Modern-day Christians often bring their own presuppositions and assumptions to the reading of the Bible; not realizing how deeply their understanding of Christ's life and teachings is affected by a 21st-century worldview. In UNDERSTANDING JESUS; author Joe Amaral delves deep into Jewish history; societal mores; and cultural traditions; closing the gap created by geographical distance and over two thousand years of history. Using a chronological approach to the life of Christ; he guides the reader through significant events such as Jesus' birth; baptism; and crucifixion; pointing out illuminating details that that the Western mind would normally miss.Amaral's premise is that to understand Jesus; we must understand the time and place in which he was born; the background from which he drew his illustrations; and the audience he spoke to. Throughout the book he explores specific terms; places; and events for their significance and shows how they add richness and meaning to the text. Topics include the connection between Jesus and John the Baptist; the annual Feasts and why they are important to modern Christianity; Jewish customs such as foot-washing; clean and unclean foods; paying tribute to political governments; and the significance of various miracles.In UNDERSTANDING JESUS; Amaral draws back the curtain on a way of life that existed during the reign of the Caesars; and in doing so; reveals truths about the way we live more than two thousand years later; half a world away.
#1644314 in Books 2012-03-06 2012-03-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.99 x 1.10 x 6.00l; .96 #File Name: 0425245446370 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Disturbing; but Necessary StoryBy CI enjoyed this book a lot although it did get tedious in some places; but that was just where the author' s trail led. There is criticism that it is not a biography; but a generalization with a lot of assumptions. Well; when you a tracking a relative and know where he was you have to see what was going on there and make assumptions based on other histories if you have no direct facts. This author makes no false statements about his research and the trail he took. This book; unlike a lot of recent "best formula selling histories" ( i.e. Killing ________ ) is footnoted and well documented. We are lucky that the author shared what he found. I recently authored a WWII history; In Her Father's Footsteps; available on . ( sorry for the plug; but I have no TV audience to sucker). From that experience; I fully appreciate what this author did research wise and applaud the footnotes. It takes a lot more work. I now question any so called history with shallow documentation.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Personalizing HistoryBy K. B. HottleAs a history teacher; my primary challenge was assisting students to see past events as more than just words or pictures on a page. The essentially existential nature of children of any age renders the past as remote and not relevant to their lives in the moment. The impact of a horrific event like a major war must be made real to them by more than film and video games; which by their nature are limited. In The Perfect Nazi; Mr. Davidson makes very clear the meaning of war and the consequences of exposure to violent; racist ideas like nazism because he gives a rather intimate portrait of his grandfather and explains his reactions to the experience of researching him. The reality of an individual explaining the burden that knowledge of his grandfather's fanaticism has imposed on him reaches the reader in ways that even dramatic pictures can never fully convey. This book is vital to an understanding of the profound effects of war upon the individual; even if he lives long after it has occurred.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. quite an entertaining read with a few surprisesBy She's On Target!when I ordered this book I wasn't sure what the spin was going to be on this biographical work and what the author had to gain from writing it. Such a notorious family history is usually well hidden by subsequent generations -- to say the least... I'm still not sure why the author "came clean" by airing his family's "dirty laundry" but have to say he did a very good job as the book was an easy and fascinating read. It would seem that the author's mother-in-law "Ida" (with a name like that and her looks) was at least part Jew. For some reason I cannot recall the author mentioning that she was a Jewess. However; a lot of historical research presented here. Worth the 1 cent I paid! AAA+++
