Upending Christianity's popular notion of Jesus the comforter, the good shepherd, the Lord, and the Savior, this completely new exploration of Mark's Life of Jesus reexamines the image presented in this earliest of the New Testament gospels--the mysterious stranger, the singular, abandoned, and solitary figure--and rethinks the current role of Western culture through a radically altered view of Christianity. The existential Jesus has no interest in sin, and his focus is not on an afterlife. He is anti-church, anti ...
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Upending Christianity's popular notion of Jesus the comforter, the good shepherd, the Lord, and the Savior, this completely new exploration of Mark's Life of Jesus reexamines the image presented in this earliest of the New Testament gospels--the mysterious stranger, the singular, abandoned, and solitary figure--and rethinks the current role of Western culture through a radically altered view of Christianity. The existential Jesus has no interest in sin, and his focus is not on an afterlife. He is anti-church, anti-establishment, anti-family, and anti-community; a teacher, with himself his only student, he gestures enigmatically from within his own torturous experience, inviting the reader to walk in his shoes and ask the question, "Who am I?" This book argues that Jesus is the West's great teacher on the nature of being. Incorporating a new translation of the Gospel of Mark from its original Greek, this radical reinterpretation identifies the philosophical and cultural significance of Jesus in the modern world, based on his life, actions, and reflections.
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Add this copy of The Existential Jesus to cart. $3.31, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Counterpoint LLC.
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Despite an intriguing introductory chapter (titled The Enigma of Being), the odour of anti-Judaism hangs heavy over the rest of the book. Jesus is portrayed as a bad-tempered self-hating Jew, and the author's references to 'the Jews,' 'the Jewish elite,' 'Jewish doctors' and their 'science' spoil the text. His elevation of Greco-European culture and his obvious distaste for Judea recall the excesses of anti-Judaism that have plagued Christianity over the centuries. When Jesus is characterized as the 'Platonic form of being human,' the sundering of Jesus from his Jewish roots is complete. Incredibly, the author exonerates Pontius Pilate, who is portrayed as a thoughtful man burdened by an 'impossible moral dilemma,' when in reality, Pilate was a needlessly cruel and petty-minded tyrant even by Roman standards.
Also problematic are the rather peculiar New Age-references to 'sacred pneuma,' 'sacred order,' 'bathed in the pneuma,' 'pneuma the god,' and the utterly unconvincing coinage 'pneumaphobia.' And there are some awful sentences such as 'What empires of stone and mind have been built in prolific midrashes of the Jesus essence.'
The book is not entirely bad. The writer finds some very interesting parallels between Mark's Gospel and John's Gospel. There are some excellent observations and insights regarding the 'boy with the linen cloth' and the demon-possessed Legion. And he is skilled in showing us the recurring symbols in Mark's gospel, particularly the symbol of rock/stone. The chapter about the empty tomb is excellent, full of depth and richness.
So the book is something of a mixed bag. If the writer had curbed his obvious dislike of Jewishness and Judaism, the book would be very enjoyable. I say this because there really are some wonderful insights, especially in the remarkable empty tomb chapter, which is inspired and inspiring. Plus, the idea that Jesus represents authentic Being (I am) as opposed to inauthentic Being (not-I/I am not) is also well made.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, but with the warning that the unpleasant Judeophobia is likely to spoil one's enjoyment of it.
