Review from Booklist - The four great philosophical questions, Kreeft says, are What is real? How can we know what is real? Who are we? and How should we live? They motivate the philosophical disciplines of metaphysics, epistemology, philosophical anthropology, and ethics, and from a Christian perspective, the answer to all four is Jesus. As God with us (Emanuel), he verifies that love is the fundamental reality. As God incarnate, he shows the truth of love, and by acting as he does we verify that truth. As perfect God and perfect human, he reveals that a person is the image of God. And the answer to the ethical question is in Jesus' injunction, Follow me, the imitatio Christi. Of course, there is more to be said on the Christian response to each question, and Kreeft does it with admirable thoroughness and conciseness, taking care to draw illustrations from tangent conceptions in other faiths, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam besides Judaism, which is inextricable from Christianity. Throughout, Kreeft is the quintessence of lucidity and geniality. by Ray Olson
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The four great philosophical questions, Kreeft says, are What is real? How can we know what is real? Who are we? and How should we live? They motivate the philosophical disciplines of metaphysics, epistemology, philosophical anthropology, and ethics, and from a Christian perspective, the answer to all four is Jesus. As God with us (Emanuel), he verifies that love is the fundamental reality. As God incarnate, he shows the truth of love, and by acting as he does we verify that truth. As perfect God and perfect human, he reveals that a person is the image of God. And the answer to the ethical question is in Jesus' injunction, "Follow me," the imitatio Christi. Of course, there is more to be said on the Christian response to each question, and Kreeft does it with admirable thoroughness and conciseness, taking care to draw illustrations from tangent conceptions in other faiths, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam besides Judaism, which is inextricable from Christianity. Throughout, Kreeft is the quintessence of lucidity and geniality. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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More About the Author
--------- AUDIO LECTURES --------- $1 each (MP3)
http://www.amazon.com
Search for
Peter Kreeft MP3
RECORDED LECTURES:
http://peterkreeft.com/audio.htm
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---"Beauty" -- The branch of philosophy dealing with aesthetics.
---"C. S. Lewis and Mere Christianity" -- C.S. Lewis' masterpiece
---"Christianity in Lord of the Rings" -- The cleverly disguised role of God
---"Culture War" -- A call to arms, mapping key enemies and battlefields
---"Existence of God" -- A magnificent overview of the arguments
---"Good, True, Beautiful" -- C.S. Lewis on three great transcendentals
---"Happiness" -- How do you get it? Christ's version vs. the world's
---"Heaven" -- The heart's deepest longing
---"Hollywood Screenwriting" -- Encouragement to film's creative storytellers
---"If Einstein Had Been a Surfer" -- Rediscovering intuitive thinking
---"Lord, Liar, or Lunatic" -- The famous argument for Christ's identity
---"Problem of Pain" -- C.S. Lewis's brilliant exposition on suffering and evil
---"Sex in Heaven" -- Imaging the fire of God's love
---"Sexual Reconnection" -- Healing the link between sex & love
---"Shocking Beauty" -- The live character of Christ
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Lecture scheduling and more info:
http://www.peterkreeft.com
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
105 of 106 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
George W. Bush in a presidential debate when asked who was his favorite philosopher, remarked "Jesus." He was roundly criticized for this at the time on multiple levels. Many thought it was a silly answer showing his ignorance and others that it was demeaning of Jesus. Peter Kreeft in his new book The Philosophy of Jesus explores Jesus as philosopher and explores his philosophy.
As Peter Kreeft states in the front of the book the audience for this book is both the Christian and non-Christian and I would say that the book achieves this admirably. It is also a book for both those trained in philosophy and those who know little or nothing on the subject. He defines the terms he uses along the way to ensure he leaves nobody behind. This book is also not full of technical philosophical or theological language and though while at times some of these terms are used his writing is very clear.
The book is divided into four major chapters:
* Jesus' Metaphysics (What is real?)
* Jesus' Epistemology (How do we know what is real?)
* Jesus' Anthropology (Who are we who know what is real?)
* Jesus' Ethics (What should we be to be more real?)
One of the hardest things to teach is to teach something that somebody already believes he knows. As Christians we accept the incarnation, but after a time we can talk about these mysterious things in a monotone. Peter Kreeft in his writing shows none of this tendency and presents Jesus and his teaching in fresh ways that once again invokes how you felt when you first started to believe. It is hard not to get excited once again as you read this book and for a book that deals with philosophical subjects you will be surprised how fast you are swept into the book, as if you were just doing some recreational reading from on of your favorite novelists.
This book is not the overt apologetics such as his outstanding Handbook of Christian Apologetics, but it certainly does show the philosophy of Jesus so that the non-Christian can understand it in a non-combative style and that the Christian will see the deeper dimensions of Jesus the philosopher.
So don't let the title throw you off, this is not a dry text on philosophical subjects, but a book certainly to nourish you.
As Peter Kreeft states in the front of the book the audience for this book is both the Christian and non-Christian and I would say that the book achieves this admirably. It is also a book for both those trained in philosophy and those who know little or nothing on the subject. He defines the terms he uses along the way to ensure he leaves nobody behind. This book is also not full of technical philosophical or theological language and though while at times some of these terms are used his writing is very clear.
The book is divided into four major chapters:
* Jesus' Metaphysics (What is real?)
* Jesus' Epistemology (How do we know what is real?)
* Jesus' Anthropology (Who are we who know what is real?)
* Jesus' Ethics (What should we be to be more real?)
One of the hardest things to teach is to teach something that somebody already believes he knows. As Christians we accept the incarnation, but after a time we can talk about these mysterious things in a monotone. Peter Kreeft in his writing shows none of this tendency and presents Jesus and his teaching in fresh ways that once again invokes how you felt when you first started to believe. It is hard not to get excited once again as you read this book and for a book that deals with philosophical subjects you will be surprised how fast you are swept into the book, as if you were just doing some recreational reading from on of your favorite novelists.
This book is not the overt apologetics such as his outstanding Handbook of Christian Apologetics, but it certainly does show the philosophy of Jesus so that the non-Christian can understand it in a non-combative style and that the Christian will see the deeper dimensions of Jesus the philosopher.
So don't let the title throw you off, this is not a dry text on philosophical subjects, but a book certainly to nourish you.
43 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Kreeft asks the big questions--what is?, how can we know what is real?, who are we?, and then, how should we live? He points out that "philosophers have thought profoundly about these four questions for over two millennia. Why have they not found answers that are adequate, final, and universally acknowledged?" (p 9)
He finds answers in the philosophy of Jesus, and compares those answers to those that are found in other religions and by other philosophers.
Against the God of the Christians who declares "I AM" there stands the many gods of Hinduism. Kreeft finds it significant that the "East never developed a morality or a politics of human rights" (p 121). The Hebrew God was a God of absolute goodness who instituted a covenant with his people. He was infinite love.
As for what we must know and be, that is also answered by Jesus. We must know ourselves and God, and to know God we must pray.
Buddhism seeks to overcome "the reality of the subject-object dualism" (p 71). Philosophers have fallen into the trap of either materialism or pantheism. Only in Christianity and in learning to become little Christs are these problems solved.
He finds answers in the philosophy of Jesus, and compares those answers to those that are found in other religions and by other philosophers.
Against the God of the Christians who declares "I AM" there stands the many gods of Hinduism. Kreeft finds it significant that the "East never developed a morality or a politics of human rights" (p 121). The Hebrew God was a God of absolute goodness who instituted a covenant with his people. He was infinite love.
As for what we must know and be, that is also answered by Jesus. We must know ourselves and God, and to know God we must pray.
Buddhism seeks to overcome "the reality of the subject-object dualism" (p 71). Philosophers have fallen into the trap of either materialism or pantheism. Only in Christianity and in learning to become little Christs are these problems solved.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Philosophy of Jesus is written to examine the life and teachings of Jesus for His contribution to thought. Kreeft is Catholic, I am an evangelical. I don't feel it takes away from the simplicity and power of his message. This book presents, in an easy to understand way, the affect of the Christ's ministry on our lives today.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
As a Kreeft fan it hurts me to say...
...that as I continue to to read (almost all of) his books I find less and less new and/or original thought. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dare to love
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great start for Christian Apologetics/Philosophy
Our society puts a choke hold on philosophy and theology by relying solely on logic. Peter Kreeft takes us on an adventure to see the philosophy that Jesus is, as opposed to what... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars
It depends on what the meaning of "of" is
The title of this book contains a rather ambiguous genitive. There is some of what you might expect - the "Philosophy of Jesus" as opposed to the philosophy of Plato or Descartes... Read more
Published on August 10, 2010 by R. S. Corzine
4.0 out of 5 stars
Philosophy of Jesus
A good book from a philosophical perspective. Kreeft talks of the philosophy shared by Jesus and compares it to other philosophers like Socrates. The more I read Mr. Read more
Published on March 5, 2010 by Brian B. Anderson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Theology pretending to be Philosophy
This is a good Theology book. Kreeft writes very well, in the tradition of C.S. Lewis. He is very quotable, but there is much more than cliches in this book. Read more
Published on September 22, 2009 by Shawn T. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and simple
Mr. Kreeft has take a difficult and abstruse area of human knowledge and made it like the person he is analyzing, simple. Read more
Published on April 9, 2009 by Timothy J. Gannon
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Philosophy of Jesus
After St. Thomas Aquinas had a glimpse of God he stated that all of his
writings were straw, nothing but straw. P. Read more
writings were straw, nothing but straw. P. Read more
Published on January 1, 2008 by debbe
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not so interesting...
Though well written, too much sexual allegory seeps into the pages and creates a strange image of God. Read more
Published on November 14, 2007 by Joel D. Weber
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bit thick for such a thin book, but worth it
This book is not as clearly written as some of Kreeft's other works, but is worth the effort if you are interested in considering Jesus as the Way/Truth/Life. Read more
Published on August 30, 2007 by Chad Hall
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