Jesus: A Biography from a Believer.

In my well-worn paperback, "Jesus: A Biography from a Believer," by Paul Johnson, I've noted 43 favorite pages (with notes) I plan to revisit again and again. I've read this gem slowly, often devotionally, over many months--and now I urge you to read and relish this historical and inspirational treat.But first--a word about the author. A friend introduced me to Paul Johnson's historical masterpieces. So far, I've reviewed  Churchill ; Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney ; and  Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle (P.S.) .Each book was a delight--and so I appreciated my friend's warm recommendation to read "Jesus," but I was prepared for disappointment. I mean--I've read and re-read the Gospels my whole life. What could a British historian add?How about joy and nourishment?Paul Johnson begins, "The sketch that follows, broad of brush and yet pointillist on occasion, reflects many years of reading and historical study. Apart from references to the Gospel texts (all in the King James Version), I do not cite my authorities, though I am prepared to defend all my assertions, if challenged, by documentation. My objects have been clarity and brevity, and my desire is to convey the joy and nourishment I receive in following Jesus's footsteps and pondering his words."Here are some of my discoveries:Page 38 - On the trouble with Judaism: "It had never been fundamentally reformed and was administered and enforced by priests and scribes who constituted closed elites, whose jobs were often hereditary, and who resisted change with fanaticism." (Sound familiar?)Page 43 - Forty days of fasting: "In the wilderness, however, the struggle was not in his mind but in the open, with Satan visible, vocal and formidable in power. The fact that Jesus recounted the details afterward to his followers shows how anxious he was to impress upon them that evil is not merely objective and material but also subjective and personal; that Satan exists and has to be overcome by strengths of will and clearness of distinction between the good and the bad. He transformed his personal temptation into a universal experience."Page 46 - He missed nothing: "He was a man greatly interested in detail. He missed nothing. He had a penetrating gaze, which eyewitnesses noticed and remembered. His all-seeing eyes were, almost certainly, the first thing that struck people about him."Page 51 - Follow me: "At the boundary between the territory of Philip the Tetrarch and Herod Antipas, ruler of the area where Jesus was operating, was a customhouse, where tolls were exacted on goods passing along the road. Jesus passed it, saw Matthew counting inside, and said to him, `Follow me.' As he said the words, the penetrating look in his eyes, as they met Matthew's, is the subject of one of Caravaggio's greatest paintings, now on display at the Contarelli Chapel in Rome. Matthew obeyed instantly."Historian Johnson's detailed research, much like the best of today's preachers, adds flavor to the Gospel texts. His 21st century commentary--sprinkled with wisdom and realism--delivers joy and humor. Example:Page 61 - Water into wine: "As it was, Jesus had provided, by my calculations, nearly a thousand bottles of vintage quality. This was talked about among the drinking classes of northeast Galilee, the men terming it `glory.' The details of the new supply we may take to be correct, for where alcohol is concerned men rarely make statistical mistakes." (Glory!)Page 65 - Compassionate acts of healing: "But the more he insisted on silent gratitude, `the more a great deal they published it' (Mark 7:32-36)."Page 69 - Hole-in-the-roof healing: "The Pharisees were furious--and the man who owned the house cannot have been too pleased either."The author describes a Jesus who "detested being thought of as a kind of holy magician."Page 72 - Irksome PR: "In none of the four Gospels is there a single instance of his using his powers of healing to attract support--just the opposite. But sometimes publicity was unavoidable, and it could be dangerous, as well as irksome, to a profoundly thoughtful man and speaker who was eager to convey message by reason and not by `signs.'"Page 81 - No preaching: "The ministry was continual. Even when he traveled, Jesus taught by the wayside. There is no evidence he preached formal sermons, let alone regular, repeated ones. Indeed, the word `preached' should not be used about him. `Taught' is more accurate. He taught as the Holy Spirit moved him, often in response to what he saw or heard, or to questions. He used synagogues where those in charge of them were friendly, or he taught in the open."Johnson adds, "Jesus was not thus overburdened by a program of specific appointments to teach. While always at work, he gives the impression of finding time to chat, albeit not about trivialities. There is never a sense of hurry."Johnson estimates that Jesus taught as many as 400 times over his three-year ministry.Page 83 - An affair of the heart. "Jesus was a revolutionary who transformed the entire Judaic religious scheme into something quite different. It ceased to be a penal system of law and punishment--that could be left to Caesar and his soldiers--and became an affair of the heart and an adventure of the spirit."Oh, my. There is so much more--but I must stop and close with these one-liners: * "The way in which a prayer was said was characteristic of Jesus' teachings, which was to reverse all the assumptions." * "When we use words to conjure up a picture, it is striking how often the phrases he creates have become part of the furniture of literature." * "The surmises aroused by the story [the prodigal son] are endless: a sure sign it is a good one." * "Jesus the teacher is eloquent but succinct." * "His speech was silver, but we weigh his silences in gold." * "The Christianity he bequeathed has not been tried and failed. As G.K. Chesterton once wrote, it has been found difficult and left untried."

Excellent fairly short biography on Jesus. I bought this for a friend who is baptized but not trained in the faith that wanted some knowledge of Jesus's message. I did a bunch of research to find a biography that covered the basics. This book covers the Gospels and in the middle of the book has a great 3 page summary of Jesus's mission on Earth in the chapter entitled "What Jesus Taught and Why". I'm a practicing Catholic and scanned those 3 pages into my computer and reread them every so often to keep me on track. Many current books on Jesus are very interesting but want to emphasize an original perspective on his life or ministry so there is a "reason" for a new book on Jesus. This book seems to employ the most current historical scholarship on context but sticks to the traditional view of Jesus.I always appreciate authors that can distill the essence of their subject effectively. Here is one of the paragraphs in the chapter on what Jesus taught:Jesus was a revolutionary who transformed the entire Judaic reliigious scheme into something quite different. It ceased to be a penal system of law and punishment - that could be left to Caesar and his soldiers - and became an affair of the heart and an adventure of the spirit. Jesus did not exactly repudiate the law. What he did was to extract its moral code and ignore the rest. Instead of the law he spoke of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heavan. A faithful soul was not one who obeyed the law but one who, by transforming his spirit, "entered" the Kingdom. God was not a distant, terrifying Yahweh but "the Father".On the next page: "Life on earth was to be devoted to a self-transformation in which each human soul strove to become as like God as possible, a process made easier by the existence of his son made man, thus facilitating imitation.

This is Jesus 101 but there are some hidden gems within the text. So it is worth reading. And I very much like Paul Johnson's writing.

A clear presentation of the Gospels with an analysis reinforcing a cohesive image of Jesus and his teaching. The bonus of the book is the in-depth historical research of the time period of Jesus, his followers, and his enemies.

Paul Johnson has that rarest of talents for a writer of biography, he has the ability to write in an engaging manner and to understand what makes his literary object worth writing about. This excellent book by Paul Johnson is a perfect addition to the library of the faithful or a fan of history.Johnson's opening few pages are among the clearest examples I have encountered of an unequivical justification for Jesus' singular place in the history of the world and of mankind. I am a believer, as is Johnson, and I am also a fan of history. While I have never doubted the historical truth behind Jesus existence, I was complelled by Johnson's matter of fact reverence for the historic nature of his existence, written by both the historian and the believer in himself.I am sure there are far more detailed biographies and historical works on Jesus, but this was a not a book intended to be source material for a doctoral thesis. Instead, what you find in this book is an excellent guide to discovering (or re-discovering) Jesus Christ as both a historical figure and also as the Son of God, our Saviour, and Lord. I found Johnson's frequent citing of scripture to be very helpful and it made the reading of this book all the more enjoyable as I was able to reference the Bible and read directly from that first source.This book is so thoroughly readable that I would find it hard for anyone of the Christian faith to not find it a valuable part of their ongoing study. It should also prove useful for any non-believer to understand the historical truths behind Jesus the man and to gain insight into why he has been such a powerful force in human history.

Arrived quickly, nice copy

The strengths of this book are that it gives good background information as to what life was like in the first century, the times in which Jesus was born, raised and taught. It also provides an excellent summary of Jesus’s teachings and his life events and presents a real human side to Jesus. All of which was enlightening. However it is perplexing to me that a Believer, as Johnson claims to be, can write a book about Jesus and not provide any mention of Christ’s work of atonement. Not one mention of how humanity’s indwelling sin nature keeps us from God and how Christ’s finished work on the cross (his death, burial and resurrection) bridges that gap for all those who believe. This is the reason Jesus came in the first place. So in this respect the book was extremely disappointing, especially as it was written by a professing Christian. Also, the chapter on the “new Ten Commandments” I felt was very misleading and did not accurately represent the teachings of Christ. In conclusion the book was disappointing as it completely missed the main purpose and mission of Jesus which was to provide himself as a sacrifice for sinful humanity. A huge miss if you’re writing about Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospels.

Arrived in usable condition but outside covers are quite mistreated, still a good purchase, needed for a university class

Don't understand the New Testament? This book tells us in plain English exactly what Jesus taught us. Recommended reading for all religions. If the world would live by his words, we'd have paradise on earth today.

The faith of the author shows throughout. Easy to read. Quotes from the St James version is appropriate and relevant. Reading Jesus is the next best to reading the Bible in full. I enjoyed it very much.