Synopses & Reviews
The Words of Jesus
What if you could encounter the words of Jesus on their own, lifted up from the surrounding narratives and presented in their full power and mystery? That's the question Phyllis Tickleone of America's most beloved writers on Christian spiritualityasked when she set out to write what she calls a "Sayings gospel." In The Words of Jesus Tickle has compiled and arranged all the Sayings of Jesus from the first four books of the New Testament and the first chapter of the Book of Acts in a way that creates an entirely new kind of encounter with the texts. And she has accompanied those Sayings with her own personal reflections and commentaries not just on the words themselves but on the One who spoke them.
While researching the book, Tickle discovered five distinct categories of Jesus' Sayings from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: words of public teaching, words of private instruction, words of healing dialogue, words of intimate conversation, and words of post-resurrection encounter. By arranging Jesus' Sayings within these categories, she is better able to allow readers to tap into the teachings' true and essential meaning. In this important book, Tickle brings out the richness of Jesus' words and makes each passage stand on its own and in so doing highlights the variance and diversity in Jesus' Sayings and in the people for whom they were intended.
The Words of Jesus gives readers a thoughtful way to experience a clearer, more embodied encounter with Jesus and with the meaning of and messages in His Words.
Review
Harsh. Testy. Uncompromising. These aren't words typically associated with Jesus, but Christian scholar Phyllis Tickle, a former religion editor of
Publishers Weekly, says they often came to mind as she wrote her new book, "The Words of Jesus." The book, which arrives in stores next week, plucks Jesus' words out of the Gospels and Acts, leaving them to stand alone without the context of his actions. "His words come as a shock," says Tickle. "Readers will get a Jesus they never saw before." He is, of course, still the warm and compassionate man who said "Father, forgive them" and "Love one another." But when it comes to his mission, Jesus doesn't mince words. "Anyone who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me," he told his apostles. Tickle believes Christians err when they "domesticate Jesus," because they lose a sense of his power and the urgency of his message. "Obviously, he has an enormous amount of love," says Tickle. "But it is the love of a parent who knows the rules and who isn't going to soften the blow." Jesus was anxious to be understood. He asked Philip, an apostle, "Have I been so long a time among you … and still you do not know me?" It's a question that Tickle's book helps us answer today. (
Newsweek, February 4, 2008)
Founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly, Tickle is also the prolific author of God-Talk in America, Recovering the Sacred, and other books. This volume is a thoughtful reflection on the meaning of Jesus's words and the importance of various contexts for his followers, as well as on truth that emerges around unconsciously imposed cultural blinders. In the process, Tickle explains much of the thinking behind the Emergent Church movement. She also struggles with how to phrase certain "words" found with different nuances in more than one canonical Gospel. The book concludes with a recounting of Jesus's words from the canonical Gospels and the first chapter of Acts, dividing them into five different contexts, by delivery venue or topic: words of public teaching, of private instruction, of healing dialog, of intimate conversation, and of postresurrection encounters. For many readers, this book will fulfill Tickle's intent: to lead to a new appreciation of Jesus's words and of Jesus himself. Highly recommended for public and seminary libraries.—Carolyn M. Craft, formerly with Longwood Univ., Farmville, VA (Library Journal, February 1, 2008)
Award-winning author and speaker Tickle (Rediscovering the Sacred; The Divine Hours), who is PW's former contributing editor in religion, chooses to take the “red letter” Bible one step further in this excellent study tool. The first section of this slim volume is a reflective essay on what Tickle learned from extracting the words of Jesus out of their narrative context in the Gospels. She writes of Jesus gradually becoming “the heard” rather than “the seen,” stripped of the sentimental images she had grown up with. She argues that the sayings, taken on their own merit, offer a third way between biblical literalists and literary critics: “Jesus was an actualist, not a literalist or a metaphorist... [the words] don't mean; they are.” As such, they must be absorbed with both heart and mind together. Tickle divides the sayings into five categories: public teaching, private instruction, healing dialogue, intimate conversation and postresurrection encounters. Each saying stands alone but has been given a brief descriptive title. Tickle used an amalgam of biblical translations and chronologies to produce a version that is accessible and vibrant. These sayings of Jesus will be a valuable tool to Christians looking for new ways to study and assimilate his core teachings and character. (Feb.) (Publishers Weekly, December 3, 2007)
Synopsis
What if you could encounter the words of Jesus on their own, lifted up from the surrounding narratives and presented in their full power and mystery? That’s the question Phyllis Tickle—one of America’s most beloved writers on Christian spirituality—asked when she set out to write what she calls a “Sayings gospel.” In The Words of Jesus Tickle has compiled and arranged all the sayings of Jesus from the first four books of the New Testament and the first chapter of the Book of Acts in a way that creates an entirely new kind of encounter with the texts. And she has accompanied those sayings with her own personal reflections and commentaries not just on the words themselves but on the One who spoke them.
Synopsis
Praise for The Words of Jesus"Harsh. Testy. Uncompromising. These aren't words typically associated with Jesus, but Christian scholar Phyllis Tickle, a former religion editor of Publishers Weekly, says they often came to mind as she wrote her new book, The Words of Jesus. . . . Jesus was anxious to be understood. He asked Philip, an apostle, 'Have I been so long a time among you ...and still you do not know me?' It's a question that Tickle's book helps us answer today."
—Newsweek
"Thoughtful reflection. . . . Highly recommended."
—Library Journal
"These sayings of Jesus will be a valuable tool to Christians looking for new ways to study and assimilate His core teachings and character."
—Publishers Weekly
"I daily give thanks to God for Phyllis Tickle, whose words have long been an icon through which I have seen glimpses of divine life. I can think of no one I would rather have guide me into the words of Jesus."
—Lauren F. Winner, Duke Divinity School; author, Girl Meets God
"I'm wary of any attempt to abstract the words of Jesus from their context in the distinctive particulars of the four gospels. But Phyllis Tickle's The Words of Jesus is worth the price of admission, and more: she's given us one of the richest engagements with Scripture I've encountered in a long while."
—John Wilson, editor, Books & Culture, Christianity Today
About the Author
Phyllis Tickle, founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly, is one of the most highly respected authorities and popular speakers on religion in America today. She is the author of more than two dozen books including the Divine Hours series of prayer manuals. A lector and lay eucharistic minister in the Episcopal Church, Tickle is a senior fellow of the Cathedral College of Washington National Cathedral. For more information go to www.phyllistickle.com and www.allthewordsofjesus.com.
Table of Contents
Reflections on the Words of Jesus.A Gospel of the Sayings of Our Lord.
BOOK I The Words of Public Teaching.
BOOK II The Words of Private Instruction.
BOOK III The Words of Healing Dialogue.
BOOK IV The Words of Intimate Conversation.
BOOK V The Words of Post-Resurrection Encounters.
Acknowledgments.
The Author.
Index to Canonical Sources.
Index to Key Words and Major Themes.
A Reader’s Guide for The Words of Jesus (ELIZABETH WIRLS AND LINDA MARKS).