Customer Reviews

Rosary: Mysteries, Meditations, and the Telling of the Beads

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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This book is one of the best books I've ever read, and I've read a lot of books! If you are looking for one book to help you understand the Rosary better, then this is it. It covers every aspect of the Rosary in depth, and adds much detail, making it a treasure chest of knowledge about the Catholic faith. It is written in a compelling way, never dry; and although it is an expensive book, it is worth every penny. I know that I will reread it over and over again; in addition, I hope to teach a class at my church this year on it. I have several other books on the Rosary, but this is worth all of them put together.

Rosary is both scholarly and inspiring-a rare combination. I am a very fast reader, but it took me several weeks to complete this tome. I read only one chapter a day, as there is so much to absorb and digest. As a purely historical book, it is magnificent. As a spiritual book, it is equally magnificent. The author, Kevin Orlin Johnson, Phd. did extensive and profound research in writing this book and it certainly shows. This book I recommend to all Catholics, but I also highly recommend it to people of all faiths or no faith at all! I guarantee all readers will be inspired by Rosary.

This is a very detailed but clearly written work on all aspects of the Rosary. As a non-Catholic who is becoming more and more interested in the Catholic Church, I found this book very enlightening. It wiped away many of the prejudices I (as a long-time Baptist) had held toward the Church. I would recommend it to everyone, especially to those seeking a better prayer life.

Everyone else is right, this book is truly a blessing. It is informative and intellectual while being deeply spiritual and inspirational. Truly absorbing the contents of this book will no doubt strengthen your faith. If you are Catholic it is a must, it explains a great deal and inspires. This is coming from a 24 year woman living in the 'real' world. Give it a try!

I found this book to be simply wonderful. I borrowed it from the library and wanted my own copy. It can appeal to a person of any denomination since it includes early Church history, cultural history, philosophy. It gives an excellent discussion of the reasons why the Catholic Church things the way it does and the reason behind many Catholic beliefs that may seem difficult for non-Catholics.

This is an excellent book. It tells of the early history leading to the development of the rosary. A history of a people seeking a closer communion with God. The author tells a story that needs telling -- a story of heresies and misunderstandings, of the power of the rosary to draw us to the saving power of Christ. This is a story about how the rosary should be said and has been said over the course of centuries. This story is easy to read, well organized, and answers the call of the many who search for an answer to the problems besetting the Church today. It is excellent reading.

This book is wonderful for people who have been away from the Church and would like to understand the Rosary. It is also great for those who have recited the Rosary for years without understanding the history and the whys. The information is disseminated in an easily understood manner and one that is quite engaging. I would recommend it to anyone, Catholic or not, who would like to understand more fully why Catholics pray to the Virgin Mother and use the Rosary.

The history of the rosary is fascinating and complex, related to ancient forms of faith. Initially, this book looked interesting, chock-full of historical details, with pamphlets on different devotions enclosed. But the content betrays, muffled in semantics by a linguist. There's no mention of the luminous mysteries added by Pope John Paul II; later editions could have been amended to include them. You would not believe the time the author spent raving in an inappropriate diatribe against sports in the Agony in the Garden mystery. Who cares what Johnson's issues are regarding sports? As an athletic person, I couldn't care less, and as a researcher, I want to be provided real information, not nonsensical opinion. I highly recommend the fun and lucid The Rosary Handbook: A Guide for Newcomers, Old-Timers, and Those in Between instead.

In trepidation, I turned to the Crucifixion mystery, to see if the author stains this mystery too. He does, in the most peculiar way. He horrifically describes Third Reich torture in great detail, sagging skin and all, never mentioning that Jews were the victims involved. A person of real faith does not need to dwell on gore to meditate on the depth of this mystery.

As many fine theologians point out, Judaism the root of Christian faith. But Johnson completely gets Jewish history wrong, dismissing two thousand years of Judaism after the final destruction of the Temple. It's a miracle that the Jews, the people of the First Covenant, the brethren of Jesus, have miraculously survived. In the history of the world, no other people kept their language, religion, and heritage alive, while suffering over two thousand years of exile and persecution. Johnson completely misrepresents the truth when he declares that the Sadducees were the seeds for modern Judaism; they did not follow the Talmud as well as the Torah, modern Judaism does both. The Sadducees were lost in history. Unbelievable misinformation; it's incomprehensible that Johnson could write beautifully about some aspects of prayer, yet hatefully in other regards, even lambasting sports.

On page 305, Johnson wrote that the Jewish Apostles saw "the whole nation of Israel turn into a mob that compelled the Roman governor to crucify Christ." This kind of generalization caused Christian mob violence against Jews over the centuries; only a raving anti-Semite would write such bile. Devout Catholics avoid this kind of thinking, it would be like shooting yourself in the proverbial foot, or root. For the mystery of Pentecost, Johnson makes the common mistake of assuming Jews called this holiday Pentecost too. They never did in Israel, and they don't two thousand years later. This Jewish feast of first-harvest is Shavout, celebrated fifty days after the festival of Passover. It is utter nonsense to state that, "because this holiday didn't have a descriptive name rooted in Hebrew like the others, and because by the time of Christ so many people spoke Greek, the holiday came to be called simply the Fiftieth Day - Pentecost" (326). Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Greek, and in referring to this feast, he would have used the normative Hebrew term - Shavout.

There are better resources out there. This travesty will be discarded. Try this fine book: The New Rosary in Scripture: Biblical Insights for Praying the 20 Mysteries, which contains Pope John Paul II's "The Rosarium Virginis Mariae: Apostolic Letter on the Most Holy Rosary."

From its origin to its greatest achievements, who it's helped and how! The frequent references to biblical passages have shown me the Bible in a new and wonderous light! I sincerely loved this book and plan to read more by this writer. To him, my thanks!

Kevin Orlin Johnson is my favorite author...and this book is just one of the reasons why! He really knows his stuff -- and is a terrific writer. Every Christian should have a copy of this book...to understand the color and history of the faith. Yay Dr. Johnson!