Commentaries in The Books Store

In The First Christmas, two of today's top Jesus scholars, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, join forces to show how history has biased our reading of the nativity story as it appears in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. As they did for Easter in their previous book, The Last Week, here they explore the beginning of the life of Christ, peeling away the sentimentalism that has built up over the last two thousand years around this most well known of all stories to reveal the truth of what the gospels actually say. Borg and Crossan help us to see this well-known narrative afresh by answering the question, "What do these stories mean?" in the context of both the first century and the twenty-first century. They successfully show that the Christmas story, read in its original context, is far richer and more challenging than people imagine.

In this fascinating and inspirational journey with the chosen disciples of Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI demonstrates a profound, unbreakable continuity -- built upon the foundation of the Apostles and alive in the succession of the Apostles -- by which Christ is present today in His Church.

Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women and especially Jesus' parables.

Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context. With a sure but gentle hand, Bailey lifts away the obscuring layers of modern Western interpretation to reveal Jesus in the light of his actual historical and cultural setting.

This entirely new material from the pen of Ken Bailey is a must-have for any student of the New Testament. If you have benefited from Bailey's work over the years, this book will be a welcome and indispensable addition to your library. If you are unfamiliar with Bailey's work, this book will introduce you to a very old, yet entirely new way of understanding Jesus.

• Fans of the author
• Missionaries
• Students and professors of biblical studies

• Offers insight into the Gospels from a Middle Eastern perspective
• Counteracts modern and western impositions upon the Bible
• Highlights the key events and teachings in the earthly ministry of Jesus
• Features a wealth of cultural information related to ancient Middle Eastern peasant society
• Provides an excellent resource for New Testament students interested in the Gospels

Never before has a publisher illuminated the Bible with such an array of striking, even provocative contemporary photographs. Wrapped in an arresting cover, Bible Illuminated: The Book: New Testament presents The Bible in a full-color, glossy magazine format, set in running text with no verses, inviting readers to step into the Bible and experience it in a whole new way.

The Book, using the Good News Translation as approved by the American Bible Society, will introduce believers and non-believers to a culturally relevant, accessible Bible and will encourage dialogue between people from all walks of life.

When was the last time you picked it up and read it?

Learn More About Bible Illuminated: The Book

(See a larger view of pages from The Book when you click on any of the images following in this section.)

Who created The Book?

The company that created The Book is called Illuminated World. The co-founder and creative visionary for the Bible Illuminated is Dag Söderberg, former CEO of one of the largest advertising firms in Scandinavia. Dag's passion for photography and innovative design helped with the creative direction of such a huge undertaking. He loves art and finding unique ways to present traditional things in a non-traditional way, a part of his advertising background that definitely shaped The Book and ultimately its look and feel. His vision from the beginning was to re-brand the Bible for a consumer audience but remain true to the text (which is why The Book uses the standard Good News Translation).

What is the goal of publishing The Book?

There is no religious mission behind The Book. We believe that its success will be driven by the fact that this is not coming from any specific faith, religion or church. We are from many faiths, backgrounds, and beliefs; ultimately we are trying to create something for the many and not just for the few. The goal is to drive an emotional reaction and get people to think, discuss and share. It's meant to trigger bigger moral questions that will in turn help people to understand the common heritage between all religions through the Bible's text. We hope people will find the images, design and layout intriguing—intriguing enough to talk about the actual stories in the Bible and what the morals and lessons mean to them. The more you know, the more you can participate in discussions about the world and understand the bigger picture.

What does The Book look like?

Bible Illuminated:The Book looks like a high-end magazine. It presents the New Testament as it's never been seen before in full-color, glossy format, illustrated throughout with striking, sometimes provocative, contemporary photographs. It is meant to be comfortable and easy to flip through and used as you would use any Bible. There are no verses and the text runs with columns and paragraphs just like in a magazine.

Who is Illuminated World trying to reach with The Book?

The Book is meant for anyone and everyone. It is for people who currently own a Bible but never read it, people who don't own a Bible or would never even consider picking it up, as well as people who currently read or use the Bible, but want to experience this new, innovative design.

What do the highlighted passages and sentences mean?

The meaning of these passages is open to readers. We highlighted and underlined passages throughout The Book as a way to draw the reader's attention and provide an opportunity for reflection.

What should people do with The Book?

We want people to be able to flip through the pages and find something that they relate to, whether it's an image of a war-torn soldier or homeless person, a celebrity or an endangered animal—or a certain passage paired with a powerful image that resonates with them.