Customer Reviews

Echoes of His Presence: Stories of the Messiah from the People of His Day

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This book paints a picture of the multi-faceted culture in which Jesus lived. It's a wonderful, God-honoring book which helps us to better understand His life because it demonstrates the political, familial, societal and religious background that we miss not having lived in that culture. Mr. Vander Laan draws parallels in story form of Jesus in various roles, such as the Rabbi, the Teacher, the Bridegroom, etc. I walked away with a greater foundation for understanding my Savior. Vander Laan's experience in and understanding of the Holy Land add priceless insights into this work. This is a great book! I highly recommend it.

This is a brilliant book which provides much needed background to the life and times of Jesus. It has greatly helped my understanding of the Bible.

The stories provide details of the culture and living experiences of those in Jesus' day and by doing so we are transported back in time in a very effective way. My favourite one was the story of the woman who was bleeding and touched Jesus' robe. I didn't appreciate the social stigma that would have accompanied the illness due to her always being 'unclean', nor of what it would have meant to be free. Then there is the story covering the meaning of the 'living water'.

If you are interested in the Bible (particularly if you are a Christian) get the book. You won't regret it. I've given 5 copies to friends as gifts and they have all appreciated it.

Mr. Vander Laan through a lifelong study of the land, culture and history of the Bible has written an amazing book. Echoes, presents many of the culture and historical settings of the world that Jesus was born, taught and lived while on this earth.

Ray through some life experiences shares insights that will allow you as the reader to see most of the gospel accounts with the "eyes" of the first century witnesses. I have never seen these stories and teaching of Jesus the same after reading this book.

Get your hands on a copy and read this one at least once a year.

I use this book daily in my quiet time. Mr VanderLaan writes so as you are there with the people he is writing about. If anyone had any doubt about the humanity of Jesus, this is an excellent education. I found I wanted to spend more time in the bible after reading this, over and over, the stories in this book helps understanding some of the stories in the bible. Excellent, wonderful, I need to buy one for my friends!!! Thank You, Mary Hughes

Often the context in which something was said in the Bible is misunderstood and badly applied today. So, I frequently study the Bible with contextual dictionaries to dig into the deeper and practical meaning of words in a message. Echoes of His Presence goes beyond. Through story-telling you can live that moment yourself and picture how the people of the time would have applied the events and messages that we read today in the Bible.

I'm a huge fan of RVL's teaching style and just recently attended a seminar of his. I was looking forward to reading this book, expecting to receive more insight and information. In true VanderLaan style, the book is a teaching through "story", which was a welcomed surprise. These stories applied what I had already learned and places you in the setting and culture to which they occurred. There was plenty of new info for me too, just not in the fashion that my "western/Greek/analytical" mind was used to. It was a pleasant change. I enjoyed this book very much!

Ray VanderLaan is a excellent historian! He has written a book that is informative and entertaining. The book also has a devotional component that is moving and helps the Scriptures be more applical to a person's life. It is a wonderful book and I intend to purchase more copies to use as gifts.

Ray Vander Laan provides an incredible backdrop to the Bible with this book and this many other resources. Ray is one of my favorite teachers/theologians and this book is a great faith building tool and a way to deepen ones knowledge about the context of the The Bible, Jesus, and the Jewish context they came from.