Hope of the Gospel/Miracles of Our Lord: A Duplex Book (George MacDonald Original Works) (Hardcover)

by George MacDonald (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 450 pages
• Publisher: Johannesen Printing & Publishing (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881084361
• ISBN-13: 978-1881084365
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,463,627 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent finale and introduction to MacDonald's sermons, November 25, 2003

By	Jason Pratt (Dyer, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hope of the Gospel: Miracles of Our Lord (Hardcover)

The Johannensen editions of these books _are_ gorgeously solid without being flashy or pretentious, btw. I highly recommend buying from them.

MacDonald wrote five volumes of 'Unspoken Sermons' (the title of the first three volumes); each a cycle of 12 sermons leading into each other (he always ends one sermon with the verse upon which the next is based). This duplex includes _Hope of the Gospel_ and _Miracles of Our Lord_, both of which are in essence extensions of the Unspoken series.

MoOL (which doesn't feature the usual crossover between chapter/sermons, btw) makes an especially good reference for fans and students (like myself) of C.S. Lewis' _Miracles: A Preliminary Study_, as Lewis definitely drew on this book for the form and presentation of his chapters of philosophical analysis of the miracles wrought by Jesus. (In fact, all the Unspokens give excellent insight into Lewis' theological backgrounding.) MacDonald presents a penetrating theological and devotional presentation of the Lord's works, emphasizing the call to faith in Jesus personally inherent in each one. The book can be read as an auxiliary to the other Unspokens, or as an introduction to the series as a whole.

HotG works best, in my opinion, as a summary of positions developed in the three main Unspoken volumes (although all the sermons are also quite original); consequently I always read it last. {g} The first few sermons trace Jesus' early life and ministry, giving fascinating insights on His Jerusalem Temple adventure and His baptism,as well as on the meaning inherent in His given name. From these points, MacDonald structures the remaining chapters around the Beatitudes, presenting them as the clearest way to understand the gospel given by God through (and as) Jesus.

Scholarly standards are quite high in MacDonald's work, although this shouldn't scare off potential readers: he constantly brings us back to practical applications of all the principles discussed.

If I had to recommend any single series of books (outside the Scriptures themselves) that every Christian should read (and while quite conservative the books will be theologically challenging to Christians all across the spectrum), the Unspoken Sermons, including these two extensions, would definitely be the one.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Edition of Beautiful Writings, May 30, 2001

By A Customer

The Johannesens have devoted the last six years to producing quality editions of the works of George MacDonald. I am not much of a fan of old typefaces, old books, or their facsimiles, but the physical beauty of this duplex edition of these hundred year old books reflects well the beauty of the teachings inscribed on its pages.

Among the essays in _Hope of the Gospel_ is "Sorrow, the Pledge of Joy", which I consider to be one of the all-time masterpieces of devotional literature. Anyone who can read it without weeping must have lived a life much different from mine. This essay appears in a heavily edited form in Rolland Hein's _Life Essential: The Hope of the Gospel_; buy the Johannesen's edition to enjoy this and other essays in their full unedited glory.