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Preface

The origin of this book lies in the background information provided in my expositions of the four Gospels: Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life, Bringing the Gospel of Mark to Life, Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, and Bringing the Gospel of John to Life. This background information helps fill in the gaps in our knowledge about the world in which Jesus grew up and carried out his ministry. To understand Jesus and his message, we need to understand as best we can the world in which he lived. The Gospels presume some familiarity with this world and often mention features of it without explaining them. What kind of town was Nazareth? Who were the Sadducees, that they would try to trip up Jesus? What did Jesus have in mind when he spoke of Gehenna, which is not mentioned in the Old Testament or explained in the New? What kind of a Messiah did Jews expect God to send, and how did Jesus live up to their expectations?

This book reformats and revises the background information found in my Gospel expositions, with many new entries added. It is meant to be user friendly rather than exhaustive. An index at the back of the book lists topics by key words, and maps help locate towns and regions.

Special acknowledgment is due Kevin Perrotta, who edited earlier versions of much of this material in the course of his editing of the Gospel volumes, and who translated the quotation from the Psalms of Solomon.