At the Origin of the Christian Claim [Hardcover]

Luigi Giussani (Author), Viviane Hewitt (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

In "At the Origin of the Christian Claim" Liugi Giussani examines Christ's 'claim' to identify himself with the mystery that is the ultimate answer to our search for the meaning of existence. Giussani argues that if we accept the hypothesis that the mystery entered the realm of human existence and spoke in human terms, the relationship between the individual and God is no longer based on a moral, imaginative or aesthetic human effort but instead on coming upon an event in one's life. Thus the religious method is overturned by Christ; in Christianity it is no longer the person who seeks to know the mystery but the mystery that makes himself known by entering history. "At the Origin of the Christian Claim" presents an intriguing argument supported with ample documentation from the gospels and other theological writing.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian

Product Details

• Hardcover: 125 pages
• Publisher: Mcgill Queens Univ Pr (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773517146
• ISBN-13: 978-0773517141
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #999,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The end of cheap belief., November 4, 2000

By 

Cipriano "www.bookpuddle.blogspot.com" (Planet Claire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Origin of the Christian Claim (Paperback)

If we live in a time and place of relative religious freedom, we may say that we "believe in Christ" or that we are "Christian" or that "Jesus is our Saviour" without worrying too much about the impact (on ourselves or others) of our statements. We also have the benefit of retrospect, the canon of Scripture, the established creeds... in short, we know the end of the Christian story.

But those who first heard the claims of Christ did not have the privilege of standing back and looking at a completed picture. And so the question arises... What was it about this man Jesus that caused those who spent the most time with him, to come to the conclusion that he was the Son of God? Exactly how radical of a position was this for them to hold? In turn, how radical is it for us?

This is what Giussani's book is all about. He shows that "in Christianity it is no longer the person who seeks to know the mystery but the mystery that makes himself known by entering history." It is a profound study of the process of Christ's self-revelation. In this process, Christ constantly appealed to men's understanding. We learn that the faith that Christ asks of us is not opposed to reason, and the "reason" that Christ intends for us to enjoy, does not preclude faith.

I followed along in my own Bible as I read, and I would encourage all other readers to do the same. You will gain new insights. I especially appreciated the fact that in Giussani's interpretive method, he thoroughly sticks to a crucial exegetical rule which states: Scripture cannot mean to us today, what it could not possibly have meant to its original hearers! He shows that a careful study of the Gospels reveals "belief" as not only the discovery of, but the UNDERSTANDING of, the truth that is proposed to us. As such, when I now say "I believe in Christ" I ought to be able to consider... "Through what cognitive process have I arrived at such a grandiose conclusion?" I know that such questioning will reap great benefits, for it already has. Rather than diminish my faith, it has strengthened it. It is a joy to discover that the claims of Christ can bear intellectual scrutiny. This discovery gives Giussani's book its overwhelming five-starness.

In the 1937 publication of "Nachfolge" German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer first cautioned his hearers to be wary of "cheap grace." "At The Origin Of The Christian Claim" seems to me to be a worthy and comparable polemic on "cheap belief."

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why it's reasonable to be Christian, January 12, 2000

By 

mmr (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Origin of the Christian Claim (Paperback)

This is the most important book I've ever read, because it showed me the reasonableness of faith in Christ, and brought Christ to life as a man, (not some ethereal figure that people always talk about in abstract terms or as an easy way out of explaining the meaning of life). Giussani's amazing work exalts both the rationality and the humanity of the Christian position.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who questions the reasonableness of the Christian claim: that God walked among us as one of us, and is present even now. Giussani's understanding of the Gospels is amazing - though I've read the Bible my whole life I've never understood them as he explains - yet his explanation is the most complete and human that I've found. Furthermore, he satisfies intelligence's need for the Christian claim to be rational - since Christ entering human history is a *fact*, not a product of our imagination. (It's impossible to be fulfilled in life if we live according to fantasy!) So either this fact happened or it didn't. How can I verify this claim? What does are the implications for my life now? Giussani's love for Christ and each individual shines in the answers he gives to these questions in this incredible book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than Religious Sense, March 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: At the Origin of the Christian Claim (Paperback)

I was incredibly moved by the first book of this trilogy, and suggest to all of my friends to read Religious Sense, but this book is even better. This book identifies the core of the Christian Claim and what is a reasonable position in front of this claim... But more than that, this book helps me identify my personal attraction to Christ. Helps me realize my faith in Christ is much more than a moral code, philosophy, or doctrine...