27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, but it takes serious effort to read., September 4, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Four Witnesses : The Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the Mystic -- Why the Gospels Present Strikingly Different Visions of Jesus (Hardcover)
The Four Witnesses is a fascinating book which anchors the writings of Mark, Matthew, Luke, John and Paul deeply into the culture and events -- and even the language structure -- of each of their current times. Griffith-Jones points out elements in the Old Testament and other revered teachings which influenced their thought processes. "Who do you say I am?" becomes ever more a matter of conjecture as each of these writers tries to make Jesus out to be completely Godly, a man who became Godly, or half-man, half-God like the current myths of Hercules, a hero of the downtrodden, or a man who appeals to the peacekeeping elite. It's a shame that Griffith-Jones is so difficult to read. A)He uses British vernacular, B) his work is so scholarly as to leave some of us laymen in the dust and C)he gives everything his own new names (ex.: Old Testament becomes Old Order). However, this book is so graphic in detailing the struggle to simply survive in these times that you become completely immersed in History. You're right in the thick of it as traditional Judaism is wrenched in half by a series of circumstances to become the Jews and Christians separately and irrevocably. This book was perfect preparation for my first year of seminary studies.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Development of Early Christianity, June 4, 2001
I found this book on a shelf. It looked intriguing, and I read it. (In fact, the author says his book was written for for, among others, such a reader.) To be more specific, I am interested in religion and in the relationship between early Christianity and Judaism. I am Jewish and have heard something of what Judaism has to say about the relationship between the two religions. I haven't read much in depth about it and, even more unfortunately, haven't really listened to what Christian scholars might have to say on the subject.
Griffith-Jones's book did have something of what I wanted. The book considers each of the New Testament Gospels, together with other books of the New Testament, chiefly Acts and Revelation. Interspersed with each discussion is a historical section which considers Roman, Jewish and Christian sources discussing the period and place which Griffith Jones associates with each Gospel.
There is a great deal in the book about the interplay between early Christianity and the synagogue. Griffifth-Jones does a good job, I think, in describing the Second Temple and its practices, the calamity of its destruction by the Romans 30 years or so after the life of Jesus, and the difficulties faced by the early Christians. There is also good discussion of the dynamics between the church and synagogue, with some peoplein the synagogue opting to follow Jesus, others being ambivalent and uncertain, and others, and the synagogue as a whole, declining to do so. This is interesting and valuable and I would like to know more. The appeal of Christianity is, understandably enough, explained by the author. This is what I wanted to hear, but I also would like to hear the Jewish side.
There is also a good discussion of the decision the early Christians had to make about whether there message was primarily directed to Judaism or whether the message was world-encompassing with a mission and message for non-Jews as well. This is important and insightful, as far as both religions are concerned and Griffith-Jones discusses it well.
Although it is not the focus of the book, there is much here that Christians and Jews can share and discuss in an attempt to better understand each other. This is valuable and I learned something from hearing it from an informed and obviously deeply Christian voice.
The textual interpretations of the Gospels are interesting in themselves, if something too long and not well organized. As one would expect, they are more evangelical and religious in tone than the historical discussion. In some instances, I am not sure how the historical information the author presents informs or illuminates his reading of his Gospel. He doesn't always explain the connection well. Bythe time the author gets to the Gospel of John, the connection, at least for me, was almost entirely lost.
I found the discussions of the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke more illuminating, as to their purpose and audience, that the author's discussions of Mark and John.
The book is long and challenging to read. Although written for laypersons, it is difficult. There is a lot of repitition. This was probably done to allow the reader to keep track of what is being said, but too often it gets in the way. Stylistically the book is uneven.
This book will require effort to read. It did teach me something of what I wanted to know and helped me understand and appreciate the relationship between Judaism and Christianity. This is a subject that those in both traditions could well take to their hearts.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Four Witnesses, June 17, 2000
This review is from: The Four Witnesses : The Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the Mystic -- Why the Gospels Present Strikingly Different Visions of Jesus (Hardcover)
There are plenty of nuggets that justify the effort it takes to stay with this book, such as glimpses of how Paul might have influenced the shape of the gospels. Overall, Mr. Griffith-Jones' opaque style seriously clouds what could have been a more illuminating study. I wonder if he meant to be so inaccessible. The author has plenty of insight to share, but spends much of the reader's patience on elaborate and contorted constructs which sometimes turn into circular thinking, and often lead to a fairly mundane point. He also wanders off for pages into tangential texts without making it clear they add all that much (a few do). The most valuable thing I got from the book, and it is significant, is a fresh sense of how audacious the Gospel messages were and are. This alone made a sometimes frustrating read worthwhile.
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