Cross-Shattered Christ: Meditations on the Seven Last Words [Hardcover]

Stanley Hauerwas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

In Cross-Shattered Christ, theologian Stanley Hauerwas offers a moving reflection on Jesus's final words from the cross. This small and powerful volume is theologically poignant and steeped in humility. Hauerwas's pithy discussion opens our ears to the language of Scripture while opening our hearts to a truer vision of God. Touching in original and surprising ways on subjects such as praying the Psalms and our need to be remembered by Jesus, Hauerwas emphasizes Christ's humanity as well as the sheer "differentness" of God. Ideal for personal devotion during Lent and throughout the year, Cross-Shattered Christ offers a transformative reading of Jesus's words that goes directly to the heart of the gospel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This spare and unsparing book of meditations by Hauerwas, a professor of theological ethics at Duke, departs from the style of some of his other work. The theologian's characteristic wit is absent ("There is no humor in these meditations," he cautions readers at the outset), and his usual aggressive style vis-à-vis other thinkers has been considerably muted. However, Hauerwas readers will recognize his customary iconoclasm, emphasis on the Trinity and determination to begin any theological conversation with God, not with human experience. Hauerwas strips down the seven last sayings of Jesus to their barest essence, refusing to psychologize or proffer easy explanations for hard truths. For the third saying ("Woman, behold thy son!"), he points out that the Jesus of the New Testament was nothing if not anti-family, and then launches into an utterly fascinating argument that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is presented as the "new Abraham" throughout the Gospels and the Book of Hebrews. Many readers will find it refreshing to see a Protestant theologian recognize Mary's unique role in salvation and in the church. One note of caution: although these essays are short and the entire book clocks in at right around 100 pages, even serious readers will find that this is not a collection to be consumed in a single sitting. It would make excellent devotional reading for all of Holy Week, using each reflection for a full day's rumination.
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From the Back Cover

"Packed with good theology. . . . I read Hauerwas's book slowly and, in the process, discovered a number of new ways of thinking about the Passion narratives. This book would make good reading during the Lenten season, or a nice companion text for a retreat. An added advantage is handsome woodcuts by Rick Beerhorst."
--Lawrence S. Cunningham, Commonweal

"This slim volume provides some strong and salutary reading for the Lenten season. Famed theologian and writer Stanley Hauerwas takes up a time-honored and beautiful tradition of reflecting on the seven last words of Jesus in his Passion. Each of these meditations . . . deals powerfully with these evocative biblical texts and their implications for Christian life today."
--Donald Senior, CP, The Bible Today

"Hauerwas strips down the seven last sayings of Jesus to their barest essence, refusing to psychologize or proffer easy explanations for hard truths. . . . [This book] would make excellent devotional reading for all of Holy Week, using each reflection for a full day's rumination."
--Publishers Weekly

"A brief but intensely observed discussion of the theological issues that subtend the last utterances of Jesus on the cross. Hauerwas's theology and approach belong squarely in the mainstream tradition of Christian theology about Christ and redemption; many readers will gain profound insight from his deftly phrased, swiftly moving observations. Highly recommended."
--Graham Christian, Library Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587431319
• ISBN-13: 978-1587431319
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars tiny gem, January 17, 2007

By 

Daniel B. Clendenin (www.journeywithjesus.net) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cross-Shattered Christ: Meditations on the Seven Last Words (Hardcover)

Here is a little book by one of our best theologians that makes for ideal reading at Lent. You could read it with great profit for personal meditations or in a church class. After a brief introduction, Hauerwas devotes one chapter each to the seven last words of Christ: (1) "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (2) "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." (3) "Woman, behold thy son!" ... "Behold thy mother!" (4) "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (5) "I thirst." (6) "It is finished." (7) "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." Each chapter is quite short at 6-8 pages, and is accompanied by wood block printings by Rick Beerhorst.

Hauerwas takes the title for his book from a poem called "Mercy" in Manhandling the Deity by John F. Deane, part of which reads:

Unholy we sang this morning, and prayed
as if we were not broken, crooked
the Christ-figure hung, splayed
on bloodied beams above us;
devious God, dweller in shadows,
mercy on us;
immortal, cross-shattered Christ--
your gentling grace down upon us.

The paschal mystery, says Hauerwas, is not an insoluble puzzle but a reality that we can love and embrace, even while it subverts all we think we know. We do not "possess" this truth in a self-serving manner, contrary to the ways we often think and act, but ought to beg God to be transformed by the truth of Good Friday. Repenting of our many presumptions, as we approach the foot of the cross we realize that our lives "can never return to normal."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little book with some deep reflections, March 26, 2009

By 

S. Horwatt (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cross-Shattered Christ: Meditations on the Seven Last Words (Hardcover)

There are a number of books on the seven sayings of Jesus from the Cross; most of them are relatively short, and this one is not an exception to that generalization.

This is, however, one of the more eloquent and thoughtful works on this subject. It is also a relatively recent work, published in 2004, and has a fresher, more modern perspective than some of the older books on the subject, such as those by Fulton Sheen and Arthur Pink.

If you are familiar with other works by Hauerwas, this one has less humor by comparison (appropriately to the topic, I would say).

Another excellent, longer book on the same subject is "Death on a Friday Afternoon," by Richard John Neuhaus.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and Poetic, June 1, 2007

By 

DarrenGJohnson "DarrenGJohnson" (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cross-Shattered Christ: Meditations on the Seven Last Words (Hardcover)

Stanley Hauerwas writes with poetic passion that is moving and causes one to reflect deeply on the cross and God. This book is about the seven last sentences of Jesus from the cross. Hauerwas reflects on their meaning in a very deep, yet simple way. This is a short read, but not a shallow read. It is deeply devotional.