Review
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Title: Greater Love Hath No Man: A Latter-Day Saint Guide to Celebrating the Easter Season
Author: Eric D. Hunstman and Trevan G. Hatch
Publisher: RSC BYU Deseret Book
Genre: Religious Non Fiction
Year Published: 2023
Number of Pages: 326
Binding: Hardcover, eBook
ISBN-13: 978-1-9503-0422-6
Price: $34.99
Reviewed by Richard Ji for the Association for Mormon Letters
When I first received Greater Love Hath No Man: A Latter-Day Saint Guide to Celebrating the Easter Season by Eric D. Huntsman and Trevan G. Hatch, my senses immediately brought me back to my school days and receiving my annual yearbook. The substantial weight, the fresh smells of newly printed paper, and the bright white pages filled with colorful pages awakened a sense of nostalgia in me. But rather than commemorating a year of school, this book seeks to help us remember the last days of the Savior’s life. The book can be considered an enhanced version of Huntsman’s 2011 work, God So Loved the World: The Final Days of the Savior’s Life. Like that book, this one chronicles the Savior’s final week, known in Christendom as Holy Week. While both books contain a day-by-day devotional review of key events as documented by scripture, Greater Love Hath No Man goes further by adding elements such as a reader’s version of scriptural texts followed by sections containing interpretation, application, notes on traditions within Christianity to observe Holy Week, and suggestions for Latter-Day Saints to make our Easter devotions more meaningful. Greater Love is a devotional, scholastic, and artistic endeavor.
After Introductory materials, there are nine chapters that start with preludes to Jesus’ last week, Palm Sunday, and each day of the week through Easter. The format of the book allows readers to take a chapter a day during Holy Week for study and application. Each chapter starts with some background, followed by scriptural texts presented in a reader’s format, then interpretative and applicative remarks, then sections on other faith traditions and suggestions for Latter-Day Saint observances. There are also sections in each chapter for additional reading and end notes. Closing the book are four Appendices for deeper discussion on the Gospel portraits found in the Gospels, chronological differences in accounts of Holy Week, alternative views of Judas, and a convenient outline of each Holy Week day with suggestions for personal study, suggestions for Latter-Day Saint celebrations, activities for children, and suggestions for inspiring art and music. The bibliography and index cap it all off.
A primary intention of the Greater Love Hath No Man by Huntsman and Hatch is to increase our devotional activities in our Easter week observances. As I read, I sense some Holy Envy as the authors reflect on other faith traditions’ liturgical activities and nomenclature (such as ‘Passion’) as opposed to the LDS tradition. Other than the Sacrament, which we partake of weekly, the Church does not institutionalize worship specific to Holy Week. LDS homes tend to have numerous traditions around the Christmas season, but by comparison, the Easter season (despite its importance) is neglected. As President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The baby Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection” (p. 3). The authors hope that this work will aid in correcting this imbalance.
The authors seek to combine devotional, scholastic, and artistic sources to provide a comprehensive and uplifting observance of Easter week – heart, mind, and soul. Greater Love draws primarily on the King James version of the Four Gospels but also cites modern-day scripture and other translations of the Bible as well. The authors are not shy in citing scholarly works produced outside of the Church such as Catholic Priest/Scholar Raymond E. Brown. I greatly appreciated the open-minded and broad canvas of source materials. The book is replete with striking imagery including paintings, photos, and maps. There are helpful asides that likewise complement the text. There are some interesting bits of trivia presented including the symbolic nature of pretzels and the origins of Easter eggs and the Easter bunny in celebrations.
While Greater Love’s intention is to edify through all these different vehicles, I found that portions of the scholarly commentary to be distracting. At times, there was too much commentary on discrepancies within the Gospels, specifically on the timing of certain events. Due to the nature of the subject, there were no definitive answers to the discrepancies. There was also a discussion seeking to reconcile President Spencer W. Kimball’s strong impression as to the location of the Savior’s tomb versus current evidence and thinking today. I found myself reflecting more on the implications of such differences more than the actual events themselves. While some of these discussions had places in the Appendices, I would have preferred more of such contradictory discussion be placed in the Appendix versus the main body.
My mind also reflected on the cover art of the book which shows an angel strengthening the Savior in Gethsemane. The authors state that the angel was Adam so I began to wonder if the cover art was specifically chosen to represent Adam. Is that what Adam looked like I wondered?
Some of the perspectives shared also had hints of contemporary social lens sensitivities such as anti-Semitism roots in Christian faith traditions and cultural appropriation. The anti-Semitism discussions were eye-opening to me as I had never connected modern-day anti-Semitism to the way we speak about Jews from the New Testament. The authors simply ask us to recognize that not all Jews from the Savior’s days were bad and guilty of his sufferings and death. Also, while Pharisees in the New Testament are often maligned, we need to recognize that some faith traditions are based on similar precepts today. And these faith traditions do in fact have good people. While the authors do share examples of how other faith traditions celebrate Easter week, they warn against copying them as it may be construed as cultural appropriation and hence offensive to some.
Greater Love Hath No Man: A Latter-Day Saint Guide to Celebrating the Easter Season by Eric D. Hunstman and Trevan G. Hatch serves as a wonderful reference book for Holy Week. It points to a broad range of resources that readers can draw on to enhance their understanding of Jesus’ final week on earth. For those seeking a purely devotional read on Holy Week, I would recommend Huntsman’s initial work God So Loved the World. For those seeking more than that, this book is a helpful resource. For families seeking to initiate more meaningful celebrations of Easter, the devotional sections combined with the sections of worship from other faith traditions and suggestions for Latter-Day Saints will prove to be invaluable.