Customer Reviews

The Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle B (Bestseller! the Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday)

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This book, like the cycle A and C books, deals with the Gospel readings for the Cycle B year of the Latin Rite Catholic lectionary. It gives pertinent information on the Mediteranean culture and the times in which Jesus lived. This allows us a deeper insight into Jesus' teachings, and their meanings. This is therefore, a very valuable resource for those working in RCIA, adult education, religious education or for someone who just wants a deeper understanding of the Gospels. Each week is covered by an essay ranging from two to four pages in length. It is written in very easy to understand language making the whole learning process easier andmore enjoyable. I highly recommend this set of books.

This series of books (there is one for each cycle [A/B/C] of the Catholic Liturgy) prove very useful for religious education and RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) classes. Each week of the year is represented, with each week having a homily based on the gospel (NOTE: the essays are concerned ONLY with the Gospel reading, and not the 1st or 2nd readings for that same liturgical week) reading for that week. Each essay(homily) attempts to give the reader a feel for the Mediterranean culture that was representative of the palestinian region that Jesus inhabited during His ministry. These books will give the reader invaluable insight into Jesus' times and culture and will be sure to give the reader a better look at Jesus' parables and what they meant for people at that time. It is also a nice tool for people to have to supplement their weekly Bible study, as people can follow the liturgical year at home on their own or in a group (which makes this book an excellent resource for Bible study groups).

This series of three books, designed as a cultural background for the Roman Lectionary readings during the three year cycle will help all readers to more fully appreciate the words and actions of the characters in the Bible. It can be used as an aide for homilies or simply to give the reader a more intimate glimpse into the mores, customs and beliefs during the time of Jesus. Its style is user-friendly, and many personal incidents are cited. It is recommended for all who have a need to fully develop all aspects of the background for the writers of the Bible.

This book may cover the cultural milieu of the Gospels very well, but there is a good reason it carries no Imprimatur or Nihil Obstat. Earlier in the year, Pilch's gloss on a gospel passage was that it indicated the need for the United States to pass a system of universal healthcare...I kid you not. But this Sunday (2nd of Easter, the appearance of the resurrected Jesus to doubting Thomas) was the last straw. Pilch reads this passage as the apostles experiencing an "altered state of consciousness". In other words, the resurrection was a mirage.

Please, please do not rely on this book for RCIA formation, at least not anything other than the strictly cultural, historical background information.

This series of books (there is one for each cycle [A/B/C] of the Catholic Liturgy) prove very useful for religious education and RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) classes. Each week of the year is represented, with each week having a homily based on the gospel (NOTE: the essays are concerned ONLY with the Gospel reading, and not the 1st or 2nd readings for that same liturgical week) reading for that week. Each essay(homily) attempts to give the reader a feel for the Mediterranean culture that was representative of the palestinian region that Jesus inhabited during His ministry. These books will give the reader invaluable insight into Jesus' times and culture and will be sure to give the reader a better look at Jesus' parables and what they meant for people at that time. It is also a nice tool for people to have to supplement their weekly Bible study, as people can follow the liturgical year at home on their own or in a group (which makes this book an excellent resource for Bible study groups).

This is a great series of books by John Pilch.

They reflect great insights into the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world and Jewish backgrounds of Jesus so that modern readers can better understand the biblical text, and what it means for today. The book contains 52 chapters, each focusing on a text of Scripture. The chapters are short and easy to read, and would provide a source for great devotions, Bible studies, or sermon aids.

This volume is primarily focused on insights from the Gospel of Matthew.

My only complaint is that I wish he had put the Biblical text next to the chapter titles in the Table of Contents.

This is a great series of books by John Pilch.

They reflect great insights into the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world and Jewish backgrounds of Jesus so that modern readers can better understand the biblical text, and what it means for today. The book contains 52 chapters, each focusing on a text of Scripture. The chapters are short and easy to read, and would provide a source for great devotions, Bible studies, or sermon aids.

My only complaint is that I wish he had put the Biblical text next to the chapter titles in the Table of Contents.

This is an excellent choice for background information pertinent to the Sunday Gospels. It gives you an excellent reference to put the reading in context. Coupled with a good homily you will get much more out of the Sunday readings. For a full reference to any book of the Bible try the Collegeville Bible Commentaries.