The introduction presents and explains a three-step method commonly used by specialists in cross-cultural communication. Pilch offers suggestions for homilists and reflection questions from historical, liturgical, and cultural perspectives to encourage the reader to explore and master this cross-cultural method for breaking open the Scriptures. This process helps to make the challenge of the Scriptures clearer than ever for the modern reader.

John J. Pilch, PhD, teaches Scripture at Georgetown University. He is the author ofChoosing a Bible Translation; The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible; the three-volume series The Cultural World of Jesus Sunday by Sunday: Cycles A, B, C; Galatians and Romans in the Collegeville Bible Commentary series; and articles in The Modern Catholic Encyclopedia, The Collegeville Pastoral Dictionary of Biblical Theology, and The Bible Today, all published by The Liturgical Press.