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Books on Jesus of Nazareth (Return to Home)

Submitted by 10/18/06

Becker, Jurgen, Jesus of Nazareth, translated by James E. Crouch (NY - Berlin, Walter do Gruyter, 1998)
Borg, Marcus J. and Wright, N.T.: The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions (New York: Harper Collins, 1999). 232 B644m.
Borg, Marcus J. & Wright, N. T.: The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1999). 232 B644m .
Crossan, John d.: The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant (New York: Harper San Francisco, 1991). 232.9C 884h.
Dawes, Gregory W.: The Historical Jesus Quest, Landmarks in the Search for the Jesus of History (Louisville, KY.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000.) 232.9 H629j
Ford, Richard Q.: The Parables of Jesus: Recovering the Art of Listening (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1997). 226.8 F755p
Hendricks, Obery M., Jr.: The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus’ Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted (New York: Doubleday/Random House, Inc., 2006).
Horsley, Richard A. and Neil Asher Silberman: The Message and the Kingdom: How Jesus and Paul Ignited a Revolution and Transformed the Ancient World (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002). 270 H787m 2002.
Jesus in the World's Faiths: Leading Thinkers from Five Religions Reflect on His Meaning / edited by Gregory A. Barker (Maryknoll , N.Y./ Orbis Books, 2005). 232 J499i.
The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (Hendrickson Publication, 1987). 296.9 J779w.
Keck, Leander E.: Who Is Jesus? History in Perfect Tense (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2000). 232.9K234w .
Reed, Jonathan L.: Archaeology and the Galilean Jesus: A Re-examination of the Evidence (Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2000) 232 R251a
Rosenthal, Peggy: The Poet's Jesus (Oxford University Press 2000) 809.1 R727p
Theissen, Gerd. In the Shadow of the Galilean: The Quest of the Historical Jesus in Narrative Form. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986). 232.9 T341s ..
Williams, Thomas E.Q.: American folk gospel : logoi, witness accounts of the life of Jesus and fundamental devotional , ( Greenfield , IN : Coiny Pub. Co. , c1999.) BANGOR STACKS... 202 Am35f PORTLAND STACKS. 202 Am35f

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Date: 15/1/07

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Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, editors. The Ante-Nicene Fathers : Translations of the Writings of the Father down to A.D. 325 Volumne VIII Chapter 5 - Apocrypha of the New Testament The Account of St. John the Theologian of the Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God The Passing of Mary - First Latin Form The Passing of Mary - Second Latin Form Grand Rapids : Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1987, Eerdmans reprint of 1950 ed. 281.3 An86 1950 v.8 for the purposes of this review I used the online transcription by Roger Pease found at www.ccel.org

Author

Around 400 CE, John ,Archbishop of Thessalonica, wrote a discourse on the falling asleep of Mary.The book is written however in the voice of the disciple John. The First Latin Form is written with the voice of Joseph of Arimethea The Second Latin Form does not establish who is the narrator of the story

Structure

All three books are structured as narratives and are written to explain what happened when the mother of Jesus, Mary, passed from her earthly life. Each takes pains to present the disciples as being present at her death and each have more than a hint of anti-Jewishness to them. They both begin with a very much alive and seemingly healthy Mary who is told that her time is at hand. The First Latin Form makes the case that it is the will of Jesus that his mother not suffer at death and be gathered to him in peace. “and I shall carry it into heaven, where it shall never at all have tribulation or anguish. “ The second Latin form has Mary beg that she not experience a moment of Gehena nor see the tempter’s face. “she went out to the mount of Olivet, and began to pray, and say: I had not been worthy, O Lord, to bear Thee, unless Thou hadst had compassion on me; but nevertheless I have kept the treasure which Thou entrustedst to me. Therefore I ask of Thee, O King of glory, that the power of Gehenna hurt me not.” Each has Mary scold John, for not always being present with her as Christ had instructed him from the cross. All three have all of the apostles present at the passing, indeed in The Falling to Sleep of the Mother of God the dead are raised to accomplish this feat. “and Simon the Cananaean, and Thaddaeus who had fallen asleep, were raised by the Holy Spirit out of their tombs; to whom the Holy Spirit said: Do not think that it is now the resurrection; but on this account you have risen out of your tombs, that you may go to give greeting to the honour and wonder-working of the mother of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, because the day of her departure is at hand”

Evidence

The anti-Jewish element is not subtle in any of the three giving rise to the idea that they were written well after the “Christians” had ceased to be a Jewish sect, but were now in opposition to the Jews. Each contains reference to the ever-virgin state of Mary. The attribution of authorship to first century followers of Christ was a bid to establish if not their authenticity at least the validity of what was contained. Although there is a tradition that Mary lived out her life in Ephesus neither of the three address this tradition.

Example

Examples of anti-Jewish sentiments: Falling to Sleep of the Mother of God "And when these things came to pass, the people of the Jews, with the priests also, being the more moved with hatred, took wood and fire, and came up, wishing to burn the house where the Lord's mother was living with the apostles. And the procurator stood looking at the sight from afar off. And when the people of the Jews came to the door of the house, behold, suddenly a power of fire coming forth from within, by means of an angel, burnt up a great multitude of the Jews. And there was great fear throughout all the city; and they glorified God, who had been born of her." First Latin Form ”And as the cloud went up the whole earth shook, and in one moment all the inhabitants of Jerusalem openly saw the departure of St. Mary. And that same hour Satan entered into them, and they began to consider what they were to do with her body. And they took up weapons, that they might burn her body and kill the apostles, because from her had gone forth the dispersions of Israel, on account of their sins and the gathering together of the Gentiles. But they were struck with blindness, striking their heads against the walls, and striking each other” Second Latin Form “For, behold, on the third day, when I am to depart from the body,I have heard the plans of the Jews, saying, Let us wait for the day when she who bore that seducer shall die, and let us burn her booty with fire.” Examples of Ever-Virgin The Falling Asleep of the Mother of God “And after all these wonderful things had come to pass through the mother of God, and ever-virgin Mary the mother of the Lord, while we the apostles were with her in Jerusalem…” First Latin Form “I am Joseph who laid the Lord's body in my sepulchre, and saw Him rising again; and who, before the ascension and after the ascension of the Lord, always kept his most sacred temple the blessed ever-virgin Mary…” Second Latin Form “Then Peter answering, said: It is not for me to give other to thee; but if thou believest with thy whole heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, whom she carried in her womb, and remained a virgin after the birth, the compassion of the Lord, which with profuse benignity saves the unworthy, will give thee salvation.”

Response

While all three attempt to answer the question of what happened when the Mother of Jesus passed away, I think they were also trying to answer for a church struggling with the nature of Christ and of course with the nature of his mother by default. For the same reason that the Proto-evangelium of James was written to provide a back story to explain why Mary was chosen to bear the son of God a story also had to be told that allowed her to pass on into the glory she surely must have been worthy of in the eyes of the early Church.

Reviewer: Heather Blais
Date: 12/12/2006

Bibliography

Borg, Marcus J. and N.T. Wright: The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1999.

Author

Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright are co-authors of The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions. Marcus Borg is a Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion at Oregon State University, a lifelong Lutheran, and a member of the Jesus Seminar. N. T. Wright is Canon of Westminster Cathedral, London, visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School, a lifelong Anglican, and an outspoken critic of the Jesus Seminar. They have each written many works with often opposing views and have managed to develop a strong friendship which led them to co-write this book in 1999. They came together to decide the content of the book, alternating chapters of different views, and comprised one book on the meaning of Jesus where they attempt to be mutually informative and supportive. They are trying to reach readers that are not Christian, in hopes that they may find the dialogue interesting and refreshing, as well as, readers interested in an ecumenical dialogue, and those who would be interested in answering the question of how different visions of Jesus relate to different visions of Christian life.

Structure

The authors structure the book so that it alternates chapters between Borg and Wright. They lead the readers through their understanding of how we can see Jesus through the canonical, non-canonical, Jewish, and non-Jewish sources on the life of Jesus. Through these sources they hope to identify two visions of Jesus, and Wright emphasizes the importance of doing this through faith and history. The authors then lead the reader through the mission and message of Jesus as well the idea of Jesus as a Jewish mystic and Christian Messiah. Borg and Wright also carefully lead readers through their understanding of the birth and death of Jesus, the resurrection, his coming again, and through the complicated question of whether Jesus was God. They conclude with their vision and understanding of the Christian life. Throughout the entire narrative the writers offer opposing views, but still manage to be mutually supportive of one another.

Evidence

Borg writes at length on the evidence that the authors will be using. He identifies the New Testament, particularly the four gospels, as important to their study. They understand the nature of the gospels as a developing tradition, as well as, a mixture of history remembered and history metaphorized. The authors remind readers of the worldviews that we all bring to the text and the affect it has scholarship. They also provide four important lens to which we need to study the historical and Biblical Jesus. First, is our understanding of the gospels as a developing tradition, second, is our study of ancient Judaism, third, is our interdisciplinary study of Jesus and Christian origins, particularly the social world of Jesus, and last is our cross-cultural study of religion. Borg uses the two-source theory as the foundation to his study, while Wright challenges the basis of this theory at times. They view all of their evidence in its historical context.

Example

I have chosen a passage that demonstrates Borg and Wright’s ability to be mutually supportive of one another yet demonstrate radically opposing views on the life of Jesus. For this example I would like to take the two authors understanding of the death of Jesus. Borg discusses their views on the death of Jesus as follows: “…the death of Jesus has been seen as the purpose of his life. But was this how Jesus saw it? Was a salvific understanding of his death in the mind of Jesus himself? Or is it a post-Easter product of the early Christian community? Of these two options, Tom [Wright] chooses the first and I choose the second. Tom sees Jesus’ death as central to his messianic vocation and purpose: Jesus not only knew that his life would end in crucifixion, but he also saw it as the climactic kingdom action that would defeat the powers of evil and bring about the real return from exile. But I am skeptical that we can trace a salvific understanding of his death back to Jesus himself. Rather, I think it was the early Christian community after Easter that first interpreted it so” (80-81).

Response

This was a good reading experience, particularly since it offered differing opinions on the death and life of Jesus and their meanings. I particularly enjoyed their different opinions on the death of Jesus, in that I had not given the matter much thought before, and now I had two very different opinions. This book is a great resource for those who struggle combining their faith and Christian history into a study of Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus of the Bible. It also serves as a great starting place for ecumenical dialogue in that the authors are mutually supportive despite their disagreements. For both of these reasons, this is a helpful book for combining one’s faith with history and applying it to an ecumenical dialogue, which many of us in faith communities are called to have.

Reviewer: Jordan Shaw
Date: 11/8/2006

Bibliography

Munro, Winsome, Jesus, Born of a Slave: The Social and Economic Origins of Jesus’ Message (Lewiston, New York; Edwin Mellen Press; 1998) 232.9 M926j

Author

Winsome Munro, who did not live long enough to see the final product, wrote this book. After the book was sent to publishing she passed away, in 1994. Munro was born in South Africa and fled the country in 1968, due to the dangers surrounding her political views. She studied in New York City at Union Theological Seminary and then continued her advanced studies at the New York Teachers College at Columbia. Winsome Munro built her career, before retiring in 1991; by being “ahead of her time” she was ordained in her tradition way before it was popular for women to be. (Source: http://www.westarinstitute.org/Fellows/Munro/munro.html She was a New Testament scholar who held her views, which were often different, then, many other scholars. The book reads like a Doctoral Dissertation, with that in mind I will make the assumption that she intended to reach a population of educated people who spend their days working on issues surrounding the question of who Jesus was. This Christological look at the life of Jesus that she presents is not a popular one, but an interesting one nonetheless.

Structure

The physical structure of the book reads as though it is a collection of academic papers held together by the same spine, written over a period of time. That said, they are in a certain order. Munro does an exceptional job at building on information presented in the previous chapters. She begins her writing with the presentation of a hypothesis, in which she explains initial theories surrounding the slave status of Jesus. Structurally I found it helpful that she explored, what I would consider to be, all “angles” of this theory of Jesus as a slave. She begins by exploring the “plausibility” of Jesus’ socio-economic status being of slave. And continues through and ends with a stunning chapter on the family and birth traditions surrounding her theories.

Evidence

Winsome Munro presents substantial and credible evidence for her theories on Jesus’ status in society as a slave. She bases much of this on the New Testament, specifically evidence from the letters present in the New Testament. She also relies heavily on such Scholars as Raymond Brown, Gerd Theissen, and John Dominic Crossan. On top of the reputable scholars and the Pauline letters Winsome Munro also utilizes the synoptic Gospels to account for Jesus’ lineage.

Example

Toward the beginning of the book Winsome Munro states “In practice, very seldom, if ever, is there no possible conflict of interest between the search for the historical veracity, on the one hand, and life stance and belief on the other.” Munro, with this statement does a phenomenal job reminding us of the division between what is preached in many churches and what scholars study. When I was telling a parishioner about this book she was appalled that a theory like this would exist. I had to reread this statement to remind myself that it is difficult to bridge the pulpit and the classroom sometimes.

Response

Like stated above there is a division between pulpit and classroom. I feel like, however, the work that I did as an undergraduate as well as this current work has strengthened my “faith” in Jesus and the divine. This book gave me the ability to relate to the human aspects of Jesus a bit better.

Reviewer: Eric Gagnon
Date: 11/08/2006

Bibliography

Van Voorst, Robert E.: Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000). BTS Call Number 232.908 V379j.

Author

Robert Van Voorst is a professor of New Testament (including NT languages) at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI. His degrees include a B.A. Hope College, M.Div. Western Theological Seminary, S.T.M., and Ph.D. Union Theological Seminary (New York). He has authored 7 books as well as periodicals. A brief biography is available at http://www.westernsem.edu/Brix?pageID=15139 The author appears to be writing mainly to students or those with an interest in the historical Jesus, but may not have extensive scholarly background.

Structure

The book is an evaluation of sources outside of the NT that speak to the historical Jesus. Although the book is only 217 pages, it covers quite a bit of material. Therefore it is succinct and focused. The book is laid out in an orderly fashion with an overview of the study of Jesus outside of the NT as its first chapter, followed by a discussion of classical sources in Chapter 2, Jewish writings in Chapter 3, a look at possible sources for the gospel writings in Chapter 4, and Christian Writings after the New Testament in Chapter 5. The book is an apologetic to the non-existence hypothesis of the historical Jesus. The author has included a table of contents; topic headings to introduce subject changes; footnotes; tables of scripture references within the chapter on source theories; a 16-page bibliography, noting both primary and secondary sources; index of names; index of subjects; and an index of Scripture and other ancient writings.

Evidence

Dr. Van Voorst works from primary sources whenever possible, but also draws extensively from secondary sources, while forming his own conclusion. He considers source, literary, and historical criticisms, early and contemporary theories on the historical Jesus. He considers both majority and minority scholarly opinions in covering each topic and then explains his position, placing each source in perspective.

Example

(pp 71) "A fourth reason accounts for the lack of contemporary Roman witnesses to Jesus. Romans had little interest in the historical origins of other groups, especially 'superstitions.'...This practical orientation is illustrated in how Tacitus describes Druidic religion in his Germanica, but does not consider its origins or history. When he treats Judaism in his books he gives not treatment of its history - not even a mention of such major figures as Moses, Abraham, David, or the Macabees." This passage comes after Van Voorst has considered the major classical writers who reference Jesus. Since critics of the historical Jesus use the lack of available resources as an argument, Van Voorst tries to explain at the end of each chapter why more writings may not be available, consistently maintaining that silence does not disprove Jesus' existence.

Response

In all this is a good resource on the historical Jesus. While some might argue points with Van Voorst, he presents an easy to read/understand survey of the literature regarding Jesus outside of the New Testament. It is clear that this is not meant as a inclusive work, which is why Van Voorst provides such an extensive bibliography. I found, however, that it is much easier to follow than Theissen's book (although less comprehensive). Although it can be a dry read, it is only 217 pages. Therefore I recommend this book for anyone looking for a good, solid overview to extra-biblical sources that speak to the historical Jesus.

Reviewer: Heather Blais
Date: 11/8/2006

Bibliography

Chilton, Bruce: Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography (New York: Image Books by Doubleday, 2000).

Author

Bruce Chilton is a Professor of Religion at Bard College in Annadale-Hudson and an Anglican priest at the Free Church of Saint John in Barrytown, New York. He published Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography in 2000 with the intent of reaching an audience of scholars in tribute to all of his own great teachers. Chilton focused on gathering fragmented pieces of the historical life of Jesus together into a coherent whole. The language and imagery that the author uses to tell the whole story of Jesus of Nazareth makes it appealing not only to scholars but also to Christians hoping to learn more about the life of Jesus.

Structure

The author structures his book by providing a coherent narrative of Jesus of Nazareth’s life which begins with his controversial birth and childhood, then to his teenage years spent in Jerusalem and training as a talmid of John the Baptist, to his prodigal return to his family, to the development and growth of his ministry as a rabbi, which ultimately led to his death and his resurrection. By structuring his book in the form of a narrative the historical perspective becomes much more accessible to the common Christian as well as to scholars.

Evidence

The evidence that Chilton uses to make the Jesus story into a coherent narrative is what ultimately makes the book so compelling to the reader. In the author’s scholarly attempt to better understand the Jesus narrative he made a point to learn the Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Aramaic, Coptic, and Syriac languages. With that knowledge a host of sources were available for him to study in their original form, such as the Targums, the Gnostic texts, and other early Christian sources in order to gain a fuller and richer understanding than what is provided in the canonical gospels. He combines this knowledge with the scholarship that came before him, with the great archeological finds, and with what we know about Jesus of Nazareth from the New Testament and it forms a narrative about Jesus in his Jewish and human context. However, Chilton is able to use this evidence and turn it into a rich narrative full of detailed imagery that makes the reader feel as though they are viewing Jesus’ life from the sidelines, taking in each moment with fascination.

Example

Chilton is able to win over the trust of his scholarly and Christian readers by first, taking historical facts and turning them into a rich historical narrative, and second, by using the facts to demonstrate that a common Christian belief may in fact be a misunderstood aspect of Jesus life. Yet why the later is so fascinating is that the author does it in such a gentle, and non offensive manner that the reader wants to hear more. He begins with the story of what many know as the Virgin birth. He describes a story of Joseph as a journeyman working in Nazareth, developing a strong attraction with Mary, and then sleeping together before they were married (6). He then uses Matthew 1:18 which states before they resided together Mary was obviously pregnant (7). Since Joseph was away when she began to show her pregnancy Jesus of Nazareth became known as a mamzer, which is an Israelite of suspect paternity (7). This is only one of many times that Chilton takes a largely debatable aspect of Jesus of Nazareth’s life and turns it into a rich narrative that is non offensive to those that only know Jesus of Nazareth as Jesus the Messiah.

Response

As someone that struggles to separate my academic understanding of Jesus of Nazareth from my Christian understanding of Jesus as Son of God I found this book to be a true page turner. Chilton’s language and imagery flowed beautifully from page to page, but was yet rich with history and honest in the areas where there are no true known facts. His ability to take debatable issues such as the Virgin birth, the miracles Jesus performed, and even his resurrection and discuss them in a narrative yet historical form was fascinating due to the gentle approach in which he wrote about them. While Chilton did write this book for scholars, this is a book that I would just as easily use in a book group at my local parish to come to know the historical Jesus in a more intimate and unique way than is offered by the canonical Gospels alone. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who struggles with separating the historical Jesus from Jesus as Messiah.

Reviewer: Stan Scott
Date: 11-7-06

Bibliography

Borg, Marcus. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1994).

Author

Marcus Borg is a professor of religion and culture at Oregon State Univ., a prominent figure in the field of historical Jesus scholarship, and a member of the Jesus Seminar—a group of scholars who use historical analysis to determine (by voting) which passages in the New Testament represent historically authentic sayings of Jesus. The book took its origin from a series of talks given by Borg at a UCC conference of Bible scholars in Asilomar CA in ‘92, but it is addressed mainly to general readers.

Structure

In this classic account of historical Jesus scholarship in the early ‘90s, Borg begins by telling the story of his own intellectual and spiritual journey to “meet” the historical Jesus, and in a curious way invites us as readers to a similar “meeting.” He tells of his childhood state of “pre-critical naiveté” about religion, reinforced by his family and the deeply enculturated Lutheran community in North Dakota where he grew up. This pre-critical Christian naiveté is an attitude of unreflective belief in conventional images of Jesus—as the Son of God, born in a stable, who died to save us, etc. In his teens and college years, Borg experienced a clash between these unreflective beliefs and the “modern worldview,” in which reality is simply matter and energy, moving in a closed system of cause and effect, as known to science. This clash of worldviews made his former belief in God problematic at best. Entering a state of “critical thinking,” he found “there was no way back.” In seminary in his early twenties, educated to apply historical reasoning to scripture, he learned as we have in this class that the Gospels are neither “divine documents” nor straightforward “historical accounts” but represent the “developing traditions” of the early Jesus movement. (9) Then in his mid-thirties, he had experiences of “nature mysticism,” which led him to a sense of “radical amazement” and the perception of a world that was holy and awe-inspiring. This gave him a new sense of God as both "immanent" in nature, as well as transcendent (up in heaven, as he had believed in childhood). He also came to see Jesus as a universal “spirit-person”--one whose life was grounded in the world of the Spirit, not unlike an ancient Hebrew prophet or Hindu saint. The analytic methods he learned led him to an important distinction--between the historical "pre-Easter" and the "post-Easter" Jesus (as presented by early Christian tradition). This distinction enabled him to apply critical thought to the question who was the pre-Easter Jesus of history? while claiming validity for “faith” in the propositions of Gospel tradition. He had entered a state of “post-critical naiveté”—a capacity to read or hear the Gospel stories as “true stories,” while knowing that they are “not literally true.” (17) Borg's conclusions: Christian life is not about “belief” but about “relationship” to Christ, the Gospels are true accounts of spiritual experience of the early Christian community, and so make similar experiences possible for us today. For Borg the pre-Easter Jesus had no self-understanding of himself as the Messiah or as the Son of God in some special sense (29), and his message was not eschatological—he did not expect an imminent world-ending event, or “supernatural coming of the Kingdom of God.” (28) But he argues that Jesus had “experiential awareness” of the sacred, or a “nonmaterial level of reality, charged with energy and power,” that his message was an invitation to his followers and hearers into a “transforming relationship" with the Spirit he himself knew first hand. (119) Having made this case for Jesus as a universal spirit-person, Borg offers a disclaimer, saying that in his view “experiences of the sacred do not prove the reality of God.” (38)

Evidence

Borg draws evidence partly from the authority of his own experience—his growth from pre-critical naiveté to critical thought to post-critical naiveté—but mainly from canonical and noncanonical scriptures, in English translation rather than original Greek. Using textual and historical analysis, claims for example that Jesus’ ethics was primarily a teaching of the need for compassion rather than holiness in the classic sense. He cites Lk 6:36 as “be compassionate as God is compassionate.” It is “early tradition,” he says, and its close parallel with Mt 5:48 “indicates that it was part of Q.” Translations of the Luke verse in the New English Bible, the Jerusalem Bible, and Scholar’s Version all use “compassionate” which Borg considers more accurate than the word “merciful” (as in KJV, RSV, and NRSV). The use of “perfect” in Mt. 5:48 he says is “a demonstrable characteristic of Matthew’s redaction.” (62)

Example

As Borg sees it, the main problem Jesus confronted in proclaiming the “nearness” of the Kingdom of God, was “conventional wisdom.” “Conventional wisdom is the dominant consciousness of any culture. It is a culture’s most taken-for-granted understandings about the way things are (its worldview, or image of reality) and about the way to live (its ethos, or way of life). It is ‘what everybody knows’—the world that everybody is socialized into through the process of growing up. It is a culture’s social construction of reality and the internalization of that construction within the psyche of the individual. It is thus enculturated consciousness—that is, consciousness shaped and structured by culture or tradition” (75). Arguing that Jesus taught an “alternative” form of wisdom, emphasizing compassion for others, as opposed to the highly formal system of “purity laws” (e.g. concerning diet and hygiene), Borg says Jesus’ aphorisms and parables are examples of “invitational” forms of speech—first presented orally and later written. These texts “work” by inviting the reader/hearer into a new understanding of human life and relationships, as in the parables of the Good Samaritan and Prodigal Son, not by telling or preaching an ethical position from a dogmatic standpoint of right versus wrong. They become in Borg’s view invitations “to see in a radically new way” (74), a way that is essential to recognizing the Kingdom of God as already present in our midst, as proclaimed by Jesus.

Response

Borg writes very engagingly, somewhat in the mode of spiritual autobiography, as is suggested by the book’s title. He writes in a way that explains historical circumstances surrounding Jesus’ life, and technical terms—like the term “Q” for example—in a way that any interested persons can clearly understand. He is passionate about both the pre-Easter Jesus of history, and the post-Easter