Joy to the World

How Christ's Coming Changed Everything (and Still Does)

By: Scott Hahn

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

What could be more familiar than the Christmas story - and yet what could be more extraordinary? The cast of characters is strange and exotic: shepherds and magicians, an emperor and a despot, angels, and a baby who is Almighty God. The strangeness calls for an explanation, and this book provides it by examining the characters and the story in light of the biblical and historical context. Best-selling author Scott Hahn who has written extensively on Scripture and the early Church, brings evidence to light, dispelling some of the mystery of the story. Yet Christmas is made familiar all over again by showing it to be a family story. Christmas, as it appears in the New Testament, is the story of a father, a mother, and a child - their relationships, their interactions, their principles, their individual lives, and their common life. To see the life of this "earthly trinity" is to gaze into heaven.

©2014 Scott Hahn (P)2014 Random House Audio

Beautifully written!

I recommend this read to bring the beauty of Christmas back into your life! Scott H. Is a blessing to our church and to our humanity!

I Love This Book.

In his brilliance, Dr Hahn basically explains the whole of the Catholic Faith through the context of the Mystery of Christmas. His puns are great, as is his use of many Christmas Carols. His real life experiences are also a fantastic means of making Faith & Christmas, among other Mysteries, more clearly understood. I highly recommend this book to anyone & everyone.

Christ in Christmas

great study! Very Catholic but good for all Christian's. It brings Christ back to Christmas! love Scott Hahn! Moreys voice was very soothing. Really helps focus on the true meaning of Christmas. Making all the characters more personal! loved it!

Fantastic Christmas Book

This is a great christmas book. It summarizes in a very concise and entertaining way the amazing mysteries of the coming of our lord.
Once I started the audiobook, I couldn't stop. I particularly enjoy the references to the old testament and how christmas brings joy to out lives.
I have read almost all books from S. Hahn and this is among the very best.

the unique apologetics

excellent reading and message, Scott has a way of articulating Truth, and in this book he delivers both to a high level. I learned a lot.

A Book to Read Again

This book is a well-researched and thorough presentation of the Nativity of Jesus. What I enjoyed so much was that the backstory of each of the people of the Nativity was presented in such an interesting and thorough way. Biblical references are abundant, which is a hallmark of the work of Scott Han, and so appreciated. This is a book to be read again and again because there is much to learn and enjoy.

A drink from a deep spring

You thought you were reading a devotional Christmas book and found yourself in a Bible study that doesn’t just make you smarter, but more joyful. And the last chapter speaks to how this joy is evangelizing. So to pick up and read this book is to rejoice in God your Savior. Merry Christmas!

A Christmas gift!

I’m a lifelong, devout, and studious Catholic, but I learned many new & beautiful things about the birth of our Lord that will enhance my Christmas experience for years to come.

Joyful

Concenrates on the joyful essemtials. Narrator's voice appropriate to the spiritual nature of the book.

Putting Christmas in Context

I intended to use this as a chapter-every-other-day meditation guide through Advent. Instead, I blew through it in a few days (and plan to do it again, somewhat slower). At a mere 4 hours and 21 minutes, that might not sound like much of an achievement. But Hahn, a master at making the complex understandable, packs an awful lot into those 4 hours and 21 minutes, discussing towering concepts and connections that require us laymen to occasionally pause, catch our breath and digest.

The best part is, those complex ideas, towering concepts and connections, aren’t his own, as he reminds us repeatedly. Using Scripture, Tradition, the Church Fathers, ancient history and centuries of Saints and scholars, he puts the Christmas story in the context of its time, which is the clearest way to understand it’s meaning for all time.

I admit to being put off by Arthur Morey’s delivery when listening to the audio sample. But one reviewer said he was perfect for this book and after a few minutes into chapter one, I agreed.