Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel

by Luke Timothy Johnson

Book Overview

Who is the real Jesus? How can we experience the mystery, complexity, and richness of his spirituality and teachings in our lives today? In this gently instructive and inspiring guide, Luke Timothy Johnson leads us to a deeper understanding of classic Christian spirituality and faith. Translating his biblical scholarship into simple, elegant language, he reflects on the real Jesus--not the reconstructed historical figure but the resurrected Christ,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060642831
• ISBN13: 9780060642839
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel

I purchased copies for family and friends, believers and sceptics because Johnson convincingly portrays the faith of the early church that precedes the writing of the New Testament Gospel.He provides a needed emphasis on the real presence of Jesus by His Holy Spirit as a powerful interrealtional reality. Belief in the resurrection as a past event, even at the word of apostolic eye witnesses, does not adequately account for the rapid growth of the Church-communities. There had to be more than an acceptance of a message:individual and group experiences accompied the preaching and teaching. Johnson describes the 'matter of fact' phenomenon that produced conversions and the writings of the New Testament. This is the faith reponse of believers today who greet eachother at Easter in the present tense: He is Risen!

A Book to be Read More than Once

I write from the perspective of a Protestant Evangelical who has often had misgivings about some of the Catholic literature I've read, but I can say that Luke Timothy Johnson's "Living Jesus" is one of the most Christ-exalting books I have read in many years. Johnson has brought Jesus Christ from the place of cold, hard historical facts (which is where most Catholics and Protestants alike often leave Him) to the place of the living Lord experienced by the early church and whom we can experience today. In the process, Johnson ably points out the fallacies employed by those involved in the quest for the historical Jesus, a quest that seems determine to deny practically every essential truth about Jesus. Though it's easy to see Johnson's Catholic roots in his writing, I encourage my Protestant brothers to read this book. You will find yourself fellowshipping with a true brother in Christ in the pages he has written. This is a book you will read more than once.

EXCELLENT AND CONCISE

lt johnson is a moderately conservative catholic (in fact an ex-monk) who has written extensively on nt studies. this 203 page book can be read in a few hours and is not bogged down with scholarly jargon. essentially he is putting into perspective the value of historical Jesus studies. lt states that if Jesus is today alive for Christians, how then can we get a reliable picture of Him by using the means by which we study dead people! he has been gently criticised by some including ben witherington and raymond brown for separating the Jesus of history from the Jesus we worship - but i don't think that is the focus of johnson's argument. i think lt is simply pointing out (quite validly) that historical critical studies can give only a limited picture of Jesus. he uses as an interesting example adolf hitler. if we were to perform a study in "historical hitlerology" (attempting to construct a portait using what hitler thought of himself as well as the thoughts of his closest associates), we would indeed come up with a picture of hitler that would be quite different than what we know to be true. i would agree that this comparison is a little oblique, but johnson makes a good point. the first few chapters may seem a little fluffy to some but they move quickly into the meat of the work. all in all, this is a very readable work. not everyone will agree with johnson but all those interested in Jesus studies need to be exposed to his point of view!

Learning About Jesus

Luke Timothy Johnson does a masterful job at creating a book that engages the reader's mind and heart. Though this book is written from an ex-priest and still retains much Catholic tradition, the Protestant reader can also enjoy and gain insight from this well written text. This book is not written for the skeptic or the Christian revisionist, like his previous book "The Real Jesus." Instead this material will penetrate the heart of the believer. As he wonderfully points out, "To be a Christian means to assert that Jesus is alive, is indeed life-giving Spirit." This book reminds the Christian that we should be learning from a living Jesus. To often, we look at Jesus as a piece of history. This is a wake-up call to Christians everywhere. We are to learn from Jesus from great Christians, the church, and the New Testament. I find Dr. Johnson's book to be honest and forthright and appreciated his candor about the church and himself. This is a must read!

Makes sense of the Resurrection.

I read this book, appropriately enough, over Easter weekend. Like Paul on the road to Damascus, I had an epiphany. After ten years of reading book after book on Christian apologetics (from C.S. Lewis to Josh McDowell), this is THE book that finally allowed me to grasp the concept of, and to believe in, the Resurrection. I now state the Nicene creed in church with conviction, and have found geniune faith in Christ as Living Lord. I cannot recommend this book enough.