Customer Reviews

Mystery of the Kingdom (Kingdom Studies)

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I am a Masters student at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and I had to read this book for my New Testament class. I was quite honestly blown away by it. This is one of the best books I've read in a while. It studies the Gospel of Matthew with all of the Old Testament background and Jewish culture factored in, transporting you back 2000 years to see Jesus and events in His life through the eyes of both the followers and opposers of His message. Extremely informative and well-researched, while being very coherent and easy to understand. There are literally dozens of observations about the Gospel of Matthew which Sri makes which add completely new dimensions to it. He also shows how close examination of the text reveals undeniably Catholic themes. I would highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to not just deepen their understanding of the Gospel of Matthew, but to discover the amazing depth of our Lord's words and actions, and to enrich their understanding of the true meaning and mission of the universal Church. I have a hard time believing that a sincere Protestant could read chapters 6 and 7 and remain sure of their position. Sri doesn't make apologetic arguments in this book, however; they simply make themselves. Sri's charity and love of our Lord comes out through his writing, without sacrificing scholarship. I just finished this book, and can't wait to go back and reread the Gospel of Matthew for the first time.

When reading the Scriptures, many have a hard time understanding certain things because we are not in the culture and time of the authors. However, this book bridges this gap and brings scripture to life using Matthew. I was able to understand my faith in new light after reading this.

The only real down side of this book is the explanation of the Eucharist in the last supper as a symbol. The wording is a little ambigious and might lead Catholics away from truth if not read carefully. The Eucharist is Jesus Christ, re-presented in body, blood, soul, and divinity.

This book brings so many truths to you about the Gospel of Matthew. It is a great book to study in a group or individually. Buy it!