Synopses & Reviews
Almost two thousand years after his death, Jesus continues to be front-page news in the United States. Recent polls show that over 84 percent of Americans agree with the statement, "Jesus is the Son of God." From Mel Gibson's
The Passion of the Christ to Dan Brown's
The DaVinci Code to the mega-selling apocalyptic Left Behind series, we remain haunted by Jesus.
Yet American Christians are deeply divided about what it means to follow him. Many followers of Jesus oppose evolution; many defend it. Some are among the strongest supporters of our nation's invasions and wars; others are among its strongest critics. Followers of Jesus can be found among the strongest opponents of gay-marriage, as well as among its strongest advocates.
Leading Bible scholar Marcus Borg takes us on an incredible journey to discover who Jesus was, what he taught, and why he still matters today. In the definitive book of his career, Borg argues that how we see Jesus affects how we see Christianity and reveals a new way of seeing—a new perspective that can overcome the differences between the literalists and progressives, a path that emphasizes following "the way" of Jesus, the original name of the Jesus movement.
Borg introduces us to a Jesus we have never really met before, a religious revolutionary who brought transformation, not doctrine. Jesus remains the decisive revelation of God, but we now encounter him as both a reality and a role model centered in God, focused on both personal and political transformation, emphasizing practices rather than beliefs, and exemplifying a faith characterized by deep commitment and gentle certitude.
In a time when Christians are deeply divided, Borg's magisterial work introduces a new conversation about Jesus, the person through whom we see clearly God's character and passion incarnate in a human life. For followers of Jesus, this is the conversation that matters most. You will be inspired.
Review
“Borg pours a lifetime of scholarship into this provocative overview of Jesuss life.” Detriot Free Press
Synopsis
Borg returns to the ground where he made his dramatic debut with Jesus: A New Vision in 1987. Here Borg updates his work introducing us to a Jesus we have never met before. In many ways Borg's Jesus is more revolutionary and possesses a more exciting moral vision than the church's traditional view. Here we meet Jesus as sage and prophet courageously and surprisingly confronting the social crises of his day. After a lifetime of work and study, Borg also discovers a Jesus that can continue to inspire, inform and guide those who have moved beyond archaic doctrines. Borg argues that there is a movement in the church today that is catching up with where scholarship has brought us in understanding Christian origins. Here readers will find an historically accurate Jesus, but one who is still worth following.
Synopsis
From top Jesus expert Marcus Borg, a completely updated and revised version of his vision of Jesus—as charismatic healer, sage, and prophet, a man living in the power of the spirit and dedicated to radical social change.
Fully revised and updated, this is Borg's major book on the historial Jesus. He shows how the Gospel portraits of Jesus, historically seen, make sense. Borg takes into account all the recent developments in historical Jesus scholarship, as well as new theories on who Jesus was and how the Gospels reflect that.
The original version of this book was published well before popular fascination with the historical Jesus. Now this new version takes advantage of all the research that has gone on since the 80s. The revisions establish it as Borg's big but popular book on Jesus.
About the Author
Marcus J. Borg is Canon Theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. He was Hundere Chair of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University until his retirement in 2007. Borg is the author of nineteen books, including the bestselling The Heart of Christianity, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, and the novel Putting Away Childish Things. He was an active member of the Jesus Seminar when it focused on the historical Jesus, and he has been chair of the Historical Jesus section of the Society of Biblical Literature.