Fr. Nick King Audio Course

Many of you are familiar with Fr. Nicholas King S.J. as the person who recently translated the Bible from the Greek to English.  Currently, he is a Visiting Professor at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, where he teaches New Testament and Koine Greek. For 12 years, he was a lecturer in the same subjects at Oxford University. Prior to coming to Oxford, he taught in South Africa, where he served as a District Observer for its first democratic elections.  

The fine people at Now You Know Media have recently come out with The New Testament: A Bible Study Course by Fr. King.  According to the website description, this audio set includes: "36 engaging lectures that give you access to modern scholarship on the New Testament. Fr. King’s original translations breathe new life into the words you have so often heard and studied, accurately conveying the mood of the original documents.  After a fascinating general introduction to the New Testament, you will take a fresh look at the Pauline epistles. You will enjoy four lectures on each of the Gospels before looking at Acts of the Apostles, the general epistles, and Revelation. Finally, you will consider the important themes of Christ’s Resurrection, divine inspiration, and the necessity of the Old Testament.  Above all, you will gain a fuller sense of Jesus as a devout Jew who was telling the old story of God and the People of God in a new way. And as Jesus preached, the gospel message is open to all."

I have at least a dozen sets from Now You Know Media and they are of the highest quality.

He Lives: The Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus

This new audio set is by Fr. Henry Wansbrough, editor of the New Jerusalem Bible, is now available.  It is presented by Now You Know Media.  It is available in both CD and MP3 formats.  Seems like it would be a great resource for Lent.

Details:

No narrative is more beautiful than the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now, you can gain a deeper understanding of these powerful events with Fr. Henry Wansbrough, one of the world’s leading biblical scholars.

Although the story of Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection forms the core of Christian belief, the full depth of its meaning is often not immediately understandable to twenty-first century readers. Occurring some two thousand years ago, these events were narrated with the language and symbols of contemporaries in a civilization and culture considerably different from ours.

In He Lives: The Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, you will delve into the world of the biblical authors in order to understand the religious message of these events. As you do so, you will gain a deeper understanding of not only the historical context but also the profound theology expressed in these accounts.

You will journey through the gospel accounts of the Last Supper, the Agony in the Garden, Jesus’ interrogation, and His ultimate condemnation by Pontius Pilate, gaining deep insights into the theological and salvific nature of these events. After looking at the powerful themes of forgiveness in the Cross, you will consider what the Resurrection means for the mission of the Church and your own spirituality. Finally, you will explore the glorification and transcendence of the Risen Christ.

Embark on this journey of forgiveness, hope, and glory today.

Advent Contest

The fine folks at Now You Know Media have given me three fantastic CD sets from Fr. Felix Just S.J. for this special Advent Contest.  These three, brand new, recrodings are retreats with the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John.  I have a number of different audio courses from Now You Know Media, and I have always been impressed by their content and the quality of the audio recordings.  

Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Loyola Institute for Spirituality in Orange, California. After receiving his Doctorate in New Testament Studies from Yale University, he taught at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), the University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University. He was also director of the Center for Religion and Spirituality at LMU, and dean of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry and Deacon Formation Programs for the Diocese of Las Vegas. He regularly teaches courses, gives public lectures, and leads biblically-based days of prayer, parish missions, and weekend or weeklong retreats. He maintains a large internationally recognized website of “Catholic Resources”.  Fr. Felix is also on the board of editors for the upcoming revision of the NABRE New Testament.  


Rules for the contest:

1) If you have an active Facebook or Twitter account, please announce this contest. If you don't, that is OK. You can still enter the contest.

 2) Please enter your name in the comment section of this blog post. I (or my wife) will randomly draw one winner at the conclusion of the contest, which will be on Sunday December 6th at 11:59 PM.

 3) I will announce the winner on Monday December 7th. The winner must contact me, via email, within a week with their full name and address.  I will ship the the books free of charge.

 4) One entry per person.

 5) Contest is only available to those who live in North America.

The Lectionary: A Treasure for Liturgy and Prayer

Now You Know Media has a new set out by Fr. Felix Just on the Lectionary.  It looks quite good.  Here is some information about it:

“The study of the sacred page, is as it were, the soul of sacred theology” (Dei Verbum, 24). This teaching from Vatican II emphasizes the importance of studying the Scriptures. But have you fully considered how you encounter the Word of God during the liturgy?

Thoughtful Catholics just like you listen to the readings during mass. Many study the Bible individually but most have not examined the careful and beautiful composition of the Lectionary for Mass. Even if you have undertaken such a careful examination, imagine doing so anew with fresh insight and an expert guide.

You undoubtedly know about the main seasons of the Christian liturgical year (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time), but do you know which biblical readings are used at Mass and other liturgies celebrated in each season? What patterns connect the readings of one Sunday to the next? What are the connections between the several readings used at each liturgy?

This course explores the structure and contents of the Lectionary for Mass, provides an overview of its history and development, and suggests ways you can use it more fully. The course is designed not only for people already involved in liturgical ministries but also for any Christian who wants to become more familiar with the Lectionary and the liturgical year.

This 18-lecture program will also greatly increase your ability to use the Lectionary more regularly and more fully throughout the liturgical year.

Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D., is the Director of Biblical Education at the Loyola Institute for Spirituality in Orange, California. After receiving his Doctorate in New Testament Studies from Yale University, he taught at Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), the University of San Francisco, and Santa Clara University. He was also director of the Center for Religion and Spirituality at LMU, and dean of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry and Deacon Formation Programs for the Diocese of Las Vegas. He regularly teaches courses, gives public lectures, and leads biblically-based days of prayer, parish missions, and weekend or weeklong retreats. 

Now You Know Media

I am not sure how many of you are aware of Now You Know Media, but I plan to do some reviews of their recordings over the next few months.  I was first introduced to Now You Know Media while flipping through an edition of First Things.  There was an ad there for receiving Fr. Donald Senior's audio recording study on the Gospel of John at a great introductory price.  I decided to purchase it and found it to be a great 12 lecture walk through John.  The production quality was high and Fr. Senior's theological and pastoral explanations I ended up using in my own teaching.  Many of the conferences are more on the academic side.  In particular, those of you who are familiar with the scholars involved with books like The Catholic Study Bible or the commentaries from Little Rock will find some familiar faces.  There are a ton of conferences devoted to Scripture, with scholars like Fr. Senior, Fr. Felix Just, Sr. Dianne Bergant, Fr. Michael D. Guinan, Fr. Ron Witherup, as well as many others.  Many of these scholars are the most highly respected in their academic fields, but, perhaps, less known by contemporary Catholic audiences.  

There are also collections focusing on spirituality, history, and theology.  I have enjoyed each set that I have received and, like I said above, plan to devote some future posts, including reviews, about what they are doing at Now You Know Media.  

More about Now You Know Media:

Now You Know Media began in 2006 with the mission of bringing you the best in Catholic spirituality and scholarship. Since then, we have produced hundreds of audio and video programs, from Bible studies with leading Scripture scholars to life-changing retreats.

After searching the world for the best professors, authors, and retreat leaders, we record them in our studio and make their teaching accessible to you. Lifelong learners and inquisitive Catholics cherish these masterful lectures and retreat conferences. You can enjoy our audio programs in your home or car, and our video programs are perfect for visual learners as well as group settings.

On our website, you will find spiritual retreats, as well as courses on history, spirituality, saints, Scripture, theology, literature, and much more. Also, through our exclusive relationship with the Thomas Merton Center, Now You Know Media remasters and releases the moving talks delivered by renowned twentieth-century mystic Thomas Merton at the Abbey of Gethsemani. These archival treasures are now available for you to enjoy.

Our presenters hail from top universities and seminaries, such as the University of Notre Dame, the Catholic University of America, Georgetown University, Catholic Theological Union, Boston College, and the Franciscan School of Theology. They combine exceptional scholarship with engaging teaching styles.

Most of our Catholic courses also come with free study guides, including lecture outlines, suggested readings, and review questions. Each course is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee.