Preachers and liturgy planners will find The Cultural World of the Apostles a complementary companion to Pilch & Acirc's previous series The Cultural World of Jesus. Each essay offers brief historical and literary information on the New Testament reading assigned for the Sundays in the three-year Lectionary cycle. Suggestions for cross-cultural comparisons with Western culture and links with the gospel for each Sunday encourage readers to explore pastoral applications to modern life.

The principle that guided the architects of the Lectionary in selecting the second readings in the Sunday Lectionary was that the readings should be short and easily understood. The second readings were intended to be an independent, semi-continuous reading of the letters attributed to Paul and James, with selections from Peter and Revelation. Pilch explains that, because the readings were shortened, their brevity has deprived readers of sufficient context to interpret the text-segment in a responsible way. To help people make sense of such high-context documents, Pilch provides in The Cultural World of the Apostles a broader literary context for each reading.

About the Author
John J. Pilch, a highly-regarded biblical scholar and author, taught at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and passed away in 2016. Among his numerous publications are The Cultural World of Jesus, The Cultural World of the Apostles, and The Cultural World of the Prophets series published by Liturgical Press.

Reviews
His main concern is to provide information about aspects of the 1st-century eastern Mediterranean cultural world in which the authors of the writings and their original recipients lived.New Testament Abstracts
With his customary insight and engaging style, John Pilch has produced another impressive volume that elucidates the cultural world of the Bible. As in his previous books, which focus on the gospels, this one skillfully connects the first century Mediterranean contexts of the second reading with those of contemporary readers. Another indispensable aid to preachers.Barbara E. Reid, OP, Professor of New Testament Studies, Catholic Theological Union
A good book for preachers.Bookviews
Pilch's book certainly gives solid scholarship on the cultural, historical, and literary settings for the second readings, and for this reason will serve as a useful reference for preachers.Lexington Theological Quarterly



Book Information
ISBN 9780814627266
Author John J. Pilch
Format Paperback
Page Count 144
Imprint Liturgical Press
Publisher Liturgical Press
Weight(grams) 204g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 137mm * 10mm