Customer Reviews

The New Testament Cliffs Notes

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I never thought I'd review Cliff Notes! However, I really like this one.

This book gives great historical and cultural information, which has really helped my understanding of the New Testament. I realized, when reading this, that there is a lot more to understanding the New Testament than I had gotten from just reading the Bible. Without the historical background, some things just didn't make so much sense. And the entire story was sort of flat for me before.

I really appreciated the comparative look at the books of the New Testament, and the perspective given on the authors and the intended audience.

Of course this in no way replaces the Bible. But it gave me an understanding I NEVER could have gotten by studying the Bible alone!

Sadly, most self-professed CHRISTIANS I've met have only heard bits and pieces of the NT - and mostly reruns. (Old Testament? Do old movies count?) NON-CHRISTIANS would like to get some Christian basics on short notice: new Christian friends, mid-life crisis, etc. Giving even a well-indexed Bible is counter-productive. If you're looking to help them discover Christianity, you failed.

WHAT THIS BOOK DOES: Summaries and commentaries - yeah, yeah - CF's bread and butter. Additionally, Patterson tells you why each letter/book was written, for whom it was intended and the world-situation in which it was written. Stop. Think about it. That's huge. Want to know about the life of Jesus and only want to read (the summaries and) one gospel, which one and what are the rammifications? What does it means to live a Christian life, which book tells you? Don't care about 1st century circumcision, which books can you skip?

POTENTIAL SHORTCOMINGS: 1) All Cliff's Notes come with their generic disclaimer: "If you really want to know, read it, not these notes." Really want to know about Jesus? Read all four Gospels, followed by the best commentaries (plural!), read the Gospels again, then beat on your mind. 2) Patterson manages to be secular (non-religious) in the extreme. Personally, I was amazed someone could review the NT in such secular terms. If you have Christian faith, you may find this angle of observation downright painful but the historic context will (probably) still be new. I'm a Catholic-raised Agnostic, so I didn't experience the pain. 3) It's really old: 1965. Granted, Christianity isn't Computer Technology but the presentation isn't exactly Gen-X and several Bible versions have undergone major revisions since this baby was written.

I liked it.

For those who seek a secular understanding of the New Testament, this book provides the background to understand how and why Jesus became the leader of a new religion. It sets the stage to read the New Testament with understanding and perception.

I hate to give bad reviews, but let's just say that I was being generous with the 3. I recently got these notes to use as a quick review of the new testament. And I know that you really can't compile such a massive book into such a tiny book. However, it just didn't seem like Cliff even read the Bible. Ther notes were kind of loose and very uninformative. I have seen much better versions. And this goes for more than just the Cliff Notes on the Bible. On every note I look at, I am just disappointed. Sparknotes are much better. They give a more in-depth summary and have everything Cliff has. I am not sure if they have notes on the Bible yet, but everything else is good. In all honesty, don't spend your money on this set of Cliff Notes. It's not worth it. You're better off buying a student Bible with an index in the back. I suggest THE STUDENT BIBLE-THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. That one is easy to read and wonderful in so many ways. If you are looking for something that can be used as a quick review, this Bible is great. The index is amazing. Amazon sells it; I wrote a review on it if you want more info on it.

If you need Cliff notes for the Bible, you have a problem. It is that simple.