I was so excited to get this book. History and Bible are my two favorite subjects. Put them together and you get a happy me. "After Acts" by Bryan Litfin is a well thought out, well researched (from what I can gather) look into the assumed history surrounding the main men and women of the New Testament including but not limited to Luke, Mary, Peter and James. Most of these assumptions have been passed down by the Catholic church and are therefore assumed to be true. But are they? Mr. Litfin takes a close look at the earliest sources that give us the "information" and investigates whether they can be trusted. Were they biased? Did they actually have legitimate sources? etc.
I suppose what stopped me from completely loving this book was that I'm not Catholic which perhaps explains why I didn't even know certain tales about these great men and woman and therefore can't entirely appreciate those stories being confirmed or denied. As a Protestant, I've lived my life rather Sola Scriptura. That's not to say that I shun all extra-biblical writings. It's just that I haven't dwelt on them since I don't see them as being divine.
At some parts of "After Acts" I felt as though I were plodding through a textbook. Definitely, "After Acts" has an academic feel. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, I wouldn't recommend this book for someone looking for fluffy reading. The one I would recommend this to, would be an individual who thirsts for facts about history and wishes to have them laid out in a logical fashion surrounded by evidence that confirms their authenticity.
For the record, I was given this book free by Moody Press in exchange for an honest opinion.
I suppose what stopped me from completely loving this book was that I'm not Catholic which perhaps explains why I didn't even know certain tales about these great men and woman and therefore can't entirely appreciate those stories being confirmed or denied. As a Protestant, I've lived my life rather Sola Scriptura. That's not to say that I shun all extra-biblical writings. It's just that I haven't dwelt on them since I don't see them as being divine.
At some parts of "After Acts" I felt as though I were plodding through a textbook. Definitely, "After Acts" has an academic feel. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, I wouldn't recommend this book for someone looking for fluffy reading. The one I would recommend this to, would be an individual who thirsts for facts about history and wishes to have them laid out in a logical fashion surrounded by evidence that confirms their authenticity.
For the record, I was given this book free by Moody Press in exchange for an honest opinion.
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