A lifetime labor of loveOctober 25, 2008 Borg's tone and presentation speaks to scholars and laypeople at the same time. He patiently explores all segments of the Gospel accounts, turning them around like gem stones to expose various angles of meaning. His approach highlights the challenging questions raised by Jesus' words. What, for example, are the implications of giving to God what belongs to God, and to Caesar what is Caesar's? What do we say belongs to God? Everything? And what belongs to Caesar? Does anything?
In all the stories, from the Prodigal Son to the various resurrection scenes, Borg stresses the search for intended meaning, without insisting on certainty about historical facts. He emphasizes the difference between believing doctrines about Jesus and actually following Jesus way of living. For modern America he raises an ancient concern: What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus and also a citizen of the world's most powerful empire?
I found the book a pleasure to read. It's a lifetime labor of love, and every page is packed with insight.
--author of "Different Visions of Love"
breath of fresh air in Christian TheologyAugust 19, 2008 In the book, "Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary",Marcus Borg explains what the situation, times and daily life was like when Jesus lived. He then goes into the experience of God and Jesus' teachings regarding that knowledge. I believe that the book helps modern Christians and non-Christians alike to gain a more full understanding of the message of Christ, going to the heart and spiritual dynamic that was intended to show people the true inward path to realizing God.
Um, what?August 4, 2008 0 out of 5 found this review helpful
I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but this book left me flat and somewhat agitated. I couldn't wait to be finished with it. Long winded diatribes, strange presumptions, crazy metaphors, when there was a point to make it took half a chapter to do it, other wise it kind of ambled along begging for somewhere to go. I'm not trying to be unkind, but I still have no clue what this book was about. I had to select 1 star, but I really mean zero stars.
Jesus - with modern researchJuly 27, 2008 This book is written for people who are not specialists in theology. It introduces readers to up to date knowledge on the gospels. It is well written - not at all "heavy". He talks of two paradigms - two very different ways of seeing Jesus. One is the traditional way of taking the gospel accounts as historically authentic narratives: the other sees Jesus in the light of modern knowledge of biblical literary and historical criticism, of the natural and human sciences, and differentiates between the metaphorical elements in the gospels, and the remembered history.
He gives a brief but very helpful account of the development in biblical scholarship over the past 300 hundred years, the different sources for our knowledge of Jesus, and demonstrates that the gospels were written as part of a developing tradition. He distinguishes between the pre-Easter Jesus, and the post-Easter Jesus - the Jewish teacher of a revolutionary gospel, and the Christ of faith.
His descriptions of how he and other scholars make judgments on what is probably history, and what is more likely to be metaphor, are illuminating for a modern understanding of some of the otherwise perplexing elements of the gospels.
It is helpful to read his account of the social and religious conditions of Galilee and Jerusalem in the life-time of Jesus, with its domination system which oppressed the peasants. Jesus brought to them a challenging message of hope and good news.
Borg explores the ministry of Jesus in rural Galilee, the journey from there to Jerusalem, and finally the confrontation with the Jewish and Roman authorities that led to his crucifixion.
Jesus' message is grounded in the here and now. The kingdom of God that Jesus taught, was, according to Borg, not something focused in the hereafter, but in building a better world in this one. His God is a God of compassion, with a passion for justice, which he illustrated in a variety of ways.
Jesus' methods included his parables, and his one-line memorable sayings. He used metaphor a lot, a vivid poetic way of communicating that challenges, inspires, and changes people.
He was a revolutionary who advocated non-violent resistance in a variety of ways. With dramatic prophetic actions he rode into Jerusalem, and overturned the tables in the Temple, as part of affirming that the kingdom of God challenged the domination system of the empire and its taxation stranglehold on peasant life.
Borg gives his account of why and how he believes the infancy and the resurrection narratives came to be written. As he makes the point more than once, "believe what you like happened at these time, but recognize the powerful truths that metaphors convey". As a historian he treats the most spectacular stories as metaphorical narratives and not as remembered history, but he is sensitive to those who feel insecure with this line of thinking.
This is an important book for those who wish to look afresh at the roots of the Christian way in the gospels, our relationship with Jesus of Nazareth, and the Christ of faith. It is also important to bring readers to an awareness of much modern knowledge of Jesus and his time. Whether you think this reflects or distorts truth, it is important to realize the breadth of modern thinking on this subject.
Excellent perspective of the life of JesusJune 19, 2008 If you have never read any of Mr. Borg's works, please do yourself a favor and pick up this book. While he has written other books on Jesus, specifically "Meeting Jesus Again For The First Time", this one dives much deeper and provides a rich and detailed study of who Jesus was and what he stands for. Mr. Borg does a great job of explaining his positions and providing definitions for the "big words". The material might be scary for Christians who are founded on literal understandings but can be quite a revelation, as it was for me. The message from Mr. Borg is that while much of Jesus' story might not be literally true, it has a more-than-literal truth that forms a comprehensive (and new for me)basis for an increased level of Christianity and a transformational relationship with God.
