Jesus' Prayer and Jesus' Eucharist: His Personal Practice of Spirituality [Paperback]

Bruce D. Chilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1997

Bruce Chilton argues that the Jesus whom critical study can discover is not simply a figure of scholarly reconstruction but one who also engaged in practices and crafted teachings that were designed to enable his followers to participate in the kingdom of God. Because the kingdom of God was the center of Jesus’ own spirituality, the present volume focuses on prayer and the Eucharist, both of which Jesus directly referred to the kingdom. Prayer for Jesus was the individual’s opportunity to perceive and join the kingdom, just as Eucharist was the social realization of the kingdom. Prayer and Eucharist together constitute the primary practices which, according to Jesus, lead those who have the courage of discipleship to discover how that might enter God’s kingdom. This book is a critical study in the fullest sense, with interest both in the particulars of history and in how lives are shaped in engagement with God. Chilton points out that Jesus was and is a great figure in history not simply because he existed, but in view of what he taught-specifically his teaching of a practical communion with God. Bruce Chilton, New Testament and Judaic Scholar, is Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. He is author (with Jacob Neusner) of Revelation: The Torah and the Bible, The Body of Faith: Israel and Church, and God in the World, all published by Trinity Press in its Christianity and Judaism-The Formative Categories trilogy>

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By examining carefully the pattern of Jesus' own prayer (as outlined in Luke's version of the Lord's prayer), Chilton attempts to reveal more fully the spirituality of Jesus. Chilton goes on to examine Jesus' practice of sharing meals of fellowship (even with suspicious characters!), and the import of such meals within the Judaism of his day. Chilton succeeds in demonstrating that Jesus' spirituality is firmly rooted in Palestinian Judaism of the first century, while at the same time possessing a distinctiveness of its own. This book is a welcome step beyond the often facile and one-sided portraits of Jesus." --GTU Bookstore Book Notes & News

"...takes us phrase by phrase through the Lord's Prayer but as a single chapter in an interesting book on Jesus' spiritual orientation and practice of celebration. The author, a professor at Bard College, notes that ‘Jesus originated, but...did not limit, the practices of prayer and Eucharist' in an intriguing section called ‘The Practice of Eucharist and Christian Spiritualities.' A short critical study which is quite readable." --Travis Du Priest, reviewing for The Living Church, July 27, 1997 (Travis Du Priest Living Church, The )

"This bief but meaty study traces the origin of Christian prayer--primarily the Lord's Prayer--and the Eucharist within the ministry of Jesus and his deep roots with Judaism." --The Bible Today (Bible Today, The )

"Bruce Chilton moves beyond the historical discussion of Jesus in order to concentrate on Jesus’ ‘teaching of a practical communion with God.’ Using the results of biblical scholarship, he treats the kingdom of God, the Lord’s Prayer, the meals of the kingdom, the cleansing of the Temple, the crucifixion, the eucharistic kingdom of God, and the practice of the eucharist among the first disciples." --Theology Digest (Theology Digest )

"Remarkable for its brevity and clarity, this is a non-technical synthesis of Chilton’s view of the historical Jesus. It can serve as an introduction to Chilton’s more technical books on the kingdom of God, on Jesus as a Galilean rabbi, and on the origins of the Eucharist. Chilton avoids adventurous reconstructions and emphasizes the Jewishness of Jesus that some contemporary interpretations take pains not to confront." --International Review of Biblical Studies (Intl. Review Of Biblical Studies )

"By examining carefully the pattern of Jesus' own prayer (as outlined in Luke's version of the Lord's prayer), Chilton attempts to reveal more fully the spirituality of Jesus. Chilton goes on to examine Jesus' practice of sharing meals of fellowship (even with suspicious characters!), and the import of such meals within the Judaism of his day. Chilton succeeds in demonstrating that Jesus' spirituality is firmly rooted in Palestinian Judaism of the first century, while at the same time possessing a distinctiveness of its own. This book is a welcome step beyond the often facile and one-sided portraits of Jesus." --GTU Bookstore Book Notes & News

"...takes us phrase by phrase through the Lord's Prayer but as a single chapter in an interesting book on Jesus' spiritual orientation and practice of celebration. The author, a professor at Bard College, notes that ‘Jesus originated, but...did not limit, the practices of prayer and Eucharist' in an intriguing section called ‘The Practice of Eucharist and Christian Spiritualities.' A short critical study which is quite readable." --Travis Du Priest, reviewing for The Living Church, July 27, 1997 (, Living Church, The )

About the Author

Bruce Chilton, New Testament and Judaic scholar, is Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. He is a co-author of The Body of Faith (Trinity), God in the World (Trinity), and Comparing Spiritualities (Trinity).

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563382040
• ISBN-13: 978-1563382048
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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This review is from: Jesus' Prayer and Jesus' Eucharist: His Personal Practice of Spirituality (Paperback)

Very educational and spiritually uplifting. The explanation of the Lord's Prayer is very well done. I have often commented that most people repeat that Prayer every Sunday and have absolutely no idea of the true meaning or the impact of the Prayer. It has become simply a ritual - something we learned as children and now recite in dull repetition.