Product Description

There is no denying the importance of Jesus Christ in the history of humankind. He has walked through the last two thousand years of history, of empires, governments, political systems and philosophies and has remained as a dominant, challenging, yet mysterious presence. In "The Life", J. John and Chris Walley achieve an uncommon blend - a serious book for popular use and a popular book for serious reading. If you want to know who Jesus Christ is, then read "The Life" and be rewarded.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #157240 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
'a clear and vigorous introduction to the living, breathing Jesus.' Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham 'A robust and informed guide to Jesus, that is true to the text of scripture and written at a style and level that convinces not yet believers without bulldozing them - you'll need to buy more than one for sure.' Christianity

Customer Reviews

Well reasoned portrait of Jesus
Firstly - I am a Christian, therefore I obviously read the book with different eyes to the previous reviews.

The book is easy to understand without being patronising, and the authors obviously know their history and culture, as well as their bible. I found this book useful for several reasons. First it reviewed the reasons why the biblical accounts are trustworthy (note I say reviewed - the aim of the book did not seem to be a defence of the historical accuracys of the bible, rather a brief review evidence included in other books)

It also explained the religous, political and cultural context well, better than I have read in other books. I feel it discussed other views of Jesus and was convincing in defending the standard christian view of who Jesus is and his ministry. I found the descriptions of his activities, which were often placed in chronological order rather than the order discussed in the gospels, helped me to see many of the events in the bible in a new light.

As for previous comments that all sources are drawn from the bible, this is not true. Whilst many are, several are drawn from contemporary historians. And the fact is that most of the information we have about Jesus is in the bible. Writings by historians of the day are included where relevant. And the comment that it shows only a christian view is to be expected - Indeed the authors explain in the introduction that this is their view and the book explains the reasons for that view. If you are not interested in reading about the christian view of Jesus, this is not the book for you. If you are, for maybe no other reason than to understand why (or how) Christians beleive what they believe, this is the best book I have read on the subject.

Excellent account of who and what Jesus is.
J.John is a superb speaker, and his writing is as good.

This book is a well evidenced account of who Jesus was and is. It gives a very clear picture that shows exactly why Jesus matters. It is concise and incisive.

The book is good at showing its evidence, and at considering the strengths and weaknesses of its sources. It cross references secular and biblical sources to good effect. This gives weight to its conclusions about Jesus.

Recommended to those readers who need to understand who Jesus is, and what we know about him.