Seeing Jesus: Visionary Encounters from the First Century to the Present
Visionary Encounters from the First Century to the Present
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- $22.99
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
Jesus ascended to heaven. End of story. But then how do we explain the many Christians, in nearly every century since, who claimed to have seen, heard, met, and touched Jesus in the flesh?
In Seeing Jesus, Robert Hudson explores the larger-than-life characters throughout Christian history who have encountered the actual face or form of the resurrected Christ--from the apostles Thomas and Paul in the first century to Charles Finney in the nineteenth and Sundar Singh in the twentieth. Hudson combines history, biography, spiritual reflection, skepticism, and humor to unpack awe-inspiring and sometimes seemingly absurd stories, from a surprise sighting of Jesus in a cup of coffee, to Christ appearing to Julian of Norwich during a life-threatening illness to assure her that "all manner of thing shall be well." Along the way, he uncovers deeper meaning for us today.
Through Hudson's quirky and lyrical prose we get to know people of unflinching faith, like Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Avila, Silouan the Athonite, and Sojourner Truth--those who claim radical encounters with Jesus. The result is a fascinating journey through Christian history that is at once thoroughly analytical and deeply devotional.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hudson (The Christian Writer's Manual of Style) takes a thoughtful approach to this intriguing collection of accounts of Christians throughout history who have claimed visions of Jesus. He calls it "a book of stories and a book about stories," and is quick to clarify that he is not determining whether any are fact or fiction. While he acknowledges points of skepticism and the utility of parables ("Does the story of the Good Samaritan lose its validity if the incident was made up?"), he's hesitant to dismiss out of hand any modern claims, when such influential Christians as Mother Teresa, Francis of Assisi, and Sojourner Truth are believed to have encountered God on Earth. Whether retelling reports from disciples, mystics, or moderns, he strives to make sense of context and lessons—and draws a distinction between those who may have ulterior motives (such as greed) and those that exemplify sincere faith; for example, many have mocked the story of Maria Morales Rubio, who claims to have seen the face of Jesus in a tortilla, but Hudson notes the incident was associated with positives such as the curing of her husband's alcoholism, and emphasizes that "Faith, not faces, is the miracle." This should resonate with mystics and more philosophical Christian readers alike.
