Book review: Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn

Book review: Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn

In recent centuries, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary has become a controversial topic with various Christians. Many non-Catholic Christians struggle with Mary due to the Catholic roots of devotion to her. Dr. Scott Hahn, who converted from Protestantism to Catholicism, sought to bridge the gap of understanding by authoring Hail, Holy Queen, available here.

About the author

Dr. Scott Hahn was born in 1957. Hahn has many degrees including Theology, Philosophy, and Economics. Originally a Protestant, Scott Hahn served as a Pastor while deeply involved in the community. After recognizing the fullness of truth in the Catholic Church, Scott Hahn entered the Catholic Church in 1986.

About the book

Hail, Holy Queen was written to show The Blessed Virgin Mary’s presence throughout Scripture. The book itself is 175 pages separated into eight chapters in addition to the foreword, introduction, and appendix. Scott Hahn takes us through the various titles and devotions applied to Mary and unpacks their scriptural roots to show how the Mother of God can be found in the Word of God.

My review

Hail, Holy Queen exemplifies the fact that it was written by a former Protestant possibly lovingly aimed to help Protestants accept the Catholic truths taught about the Blessed Virgin. Despite this, the book does not isolate other readers, instead welcoming people from all walks of Christendom to learn more about the Mother of God. Hahn does this by not making this book about apologetics towards Protestants, instead writing in a way that helps all people understand the Word of God better so we may see God’s Mother more clearly.

The Scriptural focus of this book is great to help any reader develop a deeper understanding of Mary while also applying much of Dr. Hahn’s learning to help the reader open their mind and soul to the greater context of the passages he refers to. He does not rely on his own interpretation, instead providing a lot of context that helps the reader see the whole picture he is painting with this writing.

Speaking for myself, Hail, Holy Queen has proven to be a good foundation for understanding Marian dogma and devotion. I have referred even referred to this book in my personal projects about the Blessed Virgin Mary. This book is more of an intellectual read instead of a spiritual read, though this growth in knowledge can help us spiritually open ourselves to Mary

As much as I respect Scott Hahn and truly enjoyed this book, I would have hard time calling it a “must read.” For example, my wife tried reading it and found the writing just wasn’t for her, and I personally think she is fine with other books about Mary. There are many amazing books about Mary and while this is a good book, it does not rise to the height of others.

If you choose to add Hail, Holy Queen into your reading schedule, which would be a good idea, I would say it is best for one of those times when you want a more relaxed and easy-to-read book. It would be great for anyone trying to help Protestants understand Mary.

At the end of the day, Scott Hahn did a wonderful job on helping us see the Mother of God in the Word of God. For those who love the Word of God but may struggle with the Mother of God, or those who just want a lighter read on Our Lady, this book is for you.