Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 352 pages
• Published by: HarperOne February 5, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0061434345
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0061434341
• Book Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 9.1 ounces

Detriot Free Press
"Borg pours a lifetime of scholarship into this provocative overview of Jesuss life." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description


From top Jesus expert Marcus Borg, a completely updated and revised version of his vision of Jesus—as charismatic healer, sage, and prophet, a man living in the power of the spirit and dedicated to radical social change.

Fully revised and updated, this is Borg's major book on the historial Jesus. He shows how the Gospel portraits of Jesus, historically seen, make sense. Borg takes into account all the recent developments in historical Jesus scholarship, as well as new theories on who Jesus was and how the Gospels reflect that.

The original version of this book was published well before popular fascination with the historical Jesus. Now this new version takes advantage of all the research that has gone on since the 80s. The revisions establish it as Borg's big but popular book on Jesus.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary (Hardcover) Okay...once I started this book I could not put it down. I just finished it and I don't know what to think about it. I would have to say I'm very contemplative right now. This is a fantastic book, but, dependant on where you are in your journey of faith, you may find it a bit disturbing. I learned so much and it was such a wealth of knowledge. The reason I find it disturbing, even a bit offensive, is because it challenges, persuasively, I might add, alot of the Christian norms. I'm telling you, it addresses probably every subject. These include: scripture, miracles, the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, the resurrection and more. The New Testament was a human process mixed with history remembered and early Christian belief about Jesus containing metaphorical meaning. Therefore, miracles, other than healings and exorcisms, were purely metaphorical stories. The virgin birth was a metaphorical tale opposing Roman imperialism. The deity of Christ...Jesus was not divine, essentially he was just a prophet. And the ressurecton did not physically occur, but, happened through visions and experience. I am not saying this is bad, but, for me, it was a big pill to swallow. I mean, it's still caught in my throat and I'm still trying to work it down. I would, however, refrain from reducing this fantastic contribution as simply that. When it comes to Jesus, He paints an incredible, personal and passionate Jesus. Jesus was a Jewish peasant who was deeply compassionate and fought for justice. As a mystic, Jesus was deeply rooted in an experiential knowledge of God and what God's character was. Jesus was in line with other Jewish prophets, like Isaiah and Jeremiah. The Spirit of God was upon him and did mighty deeds through him. Through the Spirit, he had power and authority, so much so, people could sense and experience it. To a mainly Jewish auience, he announced God's justice, he told subversive stories, said controversal wisdom statements, challenged his hearers and taught them the way they could return to where they belonged. He ate and associated himself with the social outcasts of his day. He fought and called for them to leave the dark and blind broad way of life and to journey onto the narrow enlightened way through death, resulting in a new life and new being. He challenged the empire, through nonviolent resistance and prophetic acts, that selfishly oppressed, enslaved and exploited the people. He was then put to death because he protested against the regime. He then resurrected and was vindicated by God. He brought transformation of life and brought us a revelation of who God is and His love for the world. Again, this book is fantastic, yet challenges you at times. I would encourge anybody to get this book. I would also recommend, "Jesus and the Victory of God" by N.T. Wright...fantastic portrait, as well. Comments (7) | | (Report this)