Why This Jubilee? by James C. Howell

Books in the Nov 11, 2015 issue

How easy it is for Christians to sing hymns without pondering the meaning of the texts. Howell encourages us to slow down and take notice. For each week of Advent, he provides meditations on the texts of Advent hymns and Christmas carols, including some secular songs, to prepare readers for the coming of Christmas and to ponder the meaning of the incarnation. Four sessions for group use are provided.

This review appears in the Nov 11, 2015 issue.

Early Christianity, fragment by fragment

A new published volume of ancient papyri contains sayings, attributed to Jesus, that were previously unknown—including a dialogue with a disciple named Mary.

by Elizabeth Schrader Polczer