About the Book:
The
Life of Jesus Like You’ve Never Imagined
Jesus asked His
disciples, “Who do you say I am?” It’s a question that
still needs an answer today. With deft, insightful, and humorous
strokes, award-winning biographer Jared Brock weaves archaeology,
philosophy, history, and theology to create a portrait of Jesus we’ve
never seen before.
This is a groundbreaking biography about
the historical Jesus we don’t usually think about: The child refugee.
The “carpenter” who most likely worked with stone. The
adult who walked at least 21,525 miles in His lifetime and yet never
tasted tomatoes or potatoes. The itinerant rabbi whose real name
wasn’t Jesus. The political revolutionary whose brutal murder was
secretly masterminded by a power-hungry mafia family.
More
than a fascinating biography, A God Named Josh seeks to
illuminate Jesus of Nazareth from new perspectives, grounded in
history, that will surprise Christians and atheists alike.
You can read an excerpt here. You can watch the book trailer here.
My Review:
This
book is undoubtedly the most fascinating one I have ever read on the
person and work of Jesus. Brock’s writing style is wonderful and the
book is very readable, even with a bit of humor here and there. I
like how he gives possibilities and differing views and how he blends
in historical information from other sources. He includes new
insights I have never seen before and touches on just enough Greek to
be interesting, such as puns. He explores Jesus’ family structure and
the character of each of his disciples. He also has a wealth of
information on the political and cultural conditions of the day. He
even reviews descriptions of people of that day to give hints of what
Jesus might have looked like. He does the same for how Jesus might have
dressed and what he might have eaten.
Perhaps
the most fascinating aspect of this book is Brock’s clarification of
misunderstandings, of ideas Christians have been taught or assumed.
An example is the function and composition of the Sanhedrin of that
time. At the time of Jesus it was more of an ad hoc advisory group
for the high priest, not the more organized Great Sanhedrin of
centuries later. He explains many confusing issues, such as why there
are two high priests named in Luke 3:1-2.
Old
and new believers alike will find much thought provoking information
and eye opening insights in this book. It would be a good book to use
in a class or small group. I recommend it.
My
rating: 4/5 stars.
About the Author:
Jared
Brock (www.jaredbrock.com)
is an award-winning author and director of several films including
PBS’s acclaimed Redeeming
Uncle Tom
with
Danny Glover. His writing has appeared in Christianity
Today,
The
Guardian,
Smithsonian, USA
Today,
Huffington
Post,
Relevant,
and TIME.
He has traveled to more than forty countries, including North Korea,
Transnistria, and the Vatican.
Photo
Credit: © Steward Communications
Bethany House Publishers, 336 pages.
(My
star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It’s OK, 2-I don’t like it,
1-I hate it.)
