LIFE IN YEAR ONE: What the World Was Like in First-Century Palestine
By Scott Korb
Riverhead Books, 2010
Review by George R. Pasley
Hear is an easily read, thorough, and enjoyable summary of the entire sum of knowledge about life in Galilee during Jesus’ lifetime.
Scot Korb has devoured everything written on the subject, arranged it into ten easy chapters so that non-scholars can easily understand it, and busy scholars can easily digest it. Furthermore, he makes it funny (Talking about cleanliness- or the lack thereof, due to water shortages, he says “A place like Nazareth, without much of local body of water to speak of…would have remained small. A town can only take sop much concentrated stink.”).
Beyond reading all the literature (though he quotes Crossan and Reed most often), Korb visited Israel and Palestine himself, and interviewed numerous archaeologists. The book has numerous annotations, references to quotes, and along bibliography. Makes a great addition to any church library, and affine introduction to the subject for all biblical scholars.
July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
BLAMELESS
BLAMELESS
By Thom Lemmons
WaterBrook Press, 2007
Review by George R. Pasley
I’ve only once before read a modern Christian novel and was not disappointed, but still I haven’t gone looking for more. I found this one by accident, and it’s premise of being a retelling of the book of Job intrigued me.
It was well done, a romance about two college professors who have been hurt in love before, and are afraid of the consequences of falling in love. The basic plot line was parallel to the plot of the biblical book of Job, but even though there was a preacher in the story, and references to the question of undeserved suffering, one wouldn’t know it was Christian in nature without the “Note to Readers” posted by the author at the end.
Lemmons’ main character was Joe Barnes, a professor with a mysterious past. In the course of one horrible week he lost his job and his reputation, with little hope of finding a replacement for either one of them. His new-found romantic interest is the Dean of Humanities, who could rescue his reputation, but he chooses not to ask her, preferring instead to hope for her love.
The dean, Alexis, discerns that he indeed does love her, but does not step in when by virtue of her authority she could save his reputation. Instead, when she ahs complete freedom to do so, she saves his reputation by demanding that other parties involved tell the truth.
How she did that was a plot twist that I loved. Not a complicated read, but a book that manages to provide a thoughtful definition of what it might mean to be loved by God, and to love in return.
July 30, 2010
By Thom Lemmons
WaterBrook Press, 2007
Review by George R. Pasley
I’ve only once before read a modern Christian novel and was not disappointed, but still I haven’t gone looking for more. I found this one by accident, and it’s premise of being a retelling of the book of Job intrigued me.
It was well done, a romance about two college professors who have been hurt in love before, and are afraid of the consequences of falling in love. The basic plot line was parallel to the plot of the biblical book of Job, but even though there was a preacher in the story, and references to the question of undeserved suffering, one wouldn’t know it was Christian in nature without the “Note to Readers” posted by the author at the end.
Lemmons’ main character was Joe Barnes, a professor with a mysterious past. In the course of one horrible week he lost his job and his reputation, with little hope of finding a replacement for either one of them. His new-found romantic interest is the Dean of Humanities, who could rescue his reputation, but he chooses not to ask her, preferring instead to hope for her love.
The dean, Alexis, discerns that he indeed does love her, but does not step in when by virtue of her authority she could save his reputation. Instead, when she ahs complete freedom to do so, she saves his reputation by demanding that other parties involved tell the truth.
How she did that was a plot twist that I loved. Not a complicated read, but a book that manages to provide a thoughtful definition of what it might mean to be loved by God, and to love in return.
July 30, 2010
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