GENESIS: The People's Bible Commentary
By Henry Wansbrough
No. 787-8 128 pp. PhP109

Genesis is the story of our beginning, the story of the human race and the whole of creation. As we read and understand those early stories, we read and understand our own, and discover more and more about the nature and the love of God the Redeemer

Who did Jesus think he was? What has his life then got to do with our lives now? Mark's Gospel answers both these questions. His "biography" of Jesus dramatically introduces us to the life and ideas of the person he describes as 'Jesus Christ, the son of God'.

Do we live the Christian life by being very good and keeping a whole set of rules and regulations? Is that what it means to be a Christian? These are questions that we ask as the Christians at Galatia asked. They had momentarily misunderstood the Christian Gospel and the Apostle is amazed at their foolishness. He answers their questions with a passionate and infuriated 'No!' It is by faith that we start the Christian life, and by faith we life it - in the Spirit and in union with Christ. A life of astonishing freedom for the Galatians and for us - and Paul's letter to them can guide us in it too.

Luke: The People's Bible Commentary

Luke's Gospel contains with the other gospels - the energy of Mark, the mystical poetry of John, the specifically Jewish focus of Matthew. He writes with the dignity and calm of contemporary historians. Luke moves in a richer, more sophisticated world than do the other evangelists. This may be why he put such stress on the dangers of wealth standards of success. And throughout his gospel, Luke shows by constant little touches his awareness that the Good News of Jesus will spread beyond the people of Israel as he will narrate.

John: The People's Bible Commentary

John's Gospel is often given to people as a readable account of Jesus of Nazareth, yet it is also a sublime masterpiece that has occupied theologians and mystics for centuries. It has been described as 'a book in which a child may paddle but an elephant can swim deep'. At the same time, however, it is still a story - the story of Jesus' deeds and words, his signs and teaching, and how these led to his arrest, death and resurrection. By following the flow of John's narrative, and showing how it is patterned and devised, this commentary unpacks the text to help the reader grow in understanding and faith.

REVELATION: The People's Bible Commentary

The most mysterious book in the bible, Revelation, holds out a shining vision of the final triumph of God's kingdom and the eternal life which God offers to his creation. Handel's "Hallelujah" chorus from his Messiah takes its words from Revelation: "Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.' Against this background of hope stand dire warnings of judgment for a world which ignores its Redeemer and Creator: polluted seas, dying trees, droughts and famines. The risen Christ sends a powerful message to the Church in this age: shake off the temptations to complacency and compromise; be God's army of faithful witnesses, spreading the word of hope to an unjust world.