The World of Jesus: Making Sense Of The People And Places Of Jesus' Day

by William H. Marty

Popular Author Provides the Market's Most Accessible Introduction to the World of Jesus' Time
To understand Jesus' life and ministry, we need to understand the history and culture of his world. Marty, author of the popular "The Whole Bible Story," provides readers with a thoroughly readable, easy-to-understand history of Israel leading up to the time of Christ. Each chapter ties closely to the events of the New Testament as Marty carefully answers such questions as
-Who were the Pharisees and why was Jesus upset with them?
-Why didn't anyone like the Samaritans?
-When and why did the Jews start worshiping in "synagogues" rather than the Temple?
The book will include call-out boxes, summaries, and other tools to make this the most accessible book available on the topic.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Christian, Religion, Christianity, New Testament, Church History

188 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

Dr. William H. Marty (ThD, Dallas Theological Seminary) is Professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute and has published two textbooks, Surveying the New Testament and Survey of the Old Testament. He is unique among Bible college professors in that he teaches and writes on both the New and Old Testaments. Dr. Marty lives with his wife in Chicago.

Reviews

[Nathan Schrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a reader-friendly guide to the inter-testamental period. If you're like me, the time that transpired between Malachi and Matthew always seemed like a void where literally nothing happened. But in reality, tons of important things happened, and Marty does a great job telling the story.
This is definitely one that I'll keep around for reference.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of THE WORLD OF JESUS from Bethany House in exchange for an unbiased review.

Dr. Marty presents research and study regarding the time lapse between the Old Testament and New Testament in this short, easy-to-read book. Although this is not a light read, there are digestible sections for the person on the go.

While describing the events leading up to Jesus the Messiah, WORLD OF JESUS also contains snippets such as where Samaritans and other peoples originated, and a deeper understanding of the world so different from our own. Oftentimes jumping from what feels like ancient history to Jesus’ day is akin to jumping through time from the present day to some distant future where we can teleport and drive flying cars. It helps to have some idea of the events in between that transpired and allowed for the perfect timing. Dr. Marty makes history accessible.

Follow the Jews on their journey from captivity in Babylon, through the Roman Empire, coming into the New Testament days. This context allowed me to better understand the protective hand God had over his chosen people, as well as many references in the Bible specific to the culture of the times.

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of biblical culture. WORLD OF JESUS is certainly not a ‘new Christian’ read, but will definitely benefit those seeking further knowledge of what shaped the Bible’s vastly different world.

[Barbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a Christian for nearly twenty years. In spite of the many sermons, teachings, readings, and viewing expounding on the Bible, I still have never quite had a grasp on the culture that Jesus lived in. I’ve never fully understood exactly what a Pharisee or Sadducee was. Who were Herod and Pilate and which one had more power? Who were the Samaritans, really, and why didn’t the Jews like them?

This incredible little book by William H. Marty, published by Bethany House Publishers, answers those questions and many more. The World of Jesus give the rich and often disturbing history of the Jewish nation during the “400 silent years” between the end of Malachi and the beginning of Matthew, then through to the final destruction of the Temple by the Romans in AD 70. While The World of Jesus answers many of those nagging little questions that I have while reading the Bible, it also provides the setting for the battles that the Jews faced as they risked cultural extinction from first the Babylonians, then the Persians, Greeks, and Romans.

Marty weaves the history of the Jews, from their captivity in Babylon through the total Roman rule, into the stories of the New Testament. This intertwining of the time periods sheds light on some of the more difficult passages of scripture. For example, I myself never understood Jesus’ reference, when dictating a message to be sent to Herod Antipas, to a prophet not being allowed to die outside of Jerusalem. Marty explains that the reference is from Herod the Great’s (Antipas’ father)execution of a Jew without the Sanhedrin’s approval.

The only thing that could have made this little book better would have been a few charts and maps to further help manage the incredible amount of information. Especially while dealing with the jumbled mess that was the Herodian era, I could have used family charts.

I give The World of Jesus five stars. It truly has opened my eyes to the cultural war that the Jews fought during the “Four Hundred Years of Silence” and how God allowed events to transpire in order to prepare the world for His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

**I received a copy of The World of Jesus by William H. Marty from Bethany House Publishers for free in return for an honest review. My thoughts are my own.**

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry but I did not enjoy this book at all. I really struggled to get through it. Even if the intros explained how the history stories related to the Bible, I would forget throughout the chapter. So it was really hard to follow along with where we were at in the Bible. Maybe this is more for Bible scholars than everyday readers.

[Sarah]

I was finding this book boring. I might come back to it another time, but for now, I'm skipping

[Omar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately I had never before given much attention to the intertestamental period. This book is an excellent, fast moving overview of the people, politics, and religion of the middle-east from the Babylonian captivity to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70A.D.
This book helps to give a better understanding of the world in which Jesus lived.

[Sunflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read, "The World of Jesus", I wasn't sure what to expect, after all, if we read the Bible, wouldn't we already know His world, but as I begin the journey through the book, I was impressed, how this helps brings into the spotlight, an understanding of the times and cultural mores, that Jesus and not only just Him, but the backdrop that the Bible was written.

Setting in the four hundred year time period, between the Old Testament and the New Testament, Dr.Marty really brings, though sometimes not an easy read, still enough on layman terms, biblical history,that covers everything from something as not often covered as who the Samaritans were, to the political conflicts that were engaging at the time that really helps bring a deeper understanding of the time up to Christ walking and ministering as He did and the still relevance of the Bible to today's world.

Filled with scripture and focusing on familiar (as well as not familiar) bible stories, I found this to be a really great addition to any Christian's library, seeking to deepen their understanding and their faith as a Christian.

As I finished, "The World of Jesus", I felt that this was just too important book not just for reference but for a deeper understanding of what made the Bible what it is and how important it is that even to this day, the meaning of Jesus and what He is.

Readers too, get a deeper understanding of the complex political and spiritual climax that was happening at the time and as I finished the book, I realized how much a gem that is this book.

The writing isn't scholarly that will find the reader unable to keep pace, nor is the writing, over one's head, but instead answers the little questions about the history and world that Jesus lived in, while answering simple little questions such as really how does a Pharisee or Sadducee differ and why they were addressed in the Bible like they were.

Christians, new, maturing and matured, will enjoy this history rich book and find it a valuable addition in their libraries.

It doubles as both a reference book and it will reinforced one's faith.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book about what was happening in the four hundred years between the Old and New Testament and continuing on into the life of Jesus and the early church. The author explains about the different nations, such as the Persians and the Babylonians, that conquered Israel and how that came about. He uses Scripture and fits the stories of the Bible into the time period and culture they belong to. We also see what kind of political and spiritual climate the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Zealots came out of. Each chapter has a chronology of events and discussion questions that really make you think.

I learned so much while reading this book. I knew some about the Herods and the Maccabees, but motives and repercussions were explained clearly. I feel I understand more about what was happening in Jesus' day behind the scenes. Check out this informative book!

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K]

The World of Jesus is an excellent book. It is the type of book that connects the dots for the student interested in learning more about the cultural, political, and spiritual climate associated with Jesus. I appreciated the simplicity of the content presented by the author, as well as the suggested considerations for further study. After reading this book, I can unwaveringly say that I will be adding a hard copy to my personal library. I think it serves as a good starting point for Bible study.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Jacob Schweizer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have taken Old Testament Survey as a class, and this semester is the follow up New Testament Survey. But if someone was to just study the two testaments without giving attention to the 400 year period between the testaments, they would miss out on the historical events that resulted from the Old Testament and shaped Jesus' world in the New Testament. An excellent teacher and scholar, Dr. Marty tells the story of the history between the testaments. He bridges the Gap between the expectation of the Messiah and his grand arrival.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the historical periods of time between when the old and new testament events occurred. It's well researched and documented and for a person who enjoys ancient history a nice look into the past that formed so much of today's world. The facts are concise and presented in a well thought out manner but I have to admit that much of it read like a text book, so it was a little dry, making it something I needed to read over a period of several days.

[Elizabeth Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting this would cover things like culture, religion and politics, everyday lifestyles, and geography of the time when Christ walked on earth. Instead, it read more like a history of the 400 years between the Old and New Testament. While it gave an interesting and brief overview of that period, it felt a bit disjointed (especially the first section!) as it jumped between historical narrative, some slight connection to Christ's time on earth, and even Paul's activity on his missionary journeys. If you're a serious student of church history, and especially the time leading up to the founding of the New Testament church, you might find it interesting. Otherwise, there are better options that give a much clearer overview and connection to Christ's day (for instance, The Time Between the Old and New Testament: A Zondervan Digital Short).

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been very scholarly about my Bible study, not having the scholar gene, I guess. But I definitely have a history bug. So, approaching scripture from that angle inspires my thinking and devotion to following Christ. This book is by a scholar, but it is written for a person like myself. Sometimes the sound and style of Marty's writing reminds me of the journalistic writing of today, which brings history into view much more clearly for me. I now have a much better perspective on the people who first believed in Jesus as Messiah and what lead up to Jesus appearance on the stage of human history and what makes Him so absolutely unique.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is advertised as an inter-testament period book for the Bible. This breaks down the history of the politics from Old Testament through Jesus death. To give the history of the culture and turmoil of the time period gives us an understanding of what kind of Savior the Jews were looking for in Jesus.

It is broken down into short segments for reading. However, there are a lot of uncommon names to us to struggle through. Some comments led me to wonder if they were really Biblical or just opinion.

[Fred Christopherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book provides a good introduction to the historical and political events from about 400 BC to 100 AD. It covers such things as the origins of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Maccabees, and the various Ceasars and Herods. Connections are drawn to the life of Christ.

The author appears to have drawn extensively from the writings of Josephus. Citations to his works are given. If the Bible and Josephus were not the only sources. a bibliography would be helpful. A glossary, which is present, is helpful in keeping track of the historical characters.

[Catherine Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing book! It was a loan book from the local library. This would be a great reference about ancient history and as well as understanding the time of Jesus. The events and the rulers were described well in details and briefly in this compact book. I would definitely highly recommend this book to all the Christians and history lovers. I am also getting my own copy as well. Well worth reading!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Believe me - this was not a light read, but it contained a ton of historical and biblical information and the author did an amazing job of putting all this information together to give us a complete background of the political and historical environment in the times before and after Jesus came into the world. I appreciated how he provided all the biblical references and other historical books for his material. It's a challenge to read, but well-done, Mr. Marty!

[Peter Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book as a gift without having heard of it before. I went into it with zero expectations. What I found was a nice primer on the history of Israel during the period between the old and new testaments. I would recommend this for someone with little to no knowledge of the period (such as myself going into this book). This book wouldn’t be for someone who already knows a lot of biblical era history or has read Josephus.

[Carter Hemphill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good overview of the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. Fortunately not overly detailed to be academic, but instead, it's written in an engaging manner and is a quick read. I learned some new perspectives and information that will help provide additional cultural and historical context to the New Testament.

[Scott Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid historical information. The Kindle book was also very well-formatted.

[Kath Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explained

Everything you ever wanted to know about am those people and places mentioned in the Bible h been explained in this book.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely text about the time between the Old Testament and New. Really enjoyed this one, full review to come.

[Luke Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chapters 1, 3, 6, and 8 are very informative, and I feel I’ll refer to them in the future. The rest of the book is honestly a bit dry.

[Dexter Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful information about the world that Jesus was born into. Helped me gain deeper understanding of the scriptures. Lovely book.

[Kerstin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good little history book explaining the inter-testamentary period, or roughly the 400 years between the Old Testament and the New Testament (though Catholic Bibles do have some books covering this period, such as 1 and 2 Maccabees).

The world of Jesus is very different than that of the Old Testament, we encounter synagogues, pharisees, scribes, Samaritans, etc. The Mediterranean has become Hellenized and Greek is the official language. Dr. Marty does a good job explaining all of this. The narrative of the book could have used a bit more editing. There are too many repetitions and some of the battles, for instance, could have been summarized to give the reader a better understanding of the overall dynamics going on.

[Paul (Life In The Slow Lane) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are at all religious, and just trying to make sense of what you hear, or read, in The Bible, then this is a book certainly worth the effort. Everything becomes so much clearer when it's put into its proper context. This is a very well-researched, somewhat short, account of the history of the Holy Land from 400 BC to about 70 AD and Jesus' place in it.

Lasting impressions for me were:

The times were extremely bloodthirsty and dangerous, where it seemed little value was put on life, especially if you were a woman, or a Jew, or a non-Jew (Gentile?) or anybody! In fact, it seemed like the Romans were the only ones having a good time - but even they didn't seem particularly "comfortable". Yes, life wasn't all toga parties and cheap wine back then.

The lands comprising Israel/Judah have to hold the world record for being the most invaded country in history!

If you didn't want to live long, you became a King of Israel!

Herod the Great wasn't all that great. In fact, he was a paranoid great GIT who murdered his own wife and two sons (still - not as bad as Henry VIII I suppose).

If you're looking for a totally objective historical account of this part of the world, during the aforementioned time - look elsewhere. The book comes across as a bit preachy - kind of like what you'd get at a Sunday School lesson. Even down to the questions/discussion points at the end of each chapter. If you can overlook all that stuff - then go ahead - read.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3JZ0Q7D...
Review on my blog (to be posted 3/10): http://christianbookshelfreviews.blog...

The World of Jesus was an informative read that definitely made me think/learn things. I enjoyed reading it, even though it wasn't an "easy" read because of all the history. I can see myself flipping through the book again in the future just as a refresher.



I really liked how the author explained the difference between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and that he went through the reigns of the rulers. It was very interesting to learn more about them and that time in history.



Overall, I recommend this book.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

[Mammu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise, readable book about the historical, 400-year intertestamental period between the Old and New Testaments and its relevance to Jesus', the apostles', and the early churches' era. A must read for anyone interested in what writings and contexts influenced the writing of the New Testament books. I rated it 4 stars because instead of a full chronological history, the writer chose to intersperse each chapter with information about what the events of that chapter had to do with Jesus' day. I just thought it would have been better if he wrote all the history first and then wrote about how all that history was relevant to Jesus' time after, so you don't get lost in the chronology of the timeline.

[DK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this relatively short book to gain some supplemental information on a current Bible study that I am doing on the life of Jesus. This book covers in some detail what happened in the 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testaments, and helps to provide a more thorough and accurate picture of the time period that Jesus lived in. It reads mostly like a textbook, but it definitely captured my attention in many places, especially where it gave additional information that was most helpful on our study topics. This was actually a free ebook at the time I got it, and I am now considering purchasing some of the other study books on the Old and New Testaments by this professor as well. Thank you (to whoever is responsible) for making this available free at the time I purchased it.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marty believes it is important for Christians to be familiar with the four hundred years before Christ was born to understand the circumstances of His life on earth. He covers that time period in this book. This is not a scholarly work. It is aimed at the layman and it is very good for that purpose. Even though I have read several books on this time period I still read new information. He includes vignettes to show how an event in this period impacted what we read in the gospels. Laypeople will gain a greater understanding of the New Testament from reading this book. See my full review at http://bit.ly/K7BgCH.