Customer Reviews

The Pilgrim's New Guide to the Holy Land

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

 

 

I am leading a group of 48 people to the Holy Land and originally intended to compose a liturgy/sacred reading book for the group to use at each of the sites of our visit. I began to research all the relevant Scripture passages; for example, Elijah's battle with the Baals for our stop at Mt. Carmel; the Capernaum passages, etc. Then I discovered Fr. Doyle's book and Hallelujah! Saved me a ton of time. All the relevant Scripture references etc. and passages for all the key sites, along with appropos reflections, suitable hymns etc. This book is not an exegesis nor a history nor archeological text, but an excellent liturgical accompaniment.

I enjoyed reading this book. It's written by an insider, a priest, who has lived in the Holy Land, and knows it well. He is quick to point out why certain places are believed to be actual sites where events occurred and what not to believe. He includes appropriate hymns and prayers for the holy sites. It is written for those taking a spiritual journey to the Holy Land.

An excellent source to bring with you on a trip to the Holy Land. We are going on Sept. 20, 2010 for 10 days and the priest who will be going with us suggested our getting this book and said it would be very helpful. Have gone through it and it sounds very helpful and clear and easy to understand.

I recently toured the Holy Land and wanted my visit to be a pilgrimage, not just a tour. This book helped me to achieve that experience. It's well written, very well organized, and focuses on the spiritual experience. It does contain enough travel tips and historical information to make it interesting, but I particularly enjoyed the biblical references and prayers.

My only negative comment is that the biblical passages are the author's own translation. While he may have captured the meaning of the passage, the language is too casual. I would have preferred one of the standard translations.

But overall, this is an excellent companion book for any pilgrim to the Holy Land.

I ordered 4 copies of this book last Sunday and paid for shipping next day air. You needed 1/2 days for handling. The books have not arrived and I'm leaving tomorrow (Sunday) for Israel. Please note: I'm not paying and will need to send these books back due to delay in arriving