Jesus: A Life

by A.N. Wilson

Book Overview

"Extraordinarily entertaining....Learned, witty....Wilson [is] a gifted novelist and diligent biographer."--Newsday

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393326330
• ISBN13: 9780393326338
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Jesus of Faith or Jesus of History?

Wilson has done a great job merely pointing out that as far as history is concerned we know nothing of Jesus. The Gospels as well as the other New Testament documents are obviously not historical in nature as none of the authors even claim to be historians and they do claim to BELIEVE that Jesus was god in the flesh! Nothing could be less historical or more mystical. Wilson is also fair in telling the reader right up front that his ideas are just that. Because there is so little HISTORY regarding Jesus, no one, including Wilson can offer more than a guess. Religionists that already BELIEVE in this or that, of course, care little about history or truth. This book is not for anyone that has already made up his or her mind that belief is all that is necessary. It is for those of us that have always wondered how much history tells us about Jesus. The answer is in. History tells us nothing! Your guess is as good as Luther's or Augustine's.

Jesus: Man of Mystery

It's very obvious why those who fervently believe in the contemporary Christian church's teachings would object to this book. It exposes to the light many of the dearly held beliefs of fundamentalist Christians and shows them for what they are - stories, exaggerations, myths built upon other myths, wishful thinking, etc. Yet throughout the book, the actual person of Jesus is treated with great respect and admiration.Although the author takes liberties interpreting the events written about in the Gospels, he is meticulous about qualifying his guesses as such. This does not detract from the book at all. Many of his theories, such as the risen Christ being merely one of his brothers (how come nobody seemed to recognize him right away?), were very similar to my own theories of what may have actually happened.A great deal of historical research went into this book, but it is written like a fast-paced mystery novel. I found the book to be quite thorough, although I do look forward to reading the author's book about Paul the Apostle to learn more about the person who is actually responsible for Christianity as we know it today.I would highly recommend this book!

Journalism with scholarship

This is a very scholarly treatment with Wilson's own thoughts on the subject. Not just history, but what he feels about it and how it makes sense to him. Avoiding the extreme that Jesus did not exist, this book is an objective account of Jesus' life and represents a very readable, sympathetic study. Great for students, scholars and sceptics but not so much for traditionalists.

A Defense of Jesus the Man

This remarkable book accomplishes two difficult tasks that may seem at odds to those who have not read it: it decisively dethrones any remaining New Testament claim to historical validity while defending the life and teachings of the real Jesus against the institutions that have grown in their influence by putting words in the man's mouth. It is difficult to imagine a more impressive feat.

This book is well researched and logically thought out.

This book is well researched. The author applies logic to arrive at various conclusions. His conclusions will certainly not be well received by traditional Christians as they call into questions many fundemental beliefs of most contemporary Christain churches. Jesus comes across as a good man who perhaps had a unique message that was misunderstood at the time. This misunderstanding may have contributed to his brutal death.