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The True Meaning of Christmas
- The Birth of Jesus and the Origins of the Season
- Narrated by: Michael Patrick Barber
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
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The True Meaning of Christmas
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Publisher's summary
What does the Bible really say about the birth of Jesus? How did the celebration of Christmas become associated with things like Santa Claus and decorated trees? In The True Meaning of Christmas: The Birth of Jesus and the Origins of the Season, biblical scholar Michael Patrick Barber offers an inspiring look at the Bible's accounts of Jesus' birth and the development of the Christmas season. Along the way, he answers numerous questions, including:
- How is the Christmas story related to ancient Jewish expectations?
- Why is Jesus said to be laid in a "manger"?
- Who are the Magi?
- What is the mysterious Christmas star?
- How did December 25th become the date of Christmas?
- How did Saint Nicholas become "Santa Claus"?
As Dr. Barber will show, to find our way "home" at Christmas, we need to first return to Christmas' home in the story of the Bible. Only by carefully reflecting on the stories of Jesus' birth can we hope to celebrate Christmas in the way it is meant to be celebrated and discover the real joy it promises!
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- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 236
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 208
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 207
Historians know virtually nothing about the two decades following the crucifixion of Jesus, when his followers regrouped and began to spread his message. During this time the man we know as the apostle Paul joined the movement and began to preach to the gentiles. Using the oldest Christian documents that we have - the letters of Paul - as well as other early Christian sources, historian and scholar James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Paul or Jesus?
- By James on 01-29-13
By: James D. Tabor
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Don't Know Much about the Bible
- Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book but Never Learned
- By: Kenneth C. Davis
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey, Lorna Raver
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 201
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 164
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Story4 out of 5 stars 168
Bringing to life the world of the Old and New Testaments, the acclaimed creator of the bestselling Don’t Know Much About® series transforms dry, difficult reading into colorful and realistic accounts. Relying on new research and improved translations, Kenneth C. Davis uncovers some amazing questions and contradictions about what the Bible really says: Jericho’s walls may have tumbled down because the city lies on a fault line; Moses never parted the Red Sea; There was a Jesus, but he wasn’t born on Christmas and he probably wasn't an only child....
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5 out of 5 stars
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decent survey of the topic
- By bookouri on 02-02-14
By: Kenneth C. Davis
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The Jesus Dynasty
- A New Historical Investigation of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity
- By: James D. Tabor
- Narrated by: James D. Tabor
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 196
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 124
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 124
Based on a careful analysis of the earliest Christian documents and recent archaeological discoveries, The Jesus Dynasty offers a bold new interpretation of the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity. The story is surprising, controversial, and exciting as only a long-lost history can be when it is at last recovered.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Provocative book
- By Dan on 08-27-06
By: James D. Tabor
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Understanding the Koran
- A Quick Christian Guide to the Muslim Holy Book
- By: Mateen Elass
- Narrated by: Don Reed
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 96
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 78
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Story4 out of 5 stars 77
A quick non-technical introduction to the Koran designed to help Christians understand a hidden book revered by 1.3 billion Muslims, covering the background on its writing, a summary of its contents, a perspective on how it’s used and viewed by Muslims, a comparison of differences and similarities to the Bible, and some suggestions on how it should and should not be used in conversations with Muslims.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Favors Christianity
- By Dianne on 12-18-15
By: Mateen Elass
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Mary as the Early Christians Knew Her
- The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts
- By: Frederica Mathewes-Green
- Narrated by: Frederica Mathewes-Green
- Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 90
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 81
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Story5 out of 5 stars 81
Mary is the flower of femininity to some, a woman of power to others. She has been seen as a paragon of obedience as well as an instrument of liberation. Some have piled her status so high that it rivals that of her Son. Other do their best to ignore her. Behind all of those images is a girl who grew up to be the mother of Christ.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it
- By Gee on 02-08-18
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Jesus the Bridegroom
- The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
- By: Brant Pitre
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 6 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 385
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 343
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Story5 out of 5 stars 341
Most Christians are familiar with the Apostle Paul's teaching that Christ is the "Bridegroom" and the Church is the "Bride." But what does this really mean? And what would ever possess Paul to compare the death of Christ to the love of a husband for his wife? If you would have been at the Crucifixion, with Jesus hanging there dying, is that how you would have described it? How could a first-century Jew like Paul, who knew how brutal Roman crucifixions were, have ever compared the execution of Jesus to a wedding?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Accessible yet Profound
- By William J. Wilson on 12-09-15
By: Brant Pitre
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Understanding the Bible
- By: John R. W. Stott
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 87
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 75
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 73
This book answers foundational questions: Who wrote the Bible? What is its message? Why is it thought to be a 'holy' book? How does one read and interpret it? Best of all, though, you'll broaden your vision of Jesus Christ, the focal point of Scripture. How? By better understanding the geographical, religious, and historical concerns that shaped the world in which he lived.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent exposition of the Christian faith
- By GW on 02-25-12
By: John R. W. Stott
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The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 29
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
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Reasons to Believe
- How to Understand, Defend, and Explain the Catholic Faith
- By: Scott Hahn
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 692
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 572
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 576
In Reasons to Believe, Scott Hahn, a convert to Catholicism, explains the "how and why" of the Catholic faith - drawing from Scripture, his own struggles, and those of other converts, as well as from everyday life and even natural science. Hahn shows that reason and revelation, as well as nature and the supernatural, are not opposed to one another; rather, they offer complementary evidence that God exists. He is someone, and He has a personality, a personal style, that is discernable and knowable.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A Catholic for convition and tradition
- By benigno on 05-29-12
By: Scott Hahn
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Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist
- Unlocking the Secrets of the Last Supper
- By: Brant Pitre, Scott Hahn - foreword
- Narrated by: David Cochran Heath
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 771
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 688
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Story5 out of 5 stars 680
In recent years, Christians everywhere are rediscovering the Jewish roots of their faith. Every year at Easter time, many believers now celebrate Passover meals (known as Seders) seeking to understand exactly what happened at Jesus' final Passover, the night before he was crucified. Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist shines fresh light on the Last Supper by looking at it through Jewish eyes.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I am a Protestant trying to learn more about the significance of the Eucharist and I feel that my eyes have been opened up ..
- By Kim Lank on 03-08-18
By: Brant Pitre, and others
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God in the Qur'an
- God in Three Classic Scriptures
- By: Jack Miles
- Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 26
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Who is Allah? What does he ask of those who submit to his teachings? Pulitzer Prize-winner Jack Miles gives us a deeply probing, revelatory portrait of the world’s second largest, fastest-growing, and perhaps most tragically misunderstood religion. In doing so, Miles illuminates what is unique about Allah, his teachings, and his resolutely merciful temperament, and he thereby reveals that which is false, distorted, or simply absent from the popular conception of the heart of Islam.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Comparison between the Holy Bible and Holy Qur'an
- By Recession Proof Holdings. L.L.C. (RPH) on 12-29-18
By: Jack Miles
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Swear to God
- The Promise and Power of the Sacraments
- By: Scott Hahn
- Narrated by: Brian Keeler
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 109
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 81
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 82
Written in an accessible style, Swear to God is a testament to the seven sacraments, which Hahn sees not as boring rituals, but as powerful reminders of our covenants with God.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Revealing
- By Theresa M. Bucy on 02-10-24
By: Scott Hahn
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Desire of the Everlasting Hills
- The World Before and After Jesus
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: Brian F. O'Byrne
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 196
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 72
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 73
In his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus, Thomas Cahill shows us Jesus from his birth to his execution through the eyes of those who knew him and in the context of his time—a time when the Jews were struggling to maintain their beliefs under overlords who imposed their worldview on their subjects. Here is Jesus the loving friend, itinerate preacher, and quiet revolutionary, whose words and actions inspired his followers to journey throughout the Roman world and speak the truth he instilled.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Desire Delivers
- By David on 04-18-03
By: Thomas Cahill
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How God Became God
- What Scholars Are Really Saying About God and the Bible
- By: Richard M. Smoley
- Narrated by: Richard M. Smoley
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 47
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 44
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Story5 out of 5 stars 44
This epic, thrilling journey through Bible scholarship and ancient religion shows how much of Scripture is historically false - yet the ancient writings also resound with theologies that crisscrossed the primeval world and that direct us today toward a deep, authentic inner experience of the truly sacred.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Just Okay.
- By Thomas on 10-28-21
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Reading Judas
- The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity
- By: Elaine Pagels, Karen L. King
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre, Robertson Dean
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 152
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 83
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 85
Two celebrated scholars illustrate how the newly discovered Gospel of Judas provides a window into understanding how Jesus' followers understood his death, why Judas betrayed Jesus, and why God allowed it. Presented with the elegance, insight, and accessibility that has made Pagels and King the leading voices in this field, this is a book for academics and popular audiences alike.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Judas Iscariot: Betrayer or Saint?
- By Diane on 08-21-12
By: Elaine Pagels, and others
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How Jesus Became God
- The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 965
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 850
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 843
In a book that took eight years to research and write, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman explores how an apocalyptic prophet from the backwaters of rural Galilee crucified for crimes against the state came to be thought of as equal with the one God Almighty Creator of all things. Ehrman sketches Jesus's transformation from a human prophet to the Son of God exalted to divine status at his resurrection. Only when some of Jesus's followers had visions of him after his death - alive again - did anyone come to think that he, the prophet from Galilee, had become God.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Wishing for a bit more meat on the bones
- By Darwin8u on 04-09-14
By: Bart D. Ehrman
What listeners say about The True Meaning of Christmas
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex Ramirez
- 12-16-21
Awesome exploration of the historicity of Christmas!
I really liked this book. Dr. Michael Barber lays out the history and theology of Christmas. After going through the old and new testaments, he shows how our modern day particulars, such as Santa and Christmas trees, came to be. I highly recommend to anyone who wants a deep biblical or historical understanding of Xmas.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andy Thomas
- 12-13-22
Good Christmas History
Learned a lot about the history of Christmas. Would recommend this to anyone looking for more knowledge about the holiday.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth Barber
- 12-19-21
Superb!
What a lovely way to step into Advent and the Christmas season. Thank you Dr. Barber for walking with us on this path illuminated with the Word, though the land of Christmas music and traditions to the true meaning — the incarnation of our Lord! This books is beautiful, accessible and joyful. Our Bible study group and parish loved it too!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ben
- 12-20-21
Amazing!
I didn't know what to think going into this book but I had some questions that I needed answered and I was generally curious as we approach Christmas to get a better understanding of the holiday. This was amazing! It is pretty exhaustive and does a wonderful job of laying all the facts out there, and deepening your understanding of Christmas! I'll re-listen to this every year.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cathy
- 12-18-23
Expansive and In-depth Learning
There is sooooo much to learn in this book. It answered some questions I have had since childhood. And it opened up new areas I never would have known to explore. I plan to read this every Advent and know something new will then spark for me each year.
Thank you for the connections🎄
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Steve Rich
- 01-11-24
Forward
I couldn’t get passed the forward, I might have been a great story but I’ll never know
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