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Come and See: Acts and Letters
How do the Letters of Saint Paul connect to the history of the Acts of the Apostles? What was the structure and governance of the Apostolic Church? How should the Catholic interpret the difficult passages in Paul's writing? Find the answers to these and many other questions in the pages of Acts and Letters in the popular "Come and See" Bible study series. This study uses modern study tools, inductive and deductive learning, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the writings of popes and saints to unlock an ancient treasure and show its current application.
217 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 10, 2016
Disclosure: This is a book received from the Firstreads program, on the premise that I would review it. Also, I should mention here that I am a Christian, although not Catholic, so my reaction to this is necessarily different from what it would be if I were a devout Catholic, or a non-Christian.
As a Bible study guide, Come and See: Acts and Letters is not a stand-alone book; you'll need both a Bible (preferably a Catholic one with all the books) and a catechism for full effect. Likewise, the fact that I read this solo is not in keeping with its true calling as a group activity. That said, let us begin the actual review.
Unlike some bible study courses I've seen in the past, there are not separate leader's and student's books. Thus the first section of the book is a "how to use this course" guide, with helpful instructions on setting up the study groups and organization. I found this section very helpful, but there were a couple of moments where the authors' assumptions glared--most notably a blind spot about the possibility of men taking turns helping with childcare too.
The main text covers Acts and the Pauline letters, arranged in roughly chronological order. (Thus bits of Acts are split up between the letters.) I should mention here that the publisher is Emmaus Road, a reference to Paul's conversion, and it's clear that the authors favor Paul.
In addition to covering the content of the text, there are explanations of how these words fit into Catholic theology, some outside information on the history of the early Church, and plenty of quotations from Catholic theologians, especially John Paul II and the current Pope. A fair amount of time is spent on fitting pieces together, explaining how seemingly contradictory information is brought together as a whole.
Each short study section is followed by a quiz section, referring to other books of the Bible and the catechism to help bring the material into perspective. There's also suggestions for social interaction outside the formal study.
Optional study materials include videotaped lectures by the author if there is no one in the group comfortable with that function--these did not come with my book. What did was an issue of "Lay Witness" magazine, which had some fine articles on witnessing from a lay Catholic perspective.
Overall, I found this an excellent work of its type; I do not agree with all its theology, but it is clear and consistent.
Peace be with you and yours.
For more Christianity-related reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/christianity/
As a Bible study guide, Come and See: Acts and Letters is not a stand-alone book; you'll need both a Bible (preferably a Catholic one with all the books) and a catechism for full effect. Likewise, the fact that I read this solo is not in keeping with its true calling as a group activity. That said, let us begin the actual review.
Unlike some bible study courses I've seen in the past, there are not separate leader's and student's books. Thus the first section of the book is a "how to use this course" guide, with helpful instructions on setting up the study groups and organization. I found this section very helpful, but there were a couple of moments where the authors' assumptions glared--most notably a blind spot about the possibility of men taking turns helping with childcare too.
The main text covers Acts and the Pauline letters, arranged in roughly chronological order. (Thus bits of Acts are split up between the letters.) I should mention here that the publisher is Emmaus Road, a reference to Paul's conversion, and it's clear that the authors favor Paul.
In addition to covering the content of the text, there are explanations of how these words fit into Catholic theology, some outside information on the history of the early Church, and plenty of quotations from Catholic theologians, especially John Paul II and the current Pope. A fair amount of time is spent on fitting pieces together, explaining how seemingly contradictory information is brought together as a whole.
Each short study section is followed by a quiz section, referring to other books of the Bible and the catechism to help bring the material into perspective. There's also suggestions for social interaction outside the formal study.
Optional study materials include videotaped lectures by the author if there is no one in the group comfortable with that function--these did not come with my book. What did was an issue of "Lay Witness" magazine, which had some fine articles on witnessing from a lay Catholic perspective.
Overall, I found this an excellent work of its type; I do not agree with all its theology, but it is clear and consistent.
Peace be with you and yours.
For more Christianity-related reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/christianity/
January 21, 2013
I'm still in the midst of reading this, but I have to post a preliminary review because this book is MAGICAL (except not, because magic is to be avoided). I am probably a horrible person (and definitely not the best of Catholics) for getting so much entertainment out of this, but I can't help it. I look forward to reading this every night before I go to bed.
UPDATE (upon finishing the book): I really, really enjoyed this book. I did not follow the study activities, nor did I look up the relevant passages (especially since I don't have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church), but I still found reading this book to be a rewarding experience. It was good to revisit the New Testament, the discussion questions provoked thought, and even if I was not always entertained for precisely the intended reasons...I am very glad I read this book. I did not send away for any of the videotaped lectures by Father Ponessa, but I may do so in the future.
Disclaimer: I received this book for review through Goodreads' First Reads program.
UPDATE (upon finishing the book): I really, really enjoyed this book. I did not follow the study activities, nor did I look up the relevant passages (especially since I don't have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church), but I still found reading this book to be a rewarding experience. It was good to revisit the New Testament, the discussion questions provoked thought, and even if I was not always entertained for precisely the intended reasons...I am very glad I read this book. I did not send away for any of the videotaped lectures by Father Ponessa, but I may do so in the future.
Disclaimer: I received this book for review through Goodreads' First Reads program.
August 31, 2012
A very good in depth learning experience with plenty of "work-book" pages. The work-book pages are absolutely great, breaking down the passages so that you can focus and truly understand them better. A perfect book for a group Bible Study or just one person.
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
September 25, 2012
This book is a study into the letters of St. Paul. It also covers Acts of the Apostles. As someone who is not devout but reads devotionals and Bible studies a lot, I see this book as very useful. It breaks down the different Acts and letters of St. Paul for review. There are little worksheets and fill-in-the-blank quizzes to reinforce learning. This book is highly recommended!
August 15, 2012
Excellent teaching & learning series. Highly recommend. Have not completed all lessons if any change will note.
Won from Goodreads-received no payment for review.
Won from Goodreads-received no payment for review.
September 20, 2012
I've come to enjoy the Come and See series, they are not tool while doing some personal study. I enjoyed the way in which the letters were broken up in between the chapters of the book of Acts.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews