The fifty-six essays in this book present cultural reflections on the gospel reading assigned for each Sunday in Cycle B of the Roman Lectionary. Each essay highlights aspects of the first-century, Eastern Mediterranean cultural world in which Jesus lived and suggests a cross-cultural comparison with contemporary Western culture. With this background information, readers can make more fitting applications of the Scripture to modern life situations.

John J. Pilch, a highly-regarded biblical scholar and author, taught at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and passed away in 2016. Among his numerous publications areThe Cultural World of the Apostles, and The Cultural World of the Prophets series, and Cultural Tools for Interpreting the Good News, published by Liturgical Press.