Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew [Paperback]

Eric Sammons (Author), Fr. Benedict Groeschel (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2010

Who is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew

"Who do you say that I am?"

Christ's contemporaries ascribed many names and titles to Him, as we see recorded in the New Testament. Each one tells us something different about who Jesus is. In this book, Eric Sammons frames a series of thoughtful reflections on the names of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew with references from the Church Fathers, saints, and Doctors of the Church. He translates the depth of the mystery of the Faith so readers can discover new dimensions of the person of Christ and new ways to recognize and welcome Him into their lives.


"This volume exemplifies what the world Synod of Bishops recently called for: sound biblical resources that help people encounter Christ, the Word made flesh, in the reading of Scripture."----Mary Healy, Ph.D., General Editor, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture

"Eric Sammons knows how to cut to the chase with grace and aplomb. Who Is Jesus Christ? is the most important question that has ever been asked in the history of the human race and he ably helps us answer it and all the deepest longings of the human heart through the Christ he serves so well."----Mark P. Shea, Author, Mary: Mother of the Son

"Drawing on his own faith journey and his personal experience, Eric Sammons demonstrates how the lived Word of God reflected in the lives and writings of the saints and prayers of the Church can help us to better know Jesus and to strive to form our daily lives into his likeness. Who Is Jesus Christ? is a work of devotion and readers should find it both inspiring and encouraging."---Most Reverend Donald W. Wuerl, S.T.D., Archbishop of Washington

"Those who read this book will be richly rewarded as they seek to encounter the Lord in Matthew's Gospel." ---Fr. Giles R. Dimock, O.P., S.T.D., Prior, Dominican House

Editorial Reviews

Review

Who is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew is a very serious and well-thought-out attempt to teach us once again just who is being proclaimed in the Gospel of Saint Matthew. It is a slow, steady journey through this Gospel, a journey that pauses over and over again to examine in a thoughtful and prayerful way the names and titles given to our Lord in this Gospel... I hope that in the years to come [Sammons] will follow this book up with later volumes on the other evangelists. I also hope that we will see more and more books like this, intelligent, erudite, yet accessible, on our Divine Savior and his life and personality." - --Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.

About the Author

Eric Sammons is head of Evangelization at St. John Neumann Parish in Gaithersburg, MD, and is completing his M.A. in Theology degree at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He writes the popular Catholic blog The Divine Life. He is co-founder of the not-for-profit Little Flowers Foundation, whose mission is to assist Catholic families seeking to adopt special-needs children. Eric lives with his wife Suzan and five children in Maryland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor (September 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592765998
• ISBN-13: 978-1592765997
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 5.2 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,158,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Sammons is Director of Evangelization for the Diocese of Venice in Florida and has a Master's degree in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. A convert to Catholicism from Evangelical Protestantism, Sammons has appeared on EWTN and is a frequent guest on Catholic radio, as well as the former co-host of the Washington, DC radio show "Catholic Matters." His articles have appeared in OSV Newsweekly, Homiletic & Pastoral Review, Catholic Online and CatholicExchange.com

Eric lives with his wife Suzan and six children in Florida.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Meditative, holistic look at the identity of Jesus November 23, 2010

By Brandon Vogt TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

In Pope Benedict XVI's recent letter Verbum Domini, the Pope called Christians to a deeper love for the Word of God. In particular, Benedict encouraged a fuller, more holistic approach to Scripture. This approach looks at the Bible through the lens of the Church, not through the lens of secular scholasticism, and it is an invitation to harness the full arsenal of Church Tradition: the Church Fathers, the writings of Saints and Popes, dogmas, doctrines, and the formulations of Church councils.

Back in late September, Catholic blogger Eric Sammons released a new book titled Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew (Our Sunday Visitor, 208 pages, paperback), a book that prematurely answered the Pope's call.

In Who Is Jesus Christ?, Eric uses 25 chapters to explore each of the names and titles ascribed to Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. The book begins with lesser emphasized labels, like "ghost" and "carpenter's son", then builds with familiar roles like "prophet" and "teacher", and finally crescendos into the most fundamental title of all, "Jesus".

While browsing the book, the content seems fairly heady. But Eric's lucid, eloquent style draws the reader from page to page without overwhelming them; anyone with a basic knowledge of the Bible should be able to understand most of Eric's meditations.

But despite its clear prose, Who Is Jesus Christ? features deep material. Quotes from Church Fathers pepper every chapter, while liturgical prayers, commentary from the Saints, and Eric's own reflections fill out the rest of the pages. This book is what holistic Scripture study looks like, a model to be emulated.

As satisfying as Eric's book is, however, it is a lot like ice-cream: consume it too fast, and you'll get a spiritual brain-freeze. Who Is Jesus Christ? is best swallowed in small doses.

The book is the perfect one to leave around your house, maybe next to a favorite chair or couch, allowing you to leisurely pick it up and read a chapter at a time. In fact, it would provide good reading during Advent in this way--if you begin on December 1, the 25 chapters will take you right up to Christmas--and would also be a good read during Lent.

As Mark Shea says in his endorsement, Eric's book is an answer to "the most important question that has ever been asked in the history of the human race." Eric's answer is multifaceted, yet singularly focused. Using all of the interpretive tools encouraged by the Pope, Eric hones in on the unsettling, alluring, life-transforming identity of Jesus.

If you want to understand Jesus in a fully Catholic way, pick up Who Is Jesus Christ?.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An In Depth Look At Jesus through the Gospel of Matthew November 11, 2010

By Cammie

Format:Paperback

"Who is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew" by Eric Sammons is one of the best books that I've read in a very long time. At the moment I'm alternating between not letting my copy, which I've just finished but already want to read again, out of my sight, and thinking of people who I know who would really enjoy reading it.

The book is a careful study of Jesus Christ, as seen through the names that he is called in the Gospel of Matthew. Each name is the subject of a chapter. The chapters are further divided into five sections so that the book flows naturally from title to title. The first section, "Incomplete Perceptions" includes the chapters: Man, Rabbi, Ghost, Carpenter's Son, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. The next section "Roles" is made up of King of Jews, Prophet, Lord of the Sabbath, King of Israel, Teacher, Christ and Lord. This is followed by Old Testament Prophecies and Figures: Nazarene, Shepherd, Physician, Bridegroom, and Emmanuel. The forth section titled simply "Son" includes the many ways Jesus was addressed that included that same name: Son of Abraham, Son of David, Son of Man, Son of God and "My Beloved Son." Lastly Sammons looks at the name given to Joseph by an angel: Jesus.

While I read it chapter by chapter, absorbing the amazing insight that each name reveals, I am certain I will learn even more when I read it again (there's just so much information and insight!). Paul has spent the past weeks looking up when I interrupted him from whatever paper he was working on to share one insight or another that had never even occurred to me. From the question "did you know that only one person in the book of Matthew calls Jesus "Rabbi?" (Do you know who it is? The same person uses it two times!) to a long discussion we had last night after I read the chapter "Emmanuel" and this quote :

"In the Garden of Eden, humanity enjoyed complete familiarity with God, a closeness that was destroyed when man attempted to be "like God" (Gen 3:5). But in a most wondrous irony, God's plan of salvation now brings about the very thing that man sinfully desired: the elevation of humanity to his divine likeness. God is not simply restoring humanity to Adam's original blessed state; he is allowing it, through union with him, to be transformed into his likeness. Like iron in a furnace that begins to take upon itself the characteristics of fire, man's union with God transforms man into the divine image."

pg. 155

Sammons book helps us to take a closer look at our Savior and leads us learn something about Him that we had (very likely) missed when reading the Gospel through on our own. Familiar verses take on new life when the actual meaning of the names, which I had read on my own many times over the years, are studied within the context of the Gospel.

As you can probably guess, I would strongly recommend this book for anyone! From Mom's like me to theology students like my husband you are bound to learn something new about our Lord and Savior as he is revealed in the Gospel of Matthew.

I hope there are three more books like this one based on the other Gospels being written!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Irrigating My Life With Scripture November 15, 2010

By Marcel LeJeune

Format:Paperback

Eric Sammons, the author of the book Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew, is in big trouble. Why? Because I have a bad habit of reading anywhere from 4-15 books at a time. I generally pick one up and read it for a while. The next time I read, I pick up a different book from the book pile. Once in a while, esp. when reading fiction, I read a book cover-to-cover and can't put it down. Eric's new book has been one that I can't put down and this means the stack of other books has been neglected since I starting reading Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew?

The book is a meditation on the different titles given to Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew. It is evident that Sammons has been chewing on this Gospel for a long time, because the insights are enlightening, relevant, and personal. I have really enjoyed praying alongside Sammons as I am reading his thoughts.

What you notice is a humble acknowledgement that any fruit that comes from his book, came first from the Holy Spirit who inspired St. Matthew to write his Gospel for us. This humility is the first step to being able to know Jesus Christ personally and draw others closer to him. Sammons is a friend to us all, because through this book he helps us to know Jesus better.

Benedict XVI said the following about our meditation on Sacred Scripture in 2005:
"Lectio divina consists in pouring over a biblical text for some time, reading it and rereading it, as it were, "ruminating" on it as the Fathers say and squeezing from it, so to speak, all its "juice", so that it may nourish meditation and contemplation and, like water, succeed in irrigating life itself."

If the goal of praying with Sacred Scripture is to irrigate our lives with the Holy Spirit, I could give no greater comment about a book on the Bible than to say it does just that. Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew is irrigating my life with the Holy Spirit.