Daily Life at the Time of Jesus

Rating:
Summary: Good but Disappointing
Review: First off, let me say that I thought this was a picture book along the lines of the DK Pub. books that would be appropriate for 1st through 6th grades. I bought this for my 5yo and there is so much to read...it makes it difficult to answer his questions without taking more time than he has patience for to read and retranslate to his level. The author does have some sort of theology and it isn't in line with mine (Reformed Protestant). There is a timeline in the beginning using the BCE/CE (Before the Christian Era/Christian Era) format instead of BC/AD (Before Christ/Anno Domini) one. Why write a book about Bible times but use abbreviations I've only seen in Jewish or secular (i.e. Non-Christian)history books? There is also an inset in the marriage section about divorce that mentions the two extremes of the day (as opposed to what *most* people were doing, which I think is the point of the book). I am not reading that to my kid!
Bottom line: while it is informative and has many interesting illustrations, I don't think I would've spent the money on this book if I had another chance.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Informative- Alive with facts of interest
Review: This is far more than it seems by this Amazon.com listing, I feel that it is mis-classed as a children's book and should be considered by all ages. The wealth of information about the way of life during the days of Jesus brings the whole Bible alive!! Excellent family reading!

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly comprehensive
Review: When I received this book in the mail, I was initially disappointed. I had ordered it before it was in print, so there was no information about the book on Amazon.com. I had hoped for a thick volume, and instead I received a slender picture book.

To my surprise, the book is quite comprehensive. Most of my daily life books about Biblical times get so caught up in the history of the Jews and the politics of the region that they neglect the real daily life of the people. This book ignores the politics and instead concentrates on the stuff you buy a book like this to learn.

Instead of just showing pictures of the coins of the time, for example, this book gives a chart showing what a shekel would buy. Instead of going into the history of why people made their pilgrimages to Jerusalem, the writer instead focused on what happened when they got there. These things are invaluable from a writer's standpoint, because when you're writing a book from the perspective of someone who lived in a particular time, the protagonist doesn't care about the history of his actions. All he cares about is what he's doing.

If you're looking for a book that doesn't explain why but is keenly focused on the what and how, this is the book for you. I own seven or eight books of daily life in Biblical times, and this is one of two I'll actually use in my writing.