Jesus: An Experiment in Christology [Hardcover]

Edward Schillebeeckx (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Dutch (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 767 pages
• Publisher: Seabury Press; 1st edition (1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816403457
• ISBN-13: 978-0816403455
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #506,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Experiment that Succeeds Brilliantly, April 5, 2007

By 

John D. White "camsterdad" (Cayce, South Carolina United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jesus: An Experiment in Christology (Paperback)

Unique in its conception, brilliant in its performance, massive and dense in its actuality--Schillebeeckx is unique among theologians in that his vision of a Christology such as is here is almost overwhelming. I have begun reading his book and am truly amazed at his intellect, his faith, and his spirituality--all of which are evident on each page. Be prepared for a long, pressing journey through this book and the next, but also be prepared for an encounter with him whom we call Lord and Savior.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound faith conveying profound understanding, October 17, 2010

By 

J. M. Walker (Harrisburg, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jesus: An Experiment in Christology (Paperback)

This is a classic, combining profound faith with profound understanding of the Bible and the Christian tradition (catholic, not just Roman) and life.
The language takes a while to get the hang of, partly because of the translation from Dutch but more because Schillebeeckx approaches most topics from multiple directions, enabling the reader to feel much of the depth and texture of Jesus' ministry and meaning for us. For any educated lay person, the initial effort will be richly repaid in understanding and inspiration.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A TRULY GROUNDBREAKING CATHOLIC STUDY OF JESUS' LIFE AND MEANING, June 15, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jesus: An Experiment in Christology (Paperback)

Edward Schillebeeckx (1914-2009) was a Dutch Catholic theologian and Dominican priest, who wrote a number of important "progressive" books in the Catholic tradition (e.g., Christ the Sacrament of the Encounter With God).

He wrote this book in 1974, and it promptly got him into serious trouble with the Catholic hierarchy. He begins by saying, "Through the movement brought to life by Jesus we are confronted here and now with Jesus of Nazareth. The movement which he set afoot remains the medium for any approach to the historical Jesus event. For me, a believer as well as a thinking person, this fact is one that gives pause for thought; so it is for anyone who reflects without prejudice on what has actually happened in his own intimate history."

Schillebeeckx investigates Jesus on a purely human level, and states that "What the historical Jesus has left us ... was a movement, a living fellowship of believers." He rejects a "biblicist" appeal to Scripture, on the grounds that "Biblicism is unbiblical," and that "It is wrong ... to contend that judgments concerning or involving faith must be completely detached from historical judgments."

He states that "Jesus proclaimed not himself but the coming kingdom of God," and Jesus' cleansing of the Temple was a "prophetic act ... to engender penitence and the conversion of Israel, in the `latter days.'" He rejects Unitarianism, but also states that "our calling the Trinity three divine persons is possible only on the basis of the man Jesus." He adds, "Jesus bore witness to the indestructible certainty he felt regarding the salvation given by God ... which in his case was grounded in an exceptional Abba experience." For Schillebeeckx, The symbol of the empty tomb indicates a "crude and naive realism" which doesn't convey what the "appearances of Jesus" truly meant.

He concludes the book on the note, "Should this book be a warrantable introduction to the recovery of 'a kind of believing that really tells,' to practical and critical effect, because its basis is the abiding and appealing presence in the world of the kingdom of God and the praxis that goes with it, then I count myself a happy man. If that is not so, then for my part the book can be marked down for sale in any 'curio' shop tomorrow."

Schillebeeckx wrote more "orthodox" follow-up volumes (Christ: The Experience of Jesus as Lord and Church: The Human Story of God), that aroused much less controversy (but also led supporters to fail to see their connection with his groundbreaking 1974 book).

For anyone intersted in modern Catholic theology, as well as Christology, and even the life of Jesus, this book is absolutely essential reading.