Death On A Friday Afternoon: Meditations On The Last Words Of Jesus From The Cross [Hardcover]

Richard John Neuhaus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2000

“If what Christians say about Good Friday is true,” writes Richard John Neuhaus toward the beginning of his new book, “then it is, quite simply, the truth about everything.” Numerous writers and composers have been captivated by the suggestiveness of the Seven Last Words; Haydn, Beethoven, and Dvo?rák composed major works around them, and such writers as James Joyce, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Dylan Thomas, and Samuel Beckett return to them again and again. But Richard John Neuhaus’s sustained exploration of these utterances is something altogether different. Through them he plumbs the depths of human experience and sets forth the central narrative of Western civilization—the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ—in a way that engages the attention of believers, unbelievers, and those who are not sure what they believe.Was it necessary for Christ to die? Is it necessary that we suffer and die? If so, why? What is the connection between the undeniable fact of evil in the world and some ultimate justice? Does justice require punishment and, if so, how can it be just that the one person who was not guilty should suffer such a cruel death? In a culture devoted to pleasure and the avoidance of suffering is it possible that bad things are somehow redemptive? Neuhaus invites the reader into a spiritual and intellectual exploration of the dark side of human experience with the promise of light and life on the far side of darkness.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Richard John Neuhaus chose a daunting project in Death on a Friday Afternoon: the book is a wide-ranging meditation on Jesus' seven last words spoken from the Cross on Good Friday. (These "words" are actually Jesus' seven final statements, taken from the four gospels; they include "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," and "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") Neuhaus has a powerful rhetorical style, which disposes him occasionally to make questionable, grandiose claims, such as, "If what Christians say about Good Friday is true, then it is, quite simply, the truth about everything." Yet Neuhaus also has a great respect for the mysteries of Christianity and is capable of open, honest grappling with the toughest questions of the faith: "[W]hat does it mean to say Christ died for our sins? Why was it necessary? Or was it? And which sins in particular?" Despite its occasional overreaching, Death on a Friday Afternoon is an elegant, mature, and compassionate exploration of the hardest, darkest questions in Christianity. --Michael Joseph Gross

Review

"One of the most influential intellectuals in America." -- U.S. News & World Report

Polemics are not entirely absent, but the volume provokes more thoughtful meditation than verbal combat. In its seven chapters, Neuhaus reflects on the seven short statements that the writers of the Four Gospels record Jesus as speaking from the cross (for example, "I thirst," "into your hands I commend my spirit").

Here we meet not Neuhaus the neoconservative who happens to be a Roman Catholic priest, but Neuhaus the Roman Catholic priest who happens to dabble in high-brow politics. Nevertheless, "Death on a Friday Afternoon" is carried off at the same high level as his other work.

Neuhaus underscores classical Christian themes but does so with a nearly Chestertonian touch. Like the G.K. Chesterton of "Orthodoxy" (a classic defense of classical Christianity), Neuhaus employs aphorisms, paradoxes, and unexpected conjunctions to recommend the beauty, as well as the truth, of the Good Friday events. The first chapter, on Christ's saying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," is a particularly effective exposition of the need for divine forgiveness. (Mark Noll, www.Beliefnet.com, March 2000) -- From Beliefnet

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (March 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 046504932X
• ISBN-13: 978-0465049325
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #852,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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172 of 178 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Death of God, April 7, 2000

By 

Ardella Crawford "[e-mail]" (Washington, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death On A Friday Afternoon: Meditations On The Last Words Of Jesus From The Cross (Hardcover)

I can think of no better way to finish Lent and prepare for Easter than to spend a few hours with Father Neuhaus's most recent book, Death on a Friday Afternoon. Nor does it matter if you don't have time to get it all read before Easter because, as Neuhaus writes at the beginning, "Good Friday is not just one day of the year. It is a day relived in every day of the world, and of our lives in the world....Every day of the year is a good day to think more deeply about Good Friday, for Good Friday is the drama of love by which our every day is sustained."

The scope and implicit aim of this book are formidable; even more remarkable, this extended meditation accomplishes everything it set out to do. Don't expect a soppy, mystical, pie-in-the-sky reflection on the death of Christ. Here is a keen examination of tough love in action, the love of a God who accepted trial at the hands of His creatures and took on Himself their impudent verdict: "Guilty."

Each chapter is devoted to one of the Seven Words from the Cross, and in each case, Fr. Neuhaus shows how these words, spoken nearly two millenia ago on a certain Friday afternoon in history, still pierce our lives today--if we will let them. One of the great strengths of the book is its application of the truth of the Cross to modern life. What practical effect does each of these words have on each of us? This question is amply answered in such a way that the reader comes to understand personally how he is obligated to be crucified with Christ if he professes himself a follower.

Another strength of this book is its stark presentation of the cost of being a Christian. Christianity is no feel-good religion; it's about following a God who was crucified and about bearing the burden of having encountered Truth. It is not, says Neuhaus, so much that Christians *have* the truth, but that they must faithfully insist that they have been encountered by the Truth, by What Is, by the great Reality of God and all His creation. This insistence, not only that there is such a thing as Truth, but also that man can be encountered by it, is yet another great strength of this book.

By no means is the material here limited to abstract theological discussion. It is simply and gently written, accessible to most people. I would think it would be especially valuable to those who might be curious as to why Christians believe that the Crucifixion is such a big deal. Neuhaus speaks of the suffering of specific people at specific times in history and shows how all suffering has been given meaning through the suffering of Christ.

This book is good for the mature Christian and the inquirer alike--something one can say about few books. Buy it for yourself and get a copy or two for your friends.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite simply, the truth about everything., June 16, 2002

By 

Cipriano "www.bookpuddle.blogspot.com" (Planet Claire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death on a Friday Afternoon: Meditations on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross (Paperback)

The Seven Last Words are not seven "words" but seven "utterances" and they are these:
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise."
"Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother."
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
"I thirst."
"It is finished."
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."

These are the seven biblically recorded utterances of Christ on the cross, and Neuhaus has written, in my opinion, the superlative meditation of the significance of these final words of Jesus. Each chapter expounds upon one of these "words". The writing is so clear-headed... it will appeal to those who need to approach the ineffable mystery with at least one foot on the ground. Or even two! It is not spiritual platitude, it is gut-level and sobering. Have you ever wondered what happened when Jesus died on the cross? Or WHY it happened? Or IF it happened? This book speaks to those questions, with a rational approach that can only be likened to the writings of C.S. Lewis.
I was transfixed, and overwhelmed (in a good way) with the wealth of information in Neuhaus's book. Beautifully written.
He says in the preface, "If what Christians say about Good Friday is true, then it is, quite simply, the truth about everything. I have written this for people who are convinced of that truth, for people who are open to thinking about whether it may be true and for people who are just curious about why so much of the world thinks Good Friday is the key to understanding what Dante called 'the love that moves the sun and all the other stars.'"
The Convinced. The Cautious. The Curious. If you are any of these three types, this book will not disappoint you.
"We must not turn away from what we have done to God, lest we be found to have turned away from what He has done for us." (p.257).

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to make one thoughtful, June 18, 2000

By 

Nancy K. Oconnor (PAWHUSKA, OK United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death On A Friday Afternoon: Meditations On The Last Words Of Jesus From The Cross (Hardcover)

I usually read books quickly. This book, however, is one to be read slowly and thoughtfully. If one is looking for a quick and easy guide to Christian belief, then don't buy it. If one is a thoughtful seeker into the question of pain and suffering and how suffering and death is seen in the life of a mature Christian, then one will find this book meaningful. Not for those comfortable with easy answers or a life of self satisfaction.