The Complete Idiot's Guide to Mary of Nazareth

by Maria Ruiz Scaperlanda

The mother of all books on Mary, Mother of Jesus. Most people agree that Mary of Nazareth was an actual historical figure. But how did this average Jewish girl become the woman that Christians the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592574823
• ISBN13: 9781592574827
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Alpha Books
• Length: 345 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.2" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Remarkable Resource

My family and many of my friends know that I have been a student of Mary for many years. So, this Christmas The Idiot's Guide to Mary of Nazareth" was under my tree. A thoughtful gift indeed. I have read many books about Mary, but still greatly appreciate this book. It is a wonderful guide. Like many of the "Idiot's Guides" that I have encountered, this guide is very useful. This guide discusses a wide variety of topics designed to help us place Mary in her historical and religious niche. The content is extremely well organized with a detailed table on contents, an excellent index, and several appendixes. The guide is an easy read that carefully explains technical terms and concepts. This book is an excellent reference book about Mary. It not only presents her life and works, but discusses numerous misunderstandings about Marion beliefs. Those discussions are factual and effective. For example, some people believe that the Church views Mary as devine. The guide explains and documents the actual teaching that Mary is viewed as totally human, but honored because she is the mother of Jesus. The "Idiot's Guide" furnishes many details about Roman culture, Jewish culture, and early Christian life. We learn about the early practices of the disciples and how they spread the Word. We discover Jewish culture and why Mary's agreeing to become the mother of Jesus was threatening to her life. The "Idiot's Guide to Mary of Nazareth" is an excellent resource for studying Mary and early Christianity. I highly recommend this book as a source of information concerning Mary and as a simple reference concerned Jewish culture at the time of Christ.

Factual and Devotional

This is an extraordinary book! The author weaves back and forth between imaginative presentations of the most basic facts about Mary's place in Christian faith to profound theological insights. I was born and raised a Catholic, and grew up with images of Mary all over my house, and stories of Mary emblazoned on my imagination. Yet I learned so much from this this book about Mary's influence on the entire world. And in between the "facts", tucked away in this chirpy "Idiot's Guide" format, I also encountered spiritual nourishment, particulalry in the author's reflections on Mary's "surrender" and in some of the prayers she includes. This is one "Idiot's Guide" you'll want to keep and reread.