A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives [Paperback]

Raymond Edward Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1992

Brings modern scholarship to bear in a very pastoral way on the four Gospel passion narratives.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Liturgical Press; Copyright 1986 edition (December 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814614442
• ISBN-13: 978-0814614440
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Ritual

More About the Author

Raymond E. Brown, S.S., taught for many years at Saint Mary's Seminary in Baltimore and was Professor of Biblical Studies at the Union Theological Seminary for two decades. He was the author of three books in the Anchor Bible series on the Gospels and Epistles of John and wrote the classic Anchor Bible Reference Library volumes The Birth of the Messiah, The Death of the Messiah, and An Introduction to the New Testament. He died in 1998.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "the sanest possible book you could read" about this topic, March 2, 2004

By 

David Jodrey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives (Paperback)

These are not my views, I must admit, but rather those of Rev. Mark Stanger, an Episcopal priest at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. In an interview published at salon.com in January 2004, he said,

'If people want to read something sensible about this whole thing, Raymond E. Brown -- he died about a year ago -- was a great, great Catholic scripture scholar. He wrote a mega-work called "The Death of the Messiah" in 1994 -- two volumes, 1,600 pages. But then he digested [it] down and did a little tiny popular work, a $5 paperback, 71 pages, called "A Crucified Christ in Holy Week." I think that would be the sanest possible book anyone could ever read.'

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Summary of Brown's Perspective on the Passion, March 1, 2006

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives (Paperback)

A CRUCIFIED CHRIST IN HOLY WEEK is a small summary of the late Father Raymond Brown's two volume THE DEATH OF THE MESSIAH. While such a book, a booklet in comparison cannot be more than just a summary of what the two volume set includes, it is perfect for the student who wishes top be introduced to Brown's major thoughts regarding the death of Jesus or for the preacher trying to recall Brown's salient points while preparing a sermon or homily. The book is divided into four chapters which tell of each evangelist's focus in the Passion narrative and concludes with some thoughts regarding the Passion itself, and the strengths and weaknesses of the composite view of the Passion we are accustomed to when we combine the four Gospel passion accounts and make them into one story as well as concerns regarding the misinterpretation of the passion and its connection to anti-Semitism.

As I mentioned earlier, this volume will be perfect for a student or a person involved in preaching. It could also be used my Bible study groups that are looking at the Passion narratives. Browns observations could certainly lead to lively discussions. It would also be a great guide for anyone who may be taking a closer look at the passion, especially during lent, and help the reader enter into a deeper understanding of Jesus'' Passion and its meaning for us today.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent (Very) Brief Overview of the Four Passion Narratives, April 14, 2007

By 

Matthew K. Minerd "The Coding Catholic" (Herdon, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives (Paperback)

In brief, Fr. Brown's collection of essays (based on his larger work, "The Death of the Messiah") is an excellent introduction to an obvious question of exegesis raised every year during the Easter season. Each liturgical year, Catholics are exposed to an important anomaly in the passion narratives of the Gospels as a synoptic Passion account is read on Palm Sunday and the Johannine Passion account is read on Good Friday. Through this lens, Fr. Brown approaches each narrative in order to shed light on its own specific characteristics.

In brief form, Fr. Brown analyzes the heart of each narrative, casting its varied events into the light of that heart. While the brief text does not allow for much exegetical depth, it does allow for a general relief to be given to each narrative. He also extrapolates possible community orientations which led to the presentation in each narrative. While this remains somewhat peripheral in the short book, it is of utmost importance to the final synthesis which stresses the importance of the multiple facets of the narratives. In addition to this, Fr. Brown attempts to relate the passion narratives to their larger place in their given Gospels but fails to find much room to do so within the confines of each brief essay.

Overall, the text is an excellent, brief read for all looking to more fully understand the multiple faces of the Passion accounts and the beauty of the reflections off each of those faces.