Sorry, this item is not available in

Image not available for
Color:

Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

Share your own customer images

Search inside another edition of this book

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Scot McKnight (Author)

(15 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.

This is a bargain book and quantities are limited. Bargain books are new but could include a small mark from the publisher and an Amazon.com price sticker identifying them as such. See details.

Formats	Amazon Price	New from	Used from
Hardcover	$15.80	--	--
Hardcover, Bargain Price, November 15, 2006	--	--	--
	See # more hardcovers
	Show fewer hardcovers
Paperback	$21.31	--	--

Best Books of the Year
Looking for something good to read? Browse our editors' picks for the Best Books of the Year in fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, romance, and much more.

› See more product promotions

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2006

Would you like to meet the real Mary of Nazareth? The real Mary was an unmarried, pregnant teenage girl in first-century Palestine. She was a woman of courage, humility, spirit and resolve, and her response to the angel Gabriel shifted the tectonic plates of history. Popular biblical scholar Scot McKnight explores the contours of Mary's life from the moment she learned of God's plan for the Messiah to the culmination of Christ's ministry on earth. Dismantling the myths and challenging our prejudices, the author introduces us to a woman who is a model for faith and who points us to her son.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } Would you like to meet the real Mary of Nazareth? The real Mary was an unmarried, pregnant teenage girl in first-century Palestine. She was a woman of courage, humility, spirit and resolve, and her response to the angel Gabriel shifted the tectonic plates of history. Popular biblical scholar Scot McKnight explores the contours of Mary's life from the moment she learned of God's plan for the Messiah to the culmination of Christ's ministry on earth. Dismantling the myths and challenging our prejudices, the author introduces us to a woman who is a model for faith and who points us to her son.

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Explore more great deals on 1000's of titles in our Deals in Books store.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Mary for Evangelicals: Toward an …
Tim Perry

5.0 out of 5 stars (2)

Paperback

$20.56Prime
Jesus Is Lord, Caesar Is Not: Evaluating …
Scot McKnight

3.9 out of 5 stars (7)

Paperback

$15.14Prime
Paul and the Faithfulness of God
› N. T. Wright

3.0 out of 5 stars (4)

Paperback

$53.40Prime
The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others
Scot Mcknight

4.4 out of 5 stars (36)

Paperback

$13.82Prime
Praying with the Church: Following Jesus …
Scot Mcknight

4.7 out of 5 stars (9)

Paperback

$12.74Prime
Sermon on the Mount (The Story of God Bible …
› Scot McKnight

2.0 out of 5 stars (1)

Hardcover

$22.11Prime

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this slim, engaging volume, McKnight (Protestant author of The Jesus Creed) makes the case that the real Mary of the Bible has been hijacked by theological controversies. He begins by noting that Mary has been seen by turns as a compliant "resting womb," a damaging stereotype of passivity, a Christmas figure and a source of "reaction formation" by Protestants, as well as the mother of Jesus. "The real Mary is no offense to Protestants, but rather a woman for us to honor," he insists, envisioning her as an impoverished, bold, gutsy woman of faith. He also portrays her as neither goddess nor supersaint, but as the mother of God. McKnight lends interesting cultural context to Mary's simple and courageous words, "let it be," and unpacks the Magnificat as a song of protest and revolution. He poignantly portrays Mary's gradual knowledge that her son would not be the triumphant king envisioned as Messiah, and makes a somewhat controversial case for Mary having other children. His sections on the immaculate conception and Mary as mediatrix in prayer should help debunk some Protestants' false impressions of Catholic belief. McKnight's lucid, sometimes humorous, conversational style makes this an accessible book for a wide pool of evangelical readers. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"The silenced Mary of Protestantism who only shows up quietly at Christmas needs to be dismissed as unhistorical. It is time for a Mary upgrade in the Evangelical world. Highly recommended!" BEN WITHERINGTON, Professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Paraclete Pr (November 15, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1557255237
ASIN: B002U0KR74
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #74 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Mariology

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Scot McKnight Page

Born in Southern Illinois, came of age in Freeport, Illinois, attended college in Grand Rapids, MI, seminary at Trinity in Deerfield, IL.

Now a professor at North Park University.

Two children.

Kris, my wife, is a psychologist and the greatest woman on earth.

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars

(15)

4.5 out of 5 stars

3 star

See all 15 customer reviews

“
This book looks carefully at the biblical picture of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and draws out implications for today. ”
Mark D. Roberts| 7 reviewers made a similar statement
“
The author is very open-minded and extremely fair & balanced. ”
J. Sanders| 4 reviewers made a similar statement
“
In the second part of the book, McKnight tackles the Mary of Church tradition. ”
Labarum| 3 reviewers made a similar statement

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Embracing Mary January 9, 2007

By Labarum VINE VOICE

Format:Hardcover

In general, if you want to get Evangelical Protestants nervous, start talking positively about Mary. Not that they think Mary the mother of our Lord is a bad person or anything, but that they insist she needs to kept in her place - which usually is limited to a brief mention during the Christmas season. Even those who think that positive Scriptural role models for women are important would much rather talk about Ruth or Esther or anyone but the virgin who gave birth to the Savior. In their eyes, Mary is more a Catholic rather than a Biblical figure.

Scot McKnight thinks this sort of thinking is all wrong. While unabashedly Evangelical in outlook, he sees Mary as one of the most important figures in the New Testament. He also thinks the traditional thinking of Mary is highly skewed in both Catholic and Protestant traditions (admitting a level of ignorance on the delicate distinctions between the Catholic and Orthodox views of Mary - and preferrng that issue be handled by experts - he limits himself to the Western tradtiions). In The Real Mary he attempts to give a new view based upon the Scriptures of the New Testament and the cultural atmosphere of the world of Second Temple Judaism.

McKnight divides the book into three parts. The first and longest examines the evidence of Holy Scipture concerning Mary. In this section, the most important theme and one that is reinforced often is that the common picture of a passive Mary wiith Catholics seeing her as a blissful soul with an almost stoic acceptance of God's directives and Protestants looking at her as little more than an incubator for the Word made flesh are both entirely erroneous. McKnight points out that Mary was a forceful figure in the New Testament who knew the consequences of being an unwed mother in her world but consented in a supreme act of faith that was not only pious but corageous. This radical trusting of God shows forth in the Magnificat - a prayer that was both powerful and subversive of both both Herod and Rome's authority. This is not the "nice" Mary of Christmas cards but a woman who was strong and dangerous to those in positions of authority.

Throiughout her mention in the New Testament, Mary is a shown as a strong Jewish woman who was empowered by her radical faith she had in the God of Israel. She - like the Apostles - did not understand the fulfillment of Jesus' ministry would lead to the cross but, unlike all but John, she endured the unbearable pain of being at with Him there. She was present with Jesus' followers in the dark period after His burial and waited with hope following His ascension. She may have misunderstood some of Jesus' actions in His ministry and experienced total confusion at the point of his passion but the faith in God remained through these crises.

In the second part of the book, McKnight tackles the Mary of Church tradition. While taking the Evangelical position and thus disagreeing with the many beliefs Catholics (and often the Orthodox) hold about Mary, he does so in a fair manner. There is no "straw men" put forward and in opposing Catholic views on Mary he emphasizes Catholic doctrines do assume Mary's salvation was dependant upon God's grace and do not imply she was not in need of a Savior.

While the author meticulously and even-handedly examines these beliefs in light of Holy Scripture as interpreted through an Evangelical Protestant perspective, the weakness in this outlook is that the aforementioned perspective is almost entirely built upon modern historical-critical assumptions that have little in common with the exegetical assumptions employed by Jesus and the Apostles. Thus the typological and mystical interpretations given by the early Church (e.g., the remarkable similarities between the Ark of the Covenant coming to David and Mary coming to Elizabeth) are never addressed and the universally held opinion of all the early Church is ignored. Still, if one agrees with the Evangelical view, the discussion is remarkably free of polemic.

McKnight finishes with a discussion of how Evangelical Protestants can now fully embrace the "real Mary". Mary was one who had a deep personal faith in God that developed, gave her courage at points of great difficulty in her life and set an example of how such faith can change the world. In every way, from the moment Gabriel greeted her throughout her appearances in the Gospels and Acts she is the model for all women of faith and indeed is one whom every generation should call blessed.

While not agreeing entirely with everything in The Real Mary, Scot McKnight has paved the way for future development by Evangelicals so they no longer need be seen as running away from one of the most compelling of New Testament figures. It is a welcome addition to the surprising interest developing among Evangelicals in the Theotokos and will hopefully assist in overcoming the misunderstandings between faithful Christians of all traditions. Read more ›

2 Comments |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Scot McKnight's Embraceable Mary December 4, 2006

By John Frye

Format:Hardcover

Scot McKnight accomplishes two good objectives with his latest book The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus (Paraclete Press, 2006). First, as the subtitle suggests, Scot wants to take the jitters out of evangelicals who are jumpy about honoring Mary the Mother of Jesus. Some kind of anti-Catholic Protestant Reformation residue lingers on many of us and we find it hard to honor Mary because we might be mistaken for "worshiping" her. With a scholar's keen research, a pastor's concerned heart, and a writer's competent, engaging communication style, McKnight presents a down-to-earth, gospels-based Mary. Young Mary is a true, courageous human being surrendering to her part in the unfolding drama of God's story. Scot doesn't present a religious, stained-glass goddess, but a fiesty, gutsy, intelligent, deeply devoted woman who wrestles with the demands, responsibilities and heartaches of being the Mother of God-in-flesh. Second, Scot wants the Catholic readers of the book to assess where they may have gone too far in honoring Mary, not so much in practice as in theological pronouncements. This is done, once again, in plain, understandable language. Scot is fair because he shows that some Protestants have misunderstood some basic tenets of what Catholics believe about Mary. I was surprised by how many Protestant "greats" in church history believed in the perpetual virginity of Mary. On the more controversial theological issues, Scot offers in-depth chapters toward the end of the book. Scot "unpacks" Mary's Magnificat showing the deeply held convictions Mary had regarding God's redemptive work in the world. Scot converses about how much Mary influenced Jesus' own vision and mission of his ministry. Read more ›

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction for the Novice (Me) December 25, 2006

By William R. Bullerman

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

In the first chapter, Scot McKnight asks "Why a book on Mary?". One of the answers is because most Protestants haven't given much thought to Mary. He's describing me and this book was an excellent introduction to the subject of the Virgin Mary.

He covers the biblical texts referring to Mary and exegetically, doesn't really add much to the story. However, once he begins to draw out the implications and tie it into the historical background in which the Gospel story is located, he has some very excellent proposals that are plausible and tie in the Birth narratives to the rest of the Gospels story in the gospels and the epistles.

One primary example is his coverage of the Magnificat. He sees it as a very unsettling song and thought pattern that undermines the powers that be (Herod and Caesar). He gives the historical background for why. His suggestion dovetails nicely with other theologians' (N.T. Wright, Jaroslav Pelikan, etc) understanding as to why the Christian proclamation "Jesus is Lord" was a threat to to the Empire's proclamation "Caesar is Lord" and the resulting conflict between Christianity and the Empire. Each chapter has very suggestive proposals as to Mary's impact and influence on the early church. They are all plausible, but he leaves it to the reader to wrestle and decide.

His second great contribution is two chapters at the end concerning the Controversial Mary, the Mary seen by Catholics vis a vis Protestants. I am not very familiar with the true Catholic views on Mary. As a life-long Protestant, and for many years, a Fundamentalist, I have been conditioned to reject all things Catholic, especially its views on Mary. Read more ›

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

› See all 15 customer reviews (newest first)

Write a customer review

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary became real to me

Scot McKnight shared a ton of insight into what Mary was probably like. We've all seen the images of a shy, unsmiling young woman with her eyes downward. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Debbie Hardy

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring and a Waste of Time

An evangelical writing on why we should honor Mary? I decided to give this book a try but found it really boring and, on the whole, a waste of time. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Benjamin Cabe

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to see a book honoring this one of God's faithful children

Scot McKnight did us all a real favor in writing a very readable, yet scholarly backed, book seeking to place Mary the Mother of Jesus in the context of 1st century Jewish life and... Read more

Published 11 months ago by RCS

5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging

This book helped me appreciate the mother of our Lord more than I thought possible. I highly recommend this book.

Published 12 months ago by Steven S. Spears

4.0 out of 5 stars A great starter for further study

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get around to reading this book. It wasn't exactly what I expected when I ordered/purchased it, but it did satisfy some of my questions and has... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Jeffrey Borden

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Mary

Mary's sacrifice and life now have so much meaning to me. Not only do I recommend it I bought three copies to hand out to my friends. Read more

Published on September 22, 2011 by Michael

5.0 out of 5 stars a young, teenage, unwed girl in Palestine in the first-century

Scot McKnight gives many reasons why he should write a book about Mary but his reason that stuck with me the most is on page 6 "that she always leads us to Jesus. Read more

Published on December 24, 2010 by G. Stephen Goode

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Unshackled By Tradition

Scott McKnight, a New Testament Scholar at North Park University, has the welcome gift of packaging sound Biblical Scholarship into conversational and readable language. Read more

Published on September 14, 2007 by Larry Shallenberger

5.0 out of 5 stars An Approachable Mary

This book is for Evangelical Christians, but even more so I believe for Catholics. How sad that this first lady of the New Testament is seen as so far and above and beyond regular... Read more

Published on June 16, 2007 by Ruth A. Tucker

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Read

This is an extremely good book for Protestant people. People need to realize and understand the value of Mary and see what a huge role she has played in the history of the... Read more

Published on April 7, 2007 by J. Sanders

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

Mary for Evangelicals: Toward an Understanding of the Mother of Our Lord by Tim Perry Paperback
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)

$20.56

Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives on Mary by Beverly Roberts Gaventa Paperback
4.3 out of 5 stars (3)

$20.76

The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited by Scot McKnight Hardcover
4.1 out of 5 stars (104)

$15.80

The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight Paperback
4.3 out of 5 stars (80)

$12.48

› Explore similar items

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }

Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.

Be the first to discuss this product with the community.

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

Guidelines

Look for Similar Items by Category

Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Mariology
Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Churches & Church Leadership > Church History
Books > Christian Books & Bibles > History
Books > History > World > Religious > Christianity

The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Formats

Book Description

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Review

Product Details

More About the Author

Customer Reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

Forums

Start a new discussion

Look for Similar Items by Category