relevance of the biblical message for today by relating it to examples from contemporary literature. In this way, he has successfully teased out both the literal and the spiritual meanings of the word of God.
Dianne Bergant, CSA, Catholic Theological Union, Author of Scripture: History and Interpretation


Robert Krieg’s approach to soteriology is symphonic, like a conductor uncovering the hidden melodies of Scripture and Tradition, and drawing intuitively from contemporary voices and narratives in a way that quickens the life of intellect and faith. Drawing us gently back to the God who loves and treasures all people without exception, Treasure in the Field is a summons to life and hope for a world-weary people. It is book I will treasure both in and beyond the classroom.
Christopher Pramuk, Xavier University, Author of Hope Sings, So Beautiful: Graced Encounters Across the Color Line


Robert Krieg brings together the best of Catholic biblical scholarship and theology to show how sacred scripture and tradition teaches that we are God’s treasure and that salvation is about discovering and accepting ourselves as God’s gift—a life journey that is only possible through God’s grace. Krieg’s skill as a master teacher is evident in the organization and accessibility of this book and in his generous use of everyday examples from ordinary people’s lives. Yet even the more experienced reader of theology will be drawn in by the richly evocative imagery from literature and popular culture, which he uses to address a range of related topics, including creation, sin, suffering, conversion of heart, the nature of God, and Jesus Christ’s role in salvation. Simply stated, this book is itself a rich treasure for reflection on one’s own journey toward God.
Catherine Cory, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN


Robert Krieg’s book offers a rich resource for the new evangelization. With his profound knowledge of the biblical tradition, he translates the Bible’s symbols and stories into practical language for the twenty-first century. Drawing of the works of contemporary religious thinkers, from Thomas Merton to Benedict XVI, he moves beyond the narrow view of salvation so characteristic of popular American religious culture to discover a much deeper, more holistic meaning.
Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, Loyola Marymount University, Author of Eschatology, Liturgy, and Christology

From the Publisher