Jesus
A Biography from a Believer.
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
From the bestselling author and acclaimed historian, a powerful portrayal of the life of Jesus
Is Jesus relevant to us today? Few figures have had such an influence on history as Jesus of Nazareth. His teachings have inspired discussion, arguments, even war, and yet few have ever held forth as movingly on the need for peace, forgiveness, and mercy. Paul Johnson's brilliant reading offers readers a lively biography of the man who inspired one of the world's great religions and whose lessons still guide us in current times.
Johnson's magisterial and revered book A History of Christianity is a masterpiece of historical writing on religion; and in his new book he returns to focus on a central figure in one of the world's dominant religions. Johnson's intelligent and conversational style, as well as his ability to distill complex subjects into succinct, highly readable works, make this book the ideal match of a major historian with a major subject. The result is an accessible biography and an insightful analysis of how Jesus is important in the present era.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When one sets out to explicate the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, arguably the most important figure in human history, it is inevitable that the study will be affected by one's own beliefs and biases. Johnson, celebrated author and columnist for Forbes and the American Spectator, makes no excuse for his own Catholic faith foundations. In this eminently readable study of Jesus' life and teachings, Johnson delivers a cogent, conservative view of scripture and the character of the Christian faith. At times, Johnson's political views show through; his comments on the poor, and Jesus' compassion toward them, reflect his basic distrust of institutional and even personal charity, deeming it "quite ineffective and hopeless." But there is a compassion toward all people that echoes throughout this work. He concludes that this world, filled with evil, needs a return to the teachings of Jesus in order to right itself. Some will disagree. But none will be surprised at Johnson's fluid writing and fundamentally conservative views of religion and, indeed, the world at large.
