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The Original Jesus: The Life and Vision of a Revolutionary

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In The Original Jesus, author Tom Wright examines Jesus in the historical perspective. He attempts to take you back to Jesus' own time in order for the reader to recognize the message Christ was actually proclaiming and to interpret it and the Gospels in the context of those times. In other words, Wright tries to "take you there" to see Jesus as he was two thousand years ago. It is a short and seemingly uncomplicated book, filled with a number of illustrations of Jesus in the Holy Land, yet it does succeed surprisingly well in its aims. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the subject of Jesus' words and deeds, and Wright gave me new perspectives that certainly enhance my understanding. He calls Jesus a revolutionary in the sub-title, and he does a great job of showing just how revolutionary his message was based on the context of the time. Under Wright's guidance, even as seemingly esoteric a fact as the nature of the area in which Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount becomes theologically important. The history of Israel and her covenant with God serve as the lynchpin of the message Wright gleans from the Gospels. He argues that the Gospels were written for two main reasons: to tell the story of Jesus and to address the contemporaries of the individual Gospel writer. It is in this context, he says, that the discrepancies between the Gospel accounts can be explained, and he offers a helpful summation of the purposes and target audiences of each of the four books. By understanding the worlds out of which the Gospels were penned, one can gain greater insight into the good news revealed in each book.

Wright mentions the ideas of the Jesus Seminar and clearly disagrees with their practice of questioning everything in the Gospels hypercritically. He clearly believes the Gospels are meant to show us the true life and work of Jesus, despite any differences in facts between their accounts, and that one's depth of comprehension can be greatly increased by understanding the historical context of Jesus' time on earth. This book can easily be read in one sitting and is a great starting point for anyone interested in pursuing his/her own search for the historical Jesus. Wright includes a bibliography of recommended sources for those who wish to continue the quest.

I found this to be a very enjoyable, _very_ accessible, but perhaps slightly uneven book. The first seven chapters were originally aired on TV, if I recall correctly, with Wright narrating (pictures of the holy land are included throughout the book to supplement what is lacking in the transition to print). It's aimed at a large audience - so large, that sometimes I felt like it got too thin, lacking the detail and depth _I_ wanted. That being said, it's worth reading.

The book begins with a chapter on Jerusalem. I found that it picked up kind of slow, but the reader eventually breaks upon the simply phrased nuggets of insight he's scattered throughout this book. He mentions that you can't be neutral or objective when you study history, especially the patch of history he's dealing with here. "If you pin the history to the wall like a butterfly, you may be able to study it analytically, but you mustn't be surprised that it won't fly again. To get to the heart of it all, you have to live within the story and see what it does to you. That's what this book invites you to do." I should note here, in case I'm misread, that he certainly thinks that we can make a historical study of Jesus and his context.

He then goes on to talk about the various aspects of the religious/political situation in 1st century Palestinian Judaism, trying to take you into their mindset, situating Jesus' actions within that context, from the event where he issued the beatitudes, to his "coded actions" in the temple. In one chapter he talks about the nature of a story. It isn't the case that stories are for children, while abstract ideas are the real meat, he argues. Stories are more powerful than naked abstract ideas, they create worlds. If you change the story (especially when most of your hearers live _inside_ of the story) then you change the world. The stories were a way of "getting to grips with reality." He then says that understanding these stories requires that we try to understand the 1st century mindset, so we can understand what they meant to Jesus' audience.

Starting with chapter 8, he departs from the original BBC presentation (which concluded with chapter 7), and talks about how to read the Gospels "for all they're worth." This chapter and the ones to follow, I think, are where most of the meat is. There is some excellent, simple advice here.

There's a large list of books for further reading at the end of the book, to follow up on various aspects of historical Jesus studies. Wright has coupled the titles to the books he's recommended with some brief comments of his.

Some people might want to pick up this book, especially if you've got a short attention span, little time, or you're new to the field. Otherwise, you should probably move up to one of Wright's more scholarly works, where he tackles the same material, writes a bit less simply (but still quite accessibly), and goes into much more depth on assumptions and statemtents he never cracks open in this book. People who're interested enough to pursue this stuff seriously should just pick up his _Jesus and the Victory of God_ or _The New Testament and the People of God_. If you really don't want to read through 400 to 500 pages of text, you might want to pick up _The Challenge of Jesus_, as well as this work.

Dean Wright is masterful in relating, simply but not simplistically, how Jesus, as a Jew, related his mission to the great themes of the Jewish Scriptures. This is no Sunday School 101 approach to the person and work of Jesus. Many questions that have lingered in the recesses of my spiritual closet are clearly answered without being technical or weighty. This is a wonderful book to share to anyone, especially those in a Judeic or Arabic background or faith tradition, who is asking about the Messiah from Nazareth.

This is by far and away the best non-technical book on the historic Jesus I've ever read(and I've read zillions!) Author Tom Wright's(also known as N.T. Wright) writings on Jesus are by far the most intellectually convincing on Jesus' historicity & Resurrection. I encourage readers to check out his scholarly works as well- "Jesus and the Victory of God" and "The New Testament and the People of God"-along with his devotional works("Following Jesus:Biblical Reflections on Discipleship" and "The Crown and the Fire:Meditations on the Cross and the Life of the Spirit"). Enjoy and God Bless!!!

Multiple topics are covered within this book that make it an appropriate read for both beginning and more advanced students of Christian origins and the person and mission of Jesus of Nazareth. Any literate person from an astute high school student and beyond will be able to read this book and digest at least some of the author's insights. N. T. (Tom) Wright has the unusual ability to be erudite and profound in relatively simple language. While I find James D. G. Dunn's "Remembering Jesus" to be the current state of the art consideration of Jesus and the early Jesus movement's thoughts about him, nine hundred plus pages of scholarly prose is beyond the capacity of many readers. And, considering this book's sub-title, "The Life of a Revolutionary," I think R. David Kaylor's "Jesus the Prophet" to be a far fuller and more satisfying explication of Jesus' political mission.

With these thoughts in mind, what does one find in this slim little volume? The book's text of one hundred forty odd pages is divided into two equal length section and is full of striking color photographs and boxed inserts amplifying the narrative. The first sections deals with Jesus his message and his mission. Here Wright finds a radical, revolutionary message and a call to implement that message through the Kingdom of God on Earth. Based on a full understanding of the latest socio-rhetorical methods and insights, Jesus is effectively set in his time and place. Wright sees him as a messenger of peaceful revolution distinguished by passive resistance which would be truly unique in antiquity. This uniqueness of course flies in the face of historiographical norms which makes it suspect in some scholarly circles. However, the notion that Jesus was a violent Zealot revolutionary presaging the great Jewish revolt of 70 CE has fallen into disfavor over the last thirty years or so. In all fairness, it should be noted that a lively fringe movement still espouses this position, but it has scant support among current scholars of Christian origins and the historical Jesus.

The second section deals with the gospels that comprise the written record of Jesus' life and deeds and his followers' interpretations thereof. While having different facts and Christologies, the author correctly assures us that these highly disparate and often contradictory accounts are a natural result of varied authorship coupled with later interpretation and emendation. And yes, texts evolved in Antiquity to meet the needs of the communities they served. This was normal and accepted however difficult it is for the post modern mind to deal with. This is especially so since our minds have been conditioned since the Reformation by the concept of Biblical inerrancy. Wright challenges the assumptions and methodologies of the Jesus Seminar and finds their work unsatisfying and arbitrary and to some extent anachronistic. Other modern scholarship is engaged as well. A nice annotated additional reading list is included that fairly represents the diversity of modern scholarship as regards the topics under consideration here. Even those well read in the area may find some things of value here. This book is a remarkable achievement considering that it is such a short, lucid, and easy read. I have rated this book at five stars based on the fact that it accomplishes the task it undertakes with distinction. And that task as I have said in my title is to provide an introduction to this material. I most highly recommend this book especially to those new to the subject.

After many confusing interpretations of the teachings of Jesus and dogmas from religions and false prophets making money and living a good material life under the umbrella of Christianity, this is a very simple to understand book, and it came into my hands at the right time. Wright explain life in times of Jesus and his teachings very clear and from a neutral point of view. I recommend it.

This is a brilliant, no-nonsense historical introduction to Jesus and the Gospels. The first half of the book is based on a BBC series on Jesus that the author was asked to write and produce. The second half goes into a bit more depth regarding the Gospels as sources of historical information about Jesus and his mission. The book is an easy read and is full of great photography and art that tie into its story line.

The author is widely respected by conservative and liberal theologians and historians alike, and I especially appreciate his even handed approach and deep understanding of the historical context in which Jesus lived and moved (though he really just scratches the surface in this work). This book is a popular-level treatment of material that he explores in much greater detail in "Jesus and the Victory of God" and other book in that series. Reading this book makes me eager to dig into those deeper texts.

Tom Wright is that rarest of biblical scholars, equally comfortable writing for academic journals as he is writing for the laity. In The Original Jesus: The Life and Vision of a Revolutionary, Wright recounts the story and meaning of Jesus Christ on earth. Beautiful photos and famous renderings are included to bring to life important places and people. Key to understanding the original Jesus is knowing what is biblical and historical from what has become mythologized by conventional wisdom and tradition. Jesus the pacifist is certainly more popular than Jesus the revolutionary, but he was clearly both. Wright attacks the portrait of Jesus as meek and mild by explaining the real meaning of 'turn the other cheek' with a master's understanding. Not as timeless as C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, Tom Wright nonetheless does a fine job wresting Jesus from the irrelevance of 20th century caricatures. Don't ignore sections on different ways of reading the gospels or 'further reading,' probably the most useful parts of the book for intermediate-level Bible students.

This book is a companion to a 1996 TV show. The first part (Jesus - Then and Now) consists of some modified versions of the original script, along with still photos from the show. It's well written, as you would expect a script to be, and the photos are great. Unfortunately there is nothing new here, although it is nicely packaged.

The second part (Reading the Gospels with Both Eyes Open) departs from the original show, but again, there is very little original thinking here. Wright discusses the discrepancies in gospel accounts, the Jesus seminar, the Dead Sea Scrolls, dating the gospels, the Jewish influences, etc.

There is no reference list nor any notes. The index is skimpy, but so too is the content.

Bottom line - this is a well written and nicely illustrated sketch of some aspects of Jesus' life. It will not appeal to scholars and is of limited interest to beginners who will find it too truncated.

I regret that I coughed up mazuma for this here book. Unfortunately it doesn't consist any new views. What does the publication say ? "It is a true fact that Jesus has existed. How so ? Because the New Testament says so ! " This is the only proof the author gives. As far as the rest of his text goes, he just flags away the diskrepancies in the NT as unimportant. It is better to read the actual Gospels themselves, and make your own opinion of the Lamb.