Customer Reviews

The Hidden Jesus: A New Life

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

As a Southern Baptist who has spent [1] the last 36 years as a professor in a Roman Catholic university and [2] the 69 years since his conversion wondering why he had never been able to experience the blinding, "born again" feeling of the Apostle Paul or Jimmy Carter or many other sincere Southern Baptists, I am delighted to report that the several hours I have just spent in absorbing much of Donald Spoto's wisdom have been very instructive. At this point, let me make one constructive criticism. Many of his sentences, like my first one in this review, are so long and complex that I had to re-read them before becoming comfortable with the content. On balance, however, this is a book that I will read again and again and will recommend it to my family and friends.

This book can't be approached with the view of our childhood. The reader must either be knowledgable and comfortable with current biblical scholarship or allow Spoto's perspective to open their minds and faith.

It is a beautiful poem and a wonderful homily that can open the reader to fuller expressions of what Jesus means for each of us and the world. His biblical exegesis is fresh and powerful. Not the quaint interpretations that have been repeated to us for centuries like a mantra. Spoto's interpretation is scholarly and refreshing. And, for those who realize that theology is the expression of life's meaning for us and is not just found in old interpretations, it offers new and rich horizons.

What a fascinating and exciting book! It's fascinating because at least in my some 16 years of Catholic education throughout grade school to high school and college an in-depth analysis of Jesus' life really wasn't part of the religious education; this book details enormously interesting details of the life of Christ. It's exciting because of the emphasis given and arguments for the presence of the risen Christ in our midst today, not just 2000 years ago. Do I disagree or have doubts about some of Spoto's assertions (was Christ really born in Bethlehem, did He have brothers and sisters, did He know He was God, did his parents know He was God, can one beleive in capital punishment and still be a Christian)? Clearly, yes, I disagree with some of his points. But there are no critical or essential points of the Christian faith(or Catholic faith for that matter) that are disputed by him. I do not for a second doubt the author's love and belief in the risen Christ "that the gospels proclaim". The greatest asset of this book is in it's elucidation of God's ever present love and compassion for us and how we find the "hidden Jesus" in our lives. This truly is a wonderful book that strengthens one's faith and love in Jesus Christ, our risen lord. Highly recommended!

Standing applause for Mr. Spoto's effort. His previous oeuvre of celebrity biographies almost prevented me from picking it up, but as I read it I was entranced and ashamed at my prejudice. I found it hard to put down: a two day read. He not only deals systematically with the life of Christ but sheds light on a number of related issues showing how, for a Christian, Christology is central. The book is intellectually upright yet highly readable and unpretentious, and in my view superior in interest and execution to other fine recent efforts by A. N. Wilson and E.P. Sanders. As a reasonably well read layman, I found nothing theologically offensive in it, quite the contrary. He makes a splendid effort at describing the MEANING of Christ and the risen Christ, and all without the smell of the lamp or the academy. Highly recommended.

Having read two of Donald Spoto's earlier biographies (of Alfred Hitchcock and Tennessee Williams), I felt that I would be in for a treat to read a more-or-less historical biography of Jesus Christ. What I got instead was a meandering account of bits and pieces of Jesus' life with varying attitudes and no clear direction.

The book begins by seeming to attack assumptions of Christian faith; for example, he claims that there was no immaculate conception, that Mary did not know that her son was the Son of God, and that by all accounts Jesus was like any other person up until the beginning of his ministry. But later, he has no problems accepting the miracles of Jesus, saying only that because we can't disprove them, then it's good enough to believe them. This treatment seemed inconsistent, in that he's apparently willing to question certain aspects of Jesus' life but not others.

Throughout the book, the focus shifted slightly every few paragraphs, making it seem more like a peculiar devotional book than a biography. To be fair here, Spoto says up front that this book isn't intended to be a biography. If that's the case, then what exactly is it supposed to be? He doesn't say, and I can't tell either.

Some interesting questions are raised within which readers may agree or disagree with, but the writing (and therefore reading) style of the book left a poor taste in my mouth. Read Spoto's biography of Alfred Hitchcock instead.

The foolishness of today's scholars is that they study the heartfelt testimonies of changed men with such scrutiny that they have grown cold to the wonder of faith. Jesus was the Son of God. He taught for only 3 years, but his message impacted the civilized world and continues to penetrate further. Donald Spoto sees the Gospels with his intellect but allows his lambent and powerful child-like faith to blast away intellectual snobery. Though I do not agree with all of Spoto's views, I commend him for narrating thoughtfully and carefully the culture Jesus challenged for the sake of the world.

The book was in great condition and I received it very promptly. Great book. Thanks for having it when I wanted.

For anyone with even a theological education, this book is lightweight garbage, poorly researched, very derivative of the work of legitimate scholars. I am a pastor who is always looking for more popular (and readable) works for my parishioners. I had hoped this would be one of those books because I certainly agree with Spoto's general approach to Jesus but I found it plodding and dreary.

I would recommend Marcus Borg's "Meeting Jesus Again For the First Time," the works of John Dominic Crossan, or Bishop John Shelby Spong's works for those who are looking for an unorthodox interpretation of the life of Jesus. I don't know if it's in print any longer but "For Christ's Sake" by Harpur (I think it was put out by Beacon Press) is a wonderful book. Spoto's work is going right in the give-away pile.

And again, as a "Rev. Dr." I hope I can use my credentials to advise you that the research in this book is very sloppy.

The author's thesis is that the meaning of Jesus is "hidden," so that each of us has to find it out for ourselves. This makes sense; as the living Word, Jesus is the embodiment of God's truth, which every generation of Christ-followers has to unpack in the context of its own experience. So I was hoping this book would offer some suggestions to help with this.

Well, it was a let-down. To be honest, I'm not really sure what the author *did* say throughout most of the book, since I kept zoning out on his vague and seemingly arbitrary statements. Reading it was like eating stale popcorn. It left me with spiritual indigestion, but still hungry for something more substantial.

By the way, those who consider anyone who doesn't like this book to be small-minded might be pleasantly surprised to read some Christian classics from the last 2000 years or so. Those old dead guys and gals came up with a variety and depth of Christology far beyond Spoto's, and they did so in the context of a deep love and personal experience of Jesus. (Anyone with a "St." in their name is a good bet.) You might also like Catholic theologian Luke Timothy Johnson, or, if you're willing to bite the bullet and read a Christian bestseller, Philip Yancey and Max Lucado.

Yes, some of these are simpler than Spoto's book. But intellectual complexity for its own sake isn't a Christian virtue. Jesus doesn't say that the kingdom belongs to investigative journalists; he says it belongs to the little children -- trusting and simple. That's the message that tends to get "hidden" in our times.

To the point and thoughtfu