The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ [Paperback]

Anne Catherine Emmerich (Author), Clemens Brentano (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1994

The Dolorous Passion has been inspiring thousands since it first appeared in 1833 - being based on the detailed visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Recounts with incredible detail the horrendous sufferings undergone by Jesus in securing our redemption, and the infinite love that motivated such Agony. While remaining faithful to the Bible, this heartrending account conveys a lasting impression Our Lord's Passion and death were brought on by each person's sins. Here is a book that gives one a holy feeling just to read it. Sure to melt a heart of stone.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Anne Catherine Emmerich, mystic, stigmatist, and visionary, was born in Germany in 1774 to a poor Catholic peasant family. At twenty-nine, she became an Augustinian nun, continued to have visions, and in her late thirties developed stigmata of the cross and nails. These phenomena brought her fame and investigation—skeptical or reverent—by science and the Church.

Product Details

• Paperback: 382 pages
• Publisher: TAN Books and Publishers (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895552108
• ISBN-13: 978-0895552105
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read before seeing "The Passion" if you can, March 16, 2004

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Brad Shorr "Brad Shorr" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Paperback)

The visions of Sister Emmerich, as transcribed by a local priest in the early 1800's, are deeply moving. I became interested in reading the "Dolorous Passion" when I heard that Mel Gibson had used it as a source for "The Passion". Some observations about the book and the film:

The book actually contains far more graphic violence than the film. The brutal treatment of Our Lord's final hours is related in excruciating detail. If anything, Gibson sanitized the story somewhat by skipping over some of the action and not dwelling as much as Emmerich on the attitudes of the bloodthirsty throng.

I could find no anti-Semitism in the book. If Emmerich sees anyone as being responsible for Jesus' death, it is Satan himself. Time and time again she describes how Satan takes full possession of the angry mob and Roman soldiers as their blood lust reaches full crescendo.

In the film, Pilate (I thought) is portrayed as a somewhat noble character with a deeply troubled conscience. In the book, he is depicted as pathetically weak, duplicitous and cowardly, content to sacrifice innocent blood just to keep himself out of trouble.

The timeless quality of Our Lord's sacrifice comes across powerfully in the book. In Gesthemani, Sister Emmerich tells us how all of our sins-past, present, and future-appear before Him, as he takes them all upon Himself for our salvation. With all the meticulous detail of the twelve hours, it is easy to forget that for God, past, present and future are all one: our sins today hurt Him just as much as those committed by those who clamored for his crucifixion. That is a tough concept to get across in a film, and maybe a reason for the charges of anti-Semitism brought against it. On this topic and others, I think the book can help to clarify the message of the movie.

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars seeing light through a glass darkly, April 12, 2004

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Paperback)

Keeping in mind that visions are seen by mystics in many ways, and that they are not always clear, in sequence, or well translated into words, this is a remarkable document of what this devout Agustinian nun saw for many of the 50 years of her life. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) stated repeatedly of her visions, which were recorded for this book during a seven week period in 1823 by her friend Clement Brentano, that there were details she could not remember, or "what I have not forgotten I cannot find words to express", and in another, "I saw nothing distinctly". I think this lends credibility to what she did say, in that she did not fabricate to "fill in the holes" of her visions. Another thing to remember is that it must have been as difficult to describe events 1800 years in the past, in ancient Judea, as it would have been to go 200 years into the future; how would she have explained a television or the Los Angeles freeway system ?

Sister Emmerich's visions give tremendous insight into the last hours of Jesus, especially the agony at Gethsemane. As Oswald Chambers would point out in his writings, that Gethsemane should be viewed "in light of His earlier wilderness temptation-'...the devil...departed from Him until an opportune time' (Luke 4:13)". Here our Lord confronts Satan in the garden, and he also sees His future Church, "They had weathercocks on their roofs, and their doctrines changed with the wind" (pg.111).

Part I is a short biography of Sister Emmerich, of whom much calumny has been spread in recent months by professional hatemongers who crave the media spotlight, because these writings inspired a few scenes in Mel Gibson's film "The Passion", but one should consider the source when listening to them.
Part II is the preparation for Passover and The Last Supper, and Part III, which is the bulk of the book, The Passion. There are three final chapters that deal with the Resurrection, and an appendix on Longinus (whose lance pierced the Lord's side), and Abenadar, the centurion who was later known as St. Ctesiphon.

Sister Emmerich had many rich descriptions of the central figures connected with the Passion; of Pilate she saw him as a weak, undecided and despicable character, who would do any unjust act "provided it answered his ends"..."his sole desire was to entail no risk upon himself"; she also not only saw into the past, but into other realms, like Satan taunting Judas, and the angels ministering to Jesus, and of corrupt Christians of the "first and all succeeding ages, even to the end of the world".
I think these writings illuminate Bible study and one's walk with the Lord, and are of great value, but probably more to Christians already fairly well versed in scripture, otherwise they might create more confusion than clarity.

82 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Focusing on Our Lord's Passion Will Get You to Heaven, December 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Paperback)

Some Catholic Mystics (Saints) teach us that focusing on Jesus' Passion and Death will get you to heaven. This book walks you through our Lord's agony, step by step. After I read it, I was left with the picture of a Person who was literally skinned alive through scourging, and His Head was crowned with thorns and then The Body finally nailed to a cross, you get a little idea of what HE suffered "for us" physically. There were also mental and spiritual torments in addition to His physical sufferings. This book is for those who really want to grow spiritually and can face what He went through for us. The author was a nun who received only 2 months worth of visions depicting Christ's crucifixion and suffering. This book is well worth reading and contemplating.