Customer Reviews

Joshua In the Holy Land

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read this book by Joseph Girzone immediately after returning from my first trip to Israel. I was reading his first book "Joshua" on the way. And began "Joshua and the Holy Land" on the 12 hour flight back to the USA. What I really enjoyed about the story was the reality that was presented in the characters that encountered Joshua. I also appreciated greatly the accurate portrayal of the places that were involved in the story, especially the reference to the first place Joshua met offically with his group of followers: "Seven Arches Hotel". While on tour in Israel, our first hotel was Seven Arches. The story made the trip stay all the more alive in my mind.

I also appreciated the hopeful message that Joseph Girzone leaves with his readers. It is a contageous message that hopefully can spread in real ways to the leaders of our world today.

This is a wonderful book. It is extremely well written and contains many true to life situations. It exemplifies ways that we could all work together for peace. It visits sites that Jesus was familiar with and walks you through gospel territory. Mr. Girzone knows how to captivate his readers. I would have liked to hear a homily presented by him. A great storyteller.

I've read "Joshua" and "Joshua and the Children" and enjoyed both of them. I recently started reading "Joshua in the Holy Land" and considering putting it down. If you are a born-again Christian, you may struggle with some of the "sermons" given by Joshua in this book.

Speaking to a group of Jews, Arabs, and Christians, he tells them that they all have the same heavenly Father and that they will share the same eternal reward because of their faith in the Father. I have some real problems with this - it's not consistent with Christian (Biblical) doctrine which teaches that through faith in Jesus Christ we are saved. While Christians and Jews do share the same Father God, from what I've studied of the Moslem faith, the attributes of allah are not the same as our GOD of the Christian faith.

So while the intent seems good, the former Catholic priest Joseph Girzone should better understand the teachings of the Bible before writing more modern day parables about Jesus that are inconsistent with His teachings in the Bible.

This is also a great book by Joseph Girzone. I great story about what would happen when Jesus came backk to earth for meetin g his people. It deserves all thre stars it can get.

In this publication in the Joshua series, author Joseph Girzone places Joshua in the heart of the conflict in Israel. Again Girzone uses gospel parallels and evocations such as miracles with a twist. The feeding of the multitude reflects contemporary scholarship on that story. Yet Girzone does not present a sacharine story without some real tragedy. In this novel he tells an old man that his son's death is the will of his Father because of the peace that will result from it. This is in stark contrast to Joshua and Joshua and the Children.

The beginning of the novel presents Joshua travelling in the desert, becoming involved with a sheik's family and saving a little girl's life. When Joshua heals in to Jerusalem, the plot becomes more complicated and realistic.

One is compelled by Girzone's portrait of Joshua at prayer. The author is able to touch that serenity of Jesus in the gospels. He is able to convey the comfort and peace Jesus could give.

The end of the novel moves a bit slowly as it involves a business deal that could represent a way in which Arabs, Jews and Christians could live in peace in the Middle East. Sometimes the author has to skim details in what is obviously a complicated project. But Girzone is not negotiating the peace of Israel. In this novel he is trying to place a contemporary Jesus in the middle of the conflict and configure the gospel to the situation. This he accomplishes well.

I thought thast this was the best Joshua book i have read. It really hit home with all of the violence and how our world is today. I would recommend this book.

I read this book when I was 12, and I think I was too young for this book that point of time. The book was nevertheless interesting with really touching incidents shared inside. It taught me how to be a better person - I took such a long time to finish this book, and it was all worth the while. People should take the time to read it - don't rush it.

Joshua in the Holy Land

A friend introduced me to the "Joshua" books. I like them all but my favourite is the above. Not only is it a "Joshua" book and portrays Jesus as He might be, should He return now, but the author has researched each location in the Holy Land matching the events in the life of Jesus as He returns there. I have been fortunate enough to go there myself, and it is bringing all back to life again, I am visiting them again, only this time exploring them with Jesus as Joshua.
It is a book I will not part with!!!
The Joshua books are not too large either and make easy reading.
Since reading the first one "a parabole for today" lent to me by my friend, I have bought them to give them as Christmas presents and also for myself.
Highly recommended to people who love Jesus or want to discover him, remembering that these are novels. When you read the first novels, remember that some were written about twenty years ago and that things have moved positively in the Church since!!
But sadly as in the news at the moment peace remains to be achieved in Israel and surrounding regions.

Joshua Series: I love them all the Books and the DVD.Jesus here and now walking around helping people.

Having read most of the books in the Joshua series, I have a standard of comparison for the series. Many of the themes recur thoughout the books. For example, Joshua always seems to meet a skeptic that supports him in the end. The predictability does not stop this book from being enjoyable.

The view of Israel presented by Girzone in "Joshua in the Holy Land" is overly simplistic. The roots of the conflict between Jews and Muslims go to more deeper twisted places. That being said, it would take a divine being to broker peace in the war torn land. If there is no other reason to read this book, it is interesting to read the Joshua character reminiscing about the Holy Land 2000 years earlier. One has to be curious if he would really say some of the same things.

While this is one of the weaker books in the Joshua series, it is still a solid book. You will not find many surprising twists in Girzone writing, but that is not a criticism. His writing is simplistic, like another's message 2000 years ago.