Rather than follow the standard form of Bible commentaries, which often don’t reproduce the passages under consideration, Father McCarren presents each of the four Gospels piece by piece, accompanied by his helpful explanations to the texts. With a Simple Guide to the Gospels, readers will be able to make their way through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in order, along with the author’s insights on every page. Reading these books is like studying the Gospels with a learned, literate, and lively guide who will help you better understand the most important books ever written.
-- James Martin SJ, author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything
Written in a lively style with fresh translations and original insights, this guide should appeal to a wide spectrum of contemporary readers and especially to those teaching the Gospels. Readers will be stimulated to think creatively about familiar texts.
-- John R. Donahue, Raymond E. Brown Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies (Emeritus), St. Marys Seminary and University
Father Paul McCarren’s simple guides to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke are exactly what their titles claims they are, clearly written guides to the four canonical Gospels that makes them accessible to the everyday reader. Drawing on the best critical resources of New Testament scholarship, McCarren introduces the Gospels without encumbering the reader with an excess of technical exegetical details. These valuable guides may be profitably used for ones' s own spiritual growth and prayer life, or in group study of the Gospels at the parish or catechetical level. They may also serve as a preparation for further exploration of the Gospels.
-- Alan C. Mitchell, Georgetown University
With many years of background in ministry, Jesuit author Paul McCarren has simplified each gospel for readers to understand the important messages that often go unnoticed. . . . McCarren provides commentary to each gospel writer’s style, how each is engaged in the reader’s life today, and how the sections in each gospel relate to each other.
-- U.S. Catholic
In this volume, McCarren, a Jesuit priest who works at Loyola Retreat House and St. Ignatius Church in Maryland, provides for each passage in John's Gospel a fresh translation and an exposition focused on how readers can relate to the material. He gives special attention to the literary character of John's Gospel and how it presents the signs of God's work in Jesus' life. -- New Testament Abstracts
