The Book of Jesus: A Treasury of the Greatest Stories and Writings About Christ [Paperback]

Calvin Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 1998

Drawn from every era of history, this collection of stories, poems, essays, traditional hymns, and celebratory songs is an essential volume for all Christian libraries--and for readers of all religions interested in learning about Christ. "An impressive omnibus".--"Baton Rouge State Times/Morning Advocate". LG Alternate Print ads & publicity. .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The latest sibling of Bill Bennett's Book of Virtues (1993) is one of the best and most focused. Like Bennett's big hit, it is a hefty compilation of notably high-quality writing whose thrust is, as Bennett's title suggests, virtuous. Editor Miller, a Baptist clergyman, says his anthology is intended to celebrate the greatness of Jesus Christ according to the Christian understanding of him. Miller draws from the works of well more than 100 writers, from the early Christian fathers to medieval and Renaissance voices, such as St. Francis and Shakespeare, down to moderns, who, besides Christian writers, include Ernest Hemingway, of all people. Of course, current evangelical stars Charles Colson and Max Lucado appear (though not controversial ones, such as Pat Robertson and James Dobson), and there are plenty of poems and hymn verses. The selections are arrayed in 10 topical sections, from "Jesus, Who He Was," through parts concentrating on his life and teachings, to the concluding readings on "Jesus, His Second Coming." A reverent job well done. Ray Olson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dr. Calvin Miller, professor of preaching and pastoral studies at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, received his D. M. from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has served on the editorial boards of such publications as Leadership Magazine and Preaching Magazine. An accomplished author of more than forty books -- including the popular Singer trilogy, The Unchained Soul, and The Book of Jesus -- Calvin Miller brings awe-inspiring artistry to the craft of writing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Revised edition (March 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684831503
• ISBN-13: 978-0684831503
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,215,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Calvin Miller has written over 40 books of popular theology and inspiration. A former pastor, he is professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. He and his wife, Joyce, have two grown children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I cannot read in this book very long without praying., September 2, 1999

By 

Dottie Scates ([e-mail]) (Brandon, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Jesus: A Treasury of the Greatest Stories and Writings About Christ (Paperback)

This book is the best collection of what Christians of all ages have said about Jesus Christ that I have ever found. Reading in it is a worship experience that I find causes me to stop and pray often. The poetry is beautiful.

It is an excellent resource for material to be quoted by teachers and preachers alike, but it is foremost a window into a more intimate and enlightened view of our Lord.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IF YOU KNOW JESUS, READ THIS BOOK, IF NOT, READ THIS BOOK.., September 9, 2000

By 

"pjgood2" (LEVITTOWN, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Jesus: A Treasury of the Greatest Stories and Writings About Christ (Paperback)

I haven't even been able to read everything in this book. It truly lives up to its title as a treasury. Even that doesn't adequately describe the value of this book. As I say, if you think you know Jesus, read this book. If you want to know Him better, read this book. This is a great resource. And it's not slanted toward a particular point of view. There are writings from many men of all different walks of life with various scopes of influence. Napoleon, William Jennings Bryan, CS Lewis and Max Lucado, and 100's of others. It will make you laugh, cry, pray and stand in awe of our Most High Lord and Savior. Even if you read a segament every day, you will be blessed many days, it is just chocked full of the attributes of our Lord. This book is a must for any Christain library, as a devotional or companion for Bible study, or for sermon material. A most handy reference, but if you read it, you'll never let it be reduced to just that. Enjoy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasure-Trove of Scriptural and Literary Homage to Deity., September 28, 2006

By 

Dr. Kasumu O. Salawu (Maplewood, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Jesus: A Treasury of the Greatest Stories and Writings About Christ (Paperback)

If apologetics is the artful defense of Christian beliefs by logical argument, then Dr. Calvin Miller's literary smorgasbord of scripture, poetry, hymns, stories and essays about Jesus Christ succeeded in that lofty endeavor.

The sine qua non for Christian belief is the resurrection of Jesus Christ following his death for our sins. A discussion of believers' indefinite longing for His Second Coming, concludes this wonderfully edited book and Miller's collection leaves us with the hope that "the future holds a final major Christian event." Unlike standard criticism of eclectic works such as this, I do not complain that say William Butler Yeats' poem, "The Second Coming," was not included. Yeats borrowed this title from what Miller characterizes as one of Jesus' most fascinating lessons always introduced with apocalypses of "natural calamities and great cosmic disturbances," the retelling of which eschatologists relish.

But this is a comment on only the last of ten eminently substantiated chapters, the rest of which may be read through the "search inside" facility above. In the beginning, Miller may be accused of jingoism - that bit about Christ being "a contemporary of American presidents" on page 25, [hardcover, 1996], or nitpicking that there were eighteen major parables, rather than the customary thirty-something but, in the end, unlike Yeats' apocalyptic vision, the center does hold and nothing falls apart.

This book is all muscle, there is no fluff there - Dr. Miller, a Baptist clergyman, did his research admirably and rather than leave his selections as a hodge-podge, Miller fastidiously compiled, arranged and stitched everything together in one heavenly collage! Trained as a Lay Speaker in the United Methodist Church, I was ecstatic to discover this book as a resource. After all is read and done, every believer would discover new interpretations and inspiration from this recipe of scripture, poetry, hymns, stories and essays about Jesus Christ in all His modalities of Being.

Before the invitation to await His return, one is reminded of the historical Jesus and then encouraged most insistently to focus on the living Christ. Miller submits that we have highly individualistic views of Jesus Christ and that each of us must blend unstudied adoration with the Christ whom only critical scholarship, (such as is displayed in passages in this book), can inform us about. The uninitiated might discover, for instance, that `Gospel' was wrought from a concatenation followed by an elision of two words, `God' and `spell,' which together mean "good news" - the good news that sinners were forgiven when Jesus died and we were thenceforth reconciled with God.

Miller intended this anthology to celebrate the greatness of Jesus Christ according to the Christian understanding of Him, as do contemporary testimonies even from most unlikely sources. "The Language of God," published in July 2006 by Dr. Francis S. Collins, a physician and, as longtime head of the Human Genome Project, one of the world's foremost medical geneticists, is a stunning example of how evidence for belief is presented by an unusually gifted scientist. Alleluia, His truth keeps marching on!