Review of “In Search of Jesus of Nazareth and His Original Teaching”
Posted: 19 Sep 2021, 23:24
[Following is a volunteer review of "“In Search of Jesus of Nazareth and His Original Teaching”" by Paul A Weekes.]
“In Search of Jesus of Nazareth and His Original Teaching” is a short book by Paul A. Weekes about his personal investigation, analysis, and understanding of Jesus Christ, as both a historical and religious figure. The book deals primarily with the author’s own views on the various scholarly works and popular media/discourse concerning the topic of Jesus of Nazareth and his teachings, a subject that has been thoroughly discussed and debated for nearly two thousand years.
As far as positive aspects go, this book does touch on some of the more interesting elements surrounding Jesus’ life and teachings, including how he is depicted in some of the non-canonical historical accounts, such as the Gospel of Thomas. The author seems to approach the subject with a relatively open mind and no desire to tear down (or overly build up, for that matter) Jesus as an important figure of historical study. I will say too that the topics touched on by the author make one interested in doing further research on the subject of Jesus’ teachings.
That being said, the book in many areas feels like an amateur’s attempt to summarize what he remembers from more scholarly sources, similar in tone to an informal discussion on religion with a friend at a bar. In some ways this is to be expected, because the author does not claim to be an expert on the subject, but at a certain point the reader has to wonder why he shouldn’t just consult these primary sources himself rather than read them imperfectly regurgitated in this account. There are several instances where controversial statements are presented as unsupported facts and entire fields of scholarly study and debate are glossed over in mere sentences.
I have rated this book 2 out of 4 stars primarily because I would not personally recommend it, but it does touch on several interesting aspects surrounding the subject of Jesus, so perhaps it has some value as an informal gateway to further readings on the topic. It also includes, as resources in the notes/references section, the entire Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary, in case readers are interested in some of the non-canonical depictions of Jesus.
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“In Search of Jesus of Nazareth and His Original Teaching”
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
“In Search of Jesus of Nazareth and His Original Teaching” is a short book by Paul A. Weekes about his personal investigation, analysis, and understanding of Jesus Christ, as both a historical and religious figure. The book deals primarily with the author’s own views on the various scholarly works and popular media/discourse concerning the topic of Jesus of Nazareth and his teachings, a subject that has been thoroughly discussed and debated for nearly two thousand years.
As far as positive aspects go, this book does touch on some of the more interesting elements surrounding Jesus’ life and teachings, including how he is depicted in some of the non-canonical historical accounts, such as the Gospel of Thomas. The author seems to approach the subject with a relatively open mind and no desire to tear down (or overly build up, for that matter) Jesus as an important figure of historical study. I will say too that the topics touched on by the author make one interested in doing further research on the subject of Jesus’ teachings.
That being said, the book in many areas feels like an amateur’s attempt to summarize what he remembers from more scholarly sources, similar in tone to an informal discussion on religion with a friend at a bar. In some ways this is to be expected, because the author does not claim to be an expert on the subject, but at a certain point the reader has to wonder why he shouldn’t just consult these primary sources himself rather than read them imperfectly regurgitated in this account. There are several instances where controversial statements are presented as unsupported facts and entire fields of scholarly study and debate are glossed over in mere sentences.
I have rated this book 2 out of 4 stars primarily because I would not personally recommend it, but it does touch on several interesting aspects surrounding the subject of Jesus, so perhaps it has some value as an informal gateway to further readings on the topic. It also includes, as resources in the notes/references section, the entire Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary, in case readers are interested in some of the non-canonical depictions of Jesus.
******
“In Search of Jesus of Nazareth and His Original Teaching”
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon