Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 352 pages
• Published by: Image February 26, 2002
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0385497938
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0385497930
• Book Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 10.1 ounces

Product Review
Bruce Chilton presents Rabbi Jesus as "the first comprehensive, critical biography of Jesus to date." Though historical Jesus scholars have "demolished the secularist myth that Jesus was a figment of faith," and have begun to describe his ministry in the context of first century Judaism, Chilton (a professor of religion at Bard College and an Episcopal priest) believes they have not gone far enough. He argues that Jesus was "an inspired rabbi with an exclusively Jewish agenda." Thus, "everything Jesus did was as a Jew, for Jews, and about Jews." Rabbi Jesus patiently explores these notions in a straightforward, accessible style, drawing on a wealth of Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Coptic, and Syriac texts. Many of his arguments are new, and many of them are convincing. Most of them will also make the majority of both Christians and Jews sufficiently uncomfortable as to justify Chilton's striking description of his own work, taken from the book's Foreward: "I sometimes feel as if I am cross-dressing: transgressing basic categories that define who we are [as Christians and as Jews] and how we differentiate ourselves in the world." --Michael Joseph Gross --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Chilton claims to have produced "the first comprehensive, critical biography of Jesus" in an effort to "find the core" from which Christian faith arose. Unfortunately, he falls short of these noble goals. According to Chilton (Anglican priest and Bard College's Bell Professor of Religion), the hurt Jesus experienced as a social outcast and spiritual misfitAon account of his uncertain paternityAwas the crucible in which his religious development was fostered. Chilton writes that Jesus' enduring legacy, as witnessed in his long-suffering life and agonizing death, is precisely that which "pain teaches": that a shattered sense of self can blossom into a mystical, visionary awareness of the image of God within. For Chilton, Jesus' central religious insight is an exemplary one, as it may be for many readers. As a historical work, however, this is often irresponsible; Chilton engages in dubious biblical exegesis and otherwise eschews the rigors of research and documentation. At times, this biography reads like a work of psycho-historical fiction, which imagines those years of Jesus' life for which evidence is lacking. ("All he [Jesus] knew was that he wanted to stay near the Temple. He couldn't face going back to Nazareth, to the look of judgment and distaste in the eyes of the village elders.") Such tactics will likely both strain the credulity and tax the goodwill of Chilton's readers. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography (Hardcover) Bruce Chilton has added his voice to the neverending story. Weighing in on the Jewish side of Jesus, Chilton here presents Jesus as a troubled bastard son which weighs heavily on him and throughout the entire tome. Where Mr. Chilton is at his best is where he relies on his scholarship[placing Jesus birth in anothe bethlehem],presenting an interesting take on the infancy narratives. Where Geza Vermes relies on scholarship, Mr. Chilton edges at times toward flights of fancy,literally putting thougfhts in Jesus head{risky at best} entering the Kaballah into the fray{riskier],and putting unsubstantiated conjecture on the "missing years' of Jesus life. Where Mr. Chilton does well, is in putting a new look on old {the last supper]. Where he does not, is in trying to explain what he cannot support. Interesting, a decent read,though Geza Vermes and John Meir cover the same grtound, and in far better books.