Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture

This is a lovely book, the predecessor to JP’s similar book on Mary. In each case his focus is historical and cultural, not theological (though he is, of course, the dean of church historians and knows the theology intimately). Put in another way, the books are descriptive, not hortatory or attempts at proselytization. In Jesus Through The Centuries, JP examines the multiple ways in which Jesus has been seen, conceptualized, viewed and worshipped--for example: as a Jewish rabbi, as the Light of the Gentiles, the King of Kings, Son of Man, the Prince of Peace and the Liberator.The final chapter—“The Man Who Belongs to the World”—is particularly interesting. Despite Renan, Strauss and the so-called ‘higher criticism’; despite the search for the ‘historical Jesus’; despite the weakened position of the institutional Church; despite the secularism, the skepticism, the agnosticism and the seeming indifference of modernism, Jesus remains, transcending institutions, transcending disputes over dogma. In Father Ted Hesburgh’s jacket blurb, “Jesus now belongs to the whole of humanity, far beyond the reach of the organized Church and ecclesial theology.” I find this encouraging.The scholarship is magisterial, as is JP’s facility with multiple languages, but he writes in a very accessible style and does not lard the book with footnotes and recondite references. This is a book for all readers interested in Jesus’ place in the history of culture. It is organized (roughly) chronologically, but the individual chapters are thematic, so JP is not rigidly constrained and is free to expand on his subject in any way that seems relevant. As in the book on Mary, he draws heavily on art and iconography and, to a lesser degree, music (on which he is quite expert).Bottom line: this is a beautiful read on a very important subject, done by the leading scholar of church history of the 20th century. To repeat something I said in my review of JP’s book on Mary, those who had the privilege of knowing Jary will attest to the fact that he often spoke in the street vernacular (not in any crude way, but in a down-to-earth one). Thus, he is sometimes given to popular references and popular expressions which also make the book attractive and accessible to general readers.

I recently finished Jesus Through the Centuries. It's definitely unlike anything I've read before. Having been introduced to the name Jaroslav Pelikan in the pages of Christian History magazine, I cannot be grateful enough for the experience of finally reading one of his works.Pelikan gives us a bird's eye view of how the subject of Jesus has been treated by a variety of individuals over time. One will gain a greater appreciation for the early church fathers, particularly Augustine, as well as the influence of classic Greco-Roman culture in molding the popular image of Jesus in the early centuries of Christianity. How Jesus was viewed by both monks and mystics is also touched upon in this work. Regarding the former, Pelikan notes how early monasticism emerged as a reaction against unbiblical ideas that had infiltrated state-sponsored Christianity.Later on, readers will discover that Erasmus, after being inundated with complex medieval theology, sought to draw people back to a more Bible-based view of the Messiah. To add to this, we find how Martin Luther guided his own countrymen to discover Jesus as a relatable figure through the pages of his German New Testament.Readers are further made aware of how such otherwise great thinkers as Isaac Newton and Thomas Jefferson sought to water down biblical Christology during the Enlightenment period. Thankfully, a more biblical view of Jesus resurged through the Romantic poets, Russian authors such as Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, and the German theologian Karl Barth.In addition to the fascinating prose, classic art is presented throughout this text. Also, Scripture is alluded to in occasionally unfamiliar, though helpful, ways on a number of occasions. I must say this work strengthened my faith at a much deeper level than some of the recent bestsellers have. Though it may take a while to digest, I simply can't give enough praise for Jesus Through the Centuries.

Very pleased with the price, condition and delivery time.The book itself is very interesting and holds a great deal of information on how Jesus has been interpreted down the ages. It is useful to me in my preaching work as it is full of back ground material.Jaroslav Pelikan is very readable and has done his research.

The arrived in perfect condition and fits the description.