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Son of Man: The Mystical Path to Christ
"Galvanizing, beautifully written . . . a powerful expression of faith in the transforming power of Christ's love."-- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Son of Man is Andrew Harvey 's most basic statement on Christ, and it has already become a treasured work to readers interested in Christian mysticism. For the first time in any of his books, Harvey provides spiritual exercises--centuries-old rites previously available only to a few--that allow the reader direct experience with the mystical Christ. Son of Man also includes an easily accessible section of classic readings and meditations on the nature of Christ, making it the comprehensive experience in the Christ of the new millennium.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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About the author
Andrew Harvey
196 books91 followersAndrew Harvey is an author, religious scholar and teacher of mystic traditions, known primarily for his popular nonfiction books on spiritual or mystical themes, beginning with his 1983 A Journey in Ladakh.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 19, 2017
As a free thinker and reader of gnostic works, this is bar none the best book I've ever read that explains and assists us in opening our minds to the wondrous possibilities of God and Jesus. This is, outside of the bible, my most favorite book on the topic ever.
February 7, 2010
I grapple with Andrew Harvey and his work, but his books are mystical and inspiring. He continuously struggles with his love/hate relationship with the feminine and in so doing, reflects our own society's similar struggles.
January 18, 2019
This dense book needs an index - there are so many references and names in this book, aside from themes, that need to be indexed for referral. It also needs footnotes. The author includes a lot of direct quotes from various sources and it would be nice to verify them and to perhaps read more from that source. I prefer not to have to reread a book in entirety to find a name or passage quote.
As for the text - it starts out beautifully on the theme and message of love. And had the author limited the book to what he writes in the first half, ending it there, I would have given a higher rating.
What happens, though, is that the author begins to fragment his focus and go all over the map in terms of various religions and how they also reflect the Christian message. Certainly, the study of different religions is valid, but in this book it seems to be an attempt at "inclusiveness" and the reference to the other religions (only major ones) is shallow. Had the author seriously practiced these various religions, he might have more depth in his personal interpretations. While it is important to see the native current of similarity underlying all religion - if the message of the book is the Christ message as love, a comparison is not important. You don't have to prove that love is important.
But what bothered me most was that in the middle of the book, the author begins to address the feminine nature of creation and creator. He refers to various Greek, Egyptian, and Sumerian goddesses and myths, as well as Mary from the Christian Bible as deified by the Roman Catholic Church. First of all, this would be a book in itself - the feminine nature of God. Again, the message of love that the book started with does not have to be proven by God being female. Gender does not matter in love (or Love). But there is something annoyingly sexist about the whole section on the feminine-as-divine in this book. Perhaps because 98% of the references throughout the book are from males - including the section on the feminine nature of God. Also, Harvey does not mention the Gospel of Mary - the gospel in which it is clear that Mary was the favored disciple of Jesus and that he imparted wisdom and secrets to her that he did not share with other disciples (whose names appear on the gospels in the Bible). Why no mention of Mary's gospel?
Has Harvey ever explored and practiced (aside from saying the Rosary) any sort of feminine-based religion? Does he realize there are 1000s of goddesses? Is his section on the feminine divine simply another attempt at inclusiveness? If so, why does he not explain why and how the feminine has been disparaged thru the centuries. He does not bring up the way that the Catholic Church destroyed anyone who practiced goddess worship and systematically denied any equality to the feminine over centuries. If we're looking for facts, Jesus followers were equal - male and female - so why not address how the Catholic Church and Christian churches in general have consistently held that male is better, suppressed and condemned the feminine, mocked women, and battled over the leadership of women in the church? Why not mention the Jewish prayer: “Blessed are you, Lord, our God, ruler of the universe who has not created me a woman”?
And again, why is any of this important with regard to Love?
For me, if Harvey had focused his book and continued to expound on the message of love and how that was exemplified in Jesus's life and message, I would have enjoyed it more. Toward the middle I began skipping large portions and didn't read the last section except for the titles.
As for the text - it starts out beautifully on the theme and message of love. And had the author limited the book to what he writes in the first half, ending it there, I would have given a higher rating.
What happens, though, is that the author begins to fragment his focus and go all over the map in terms of various religions and how they also reflect the Christian message. Certainly, the study of different religions is valid, but in this book it seems to be an attempt at "inclusiveness" and the reference to the other religions (only major ones) is shallow. Had the author seriously practiced these various religions, he might have more depth in his personal interpretations. While it is important to see the native current of similarity underlying all religion - if the message of the book is the Christ message as love, a comparison is not important. You don't have to prove that love is important.
But what bothered me most was that in the middle of the book, the author begins to address the feminine nature of creation and creator. He refers to various Greek, Egyptian, and Sumerian goddesses and myths, as well as Mary from the Christian Bible as deified by the Roman Catholic Church. First of all, this would be a book in itself - the feminine nature of God. Again, the message of love that the book started with does not have to be proven by God being female. Gender does not matter in love (or Love). But there is something annoyingly sexist about the whole section on the feminine-as-divine in this book. Perhaps because 98% of the references throughout the book are from males - including the section on the feminine nature of God. Also, Harvey does not mention the Gospel of Mary - the gospel in which it is clear that Mary was the favored disciple of Jesus and that he imparted wisdom and secrets to her that he did not share with other disciples (whose names appear on the gospels in the Bible). Why no mention of Mary's gospel?
Has Harvey ever explored and practiced (aside from saying the Rosary) any sort of feminine-based religion? Does he realize there are 1000s of goddesses? Is his section on the feminine divine simply another attempt at inclusiveness? If so, why does he not explain why and how the feminine has been disparaged thru the centuries. He does not bring up the way that the Catholic Church destroyed anyone who practiced goddess worship and systematically denied any equality to the feminine over centuries. If we're looking for facts, Jesus followers were equal - male and female - so why not address how the Catholic Church and Christian churches in general have consistently held that male is better, suppressed and condemned the feminine, mocked women, and battled over the leadership of women in the church? Why not mention the Jewish prayer: “Blessed are you, Lord, our God, ruler of the universe who has not created me a woman”?
And again, why is any of this important with regard to Love?
For me, if Harvey had focused his book and continued to expound on the message of love and how that was exemplified in Jesus's life and message, I would have enjoyed it more. Toward the middle I began skipping large portions and didn't read the last section except for the titles.
April 9, 2016
It is a common mistake to say that Jesus as the Son of God represents his divinity and Jesus as the Son of Man represents his humanity. However it is backwards. "Son of God" is everyone as children of God. "Son of Man" is a designation for the messiah and thus a more exhalted title. In a sense it does not matter because in my view we are the ones we have been waiting for and so we are the messiah. I will up the star by one.
October 14, 2007
Very interesting look at some of the intent that Christ may have had in his parables, but that have been obsured by the religiious right.
December 15, 2011
Excellent in every way. Andrew never disappoints in his research, his conclusions nor his writing style. I recommend this to anyone who wants to know Jesus.
May 14, 2012
Rereading this book on a continual basis. Thank God for Harvey!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews