Windows On The World Of Jesus: Time Travel To Ancient Judea

by Bruce J. Malina

George Smith, a twentieth-century American, moved into a house with a large vineyard in the Eastern Mediterranean during the first century A.D., going back in time and space. He needed help on his land and requested that individuals interested in work be at his place at 9 a.m. on August 8. No one showed up. Why not? This is just one of the sixty fun-to-read windows Bruce Malina cleverly presents in this book that explains the customs and culture of the world in which Jesus lived and taught. Each adventure depicts a twentieth-century North American encountering puzzling practices while visiting Judea during ancient times. These vignettes offer quick and easy access to the first-century Mediterranean world and relate to segments of the New Testament and other passages from the same cultural area. Author: Bruce J. Malina Format: Paperback, 192 pages Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press ISBN: 9780664254575

Genres: Religion

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[Mike DePue, OFS · Rating 5 out of 5]

While one might reasonably find the author's literary method annoying after a time (as some reviewers have), the insights and eye-openers provided by the book earn it a full complement of five stars.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here is Malina's attempt to articulate the differences between the culture of 1st-century Judea and our own. He offers a series of "windows" in which someone from the 1990s is transported to the world of Jesus. The technique palls after the first few windows. Still, Malina touches on some key components of 1st-century Jewish culture, such as group identity and honor/shame. Even though he took 170 pp. to say what he could have said in 20, he did teach me something.

[Carolyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Required summer reading for Denver Catholic Biblical School. Really awful and boring, but it gave an excellent insight into the differences between 1st century Mediterranean and 21st century US cultures.