This fine book by an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ explores the creation of three-year lectionaries, with particular emphasis on the Lectionary for Mass and The Re-vised Common Lectionary. Scripture, West says, is mediated by the "lection liturgical complex" -- "the ritual complex found in all Christian liturgical traditions containing a reading or read-ings from Scripture, some degree of ceremonial, and a sermon" (p. 190). In many Christian traditions, a lectionary -- a selection of biblical texts designated to proclaim the faith over the cycles of the liturgical year -- is the principal means by which the assembly hears the Scripture. West not only stimulates much reflection about the promise and perils of the lectionaries, but implicitly raises significant issues for Christians involved in dialogue with Jews.

That many Christian denominations have the lectionary in common (albeit in different versions) is indicative of ecumeni-cal advances. Yet West identifies two distinctive models by which the traditions appropriate the lectionary. The "Catholic liturgical paradigm" holds speech as primary; the memory re-sides primarily in the community, and secondarily in the book. Thus, the public readings are to be proclaimed ritually for the community's hearing; Bibles are not in the pews, and congre-gants are not encouraged to read along with the lector. Ritual both carries and interprets Scripture: the Book of the Gospels is held aloft while congregants sing an acclamation; on solemn occasions, it is incensed. The Gospel is regarded as the voice of Christ, so the congregation responds to its proclamation with "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ." The three readings in the Sunday cycles lead progressively to the good news in order that "the sequence of salvation history [be] perceived more clearly." This sequencing is problematic because it privi-leges the New Testament at the expense of the Old Testament and in the process disconnects the Jewish people from their own foundational stories.

The "Protestant liturgical paradigm," in contrast, is more deep-ly rooted in a print culture. It is organized around two language events: the public reading of printed biblical texts and the spoken sermon. Rather than the communal memory of the Catholic model, in which lectionaries of one kind or another have long mediated the Scriptures, the Protestant model knows the Bible as a continuous narrative in print form. The Bible itself structures the memory of the church in a dynamic encounter with the congregation at worship.

The Revised Common Lectionary diverges from the Lectionary for Mass in two primary ways: its readings are more fulsome, and it compensates in part for the omission of women and the negative portrayal of Jews. It also encompasses two versions that diverge in the second half of the liturgical year. The Sunday/Sunday version, intended for traditions with an affinity for the Catholic liturgical paradigm (e.g., Episcopal and Luther-an), generally shares in the supersessionist problem of the Lectionary for Mass. Its greater sensitivity to history, how-ever, somewhat mutes the triumphalist note.

West complements his narrative with excellent resources: dia-grams of patterns evident in the selection of readings, tables of readings in the various cycles, a glossary, index of lection-ary readings, and a bibliography. The careful and systematic quality of his work demands the reader's close attention -- attention that will produce worthwhile learning from this highly recommended book. Only as Christians come to terms with the perceptions of the Jewish people shaped through their lec-tionaries can they counter both the subtle and overt anti-Jewish biases within their traditions.