John

Brimming with lavish, full-color photos and graphics, the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary . . . lets you read the Bible through the eyes of a first-century reader!  Things that seem mystifying, puzzling, or obscure will take on tremendous meaning when you view them in their ancient context . . . Written in a clear, engaging style, this beautiful commentary provides a new and accessible approach that more technical expository and exegetical commentaries don't offer.  It features:

• Commentary based on relevant papyri, inscriptions, archaeological discoveries, and studies of Judaism, Roman culture, Hellenism, and other features of the world of the New Testament


• Hundreds of full-color photographs, color illustrations, and line drawings


• Copious maps, charts, and timelines


• Sidebar articles and insights


• "Reflections" on the Bible's relevance for 21st-century living