CULTURAL WORLD OF JESUS, THE

Fresh insights from social-scientific research into the Bible bring modern believers closer to grasping “the honest truth about Jesus” (Vatican II On Divine Revelation, #19), our Middle Eastern ancestor in the faith. Along with a cluster of fellow scholars, Dr. Pilch has pioneered this new approach to interpreting the Bible for more than twenty years. In these talks, Dr. Pilch introduces listeners to the major Middle Eastern values and behavior patterns that are reflected in Jesus’ life as reported in the New Testament. The birth, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection appearances of Jesus comes to life for listeners in a new and challenging way. In the final talk, Dr. Pilch refines the three-part model proposed by the 1993 document on The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church for applying the Bible to daily life with examples of successful and unsuccessful efforts from his own publications. Everyone seriously interested in bridging the cultural gap between the modern Western world and the Middle Eastern world of the Bible will find this program enlightening, stimulating, and helpful.