Jesus before Christianity

by Albert Nolan OP

Albert Nolan’s portrait introduces us to Jesus before he became the object of Christian faith, operating in history in a specific social context, addressing concrete hopes, and engaging in controversy and social conflict. Here is a man who was deeply involved with the real problems of his time―which turn out to be the real problems of our time, as well. As he writes, “God is speaking to us in a new way today. God is speaking to us in the events and problems of our time. Jesus can help us to understand the voice of Truth but, in the last analysis, it is we who must decide and act.”

Genres: Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Spirituality, History, Christian

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Paul Dubuc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Albert Nolan presents an image of Jesus before Christianity who is full of compassion and an exemplary willingness to suffer in order to conquer suffering in the world. This theme seems to run throughout the book. This, in itself is very commendable. But Nolan's Jesus has been practically stripped of his divine nature using assumptions that are reminiscent of the Jesus Seminar's questionable scholarship. The miracle stories are matter-of-factly dismissed as embellishments added later by the Church along with many other statements attributed to Jesus in the Gospels that don't fit their (desired?) image of Jesus. The reasoning supporting this reductionism isn't explained in the book, but its conclusions are taken to be well founded.

It was disappointing to me that, after 25 years since the book's first publication, Nolan still considered this view of Jesus to be entirely relevant, even more so in 2001 than in 1976 (p. ix), in no need of revision in light of the scholarly debate that has taken place in that time. Other views that one might want to consider are The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is by N. T. Wright, The Real Jesus : The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels by Luke Timothy Johnson and The Many Faces of Christ: The Christologies of the New Testament and Beyond by Ben Witherington, III. It's easy to find others who present seriously considerable challenges to Nolan's picture of Jesus and the scholarship that supports it. (For an in-depth treatment of the Gospels as eyewitness testimony see Richard Bauckham's more recent book Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels As Eyewitness Testimony.)

In his work, N. T. Wright puts forth a challenge to Christians to do the difficult work of rethinking their image of Jesus in light of new historical and biblical understanding. In my opinion, studying a picture of Jesus that was in vogue 33 years ago will not serve readers well today in meeting that challenge.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time picking a rating for this book. On one hand, it had a lot of great info that mainstream Christianity has forgotten about. His information about the historical backdrop of Jesus's ministry was good, his analysis of his relationship to the poor, the oppressed, and sinners was strong, and I liked his chapters on healing and forgiveness. He had a ton to say about Jesus and "the kingdom", and I think there was more good than bad there. On occasion he would state things in a new way that I hadn't seen before and really made me think.

There did tend to be statements and arguments here and there that I disagreed with. Some were minor, like Nolan's claim that Jesus used children as an analogy for "the statusless oppressed", or that the least in the Kingdom was greater than John the Baptist because John the Baptist had status. In most of these cases what I saw as inaccurate Biblical exposition didn't really affect the main points. But later in the book my disagreements with his analysis started to pile up. By the time he interpreted Jesus's actions in the temple as solely economic with no relation to the sacrificial system, suggested that Jesus told the disciples they would be actual political leaders, and claimed Jesus advocated the use of swords for self-defense because he was scared of an attack by Herod's men, I felt he was getting way off base.

My other biggest issue is that the scholarship in the book dated quickly. It was written in 1977, and while much of the language has been heavily revised since then, the references and scholarship have not. As a result, Nolan relies heavily on the opinions and theories of the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s, a time when a certain strain of the "quest for the historical Jesus" dominated. This issue is amplified by the fact that Nolan often makes appeals to authority without making a real argument. He'll make claims like "All serious scholars agree" or "it is beyond all doubt" or "is has been shown once and for all" on topics where such claims are laughable now, 35 years later. Some of the best Biblical scholars today argue, for instance, that Jesus consciously acted in the role of Israel's messiah or that he wasn't the first person ever to call God "abba". Since Nolan does not appear to be a scholar himself, but instead relies on the unreproduced arguments of others, these frequent appeals to authority are both unprofessional and inaccurate.

Overall, I'd say that the book would have a lot of good information for someone who hadn't been exposed to historical research of the gospels, but it would be so hard for such a person to pick out the wheat from the chaff in this book that they'd be much better off reading something with more modern scholarship.

[Drick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albert Nolan was a Roman Catholic priest in South Africa who wrote this book in the mid 1980's when the Cold War was at a fever pitch and it seemed that the superpowers would lead the world into mass destruction. He wanted to know what Jesus was like before he became a religious icon because he saw in Jesus a man who lived in a time and place that likewise seemed on the edge of destruction.

In this very readable book, Nolan paints a picture of Jesus that reveals what a truly revolutionary figure he was in his own time. Building on the historical-critical work of other Biblical scholars, Nolan contends that Jesus' message of the "kingdom" of God (this is how Nolan always wrote it) was a message that sought to awaken faith and compassion in his listeners and cause them to work for a society that treated all persons humanely and with dignity. Nolan contends that early on in his ministry Jesus became a hunted man who knew his death was imminent. He went to Jerusalem in a last attempt to awaken faith in people. As Nolan sees Jesus did not claim to be Messiah, but rather a prophet calling the Jewish people to awaken to faith in the God of justice.

While one might quibble with certain details of Nolan's portrait of Jesus, the power of this work is the lucid way in which Nolan shows Jesus as a fully human being with a sense of divine calling who sought to work for justice in a time of imminent danger. The power of the book for me was the way in which he brought Jesus to life and while he raised as many questions as answers, those questions will cause me to search more deeply for who Jesus was and what Jesus was about in his time, and what all of that can mean for us today.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many Orbis publications, this is a better-than-average religious work by the former Vicar-General of the Dominicans in South Africa, prominent in the anti-apartheid struggle. As might be expected, Nolan emphasizes a humane, not a supernatural, Jesus.

[Enrico La Vina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since taking a liberation theology class in 2013, I've made it a tradition to reread this every year or so. Other reviewers have argued that this book's scholarship is outdated. I don't have the qualifications to refute or support this claim. What I can say, however, is that this book has shaped how I've thought about concepts like faith, social justice, and solidarity.

[Christan Reksa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesus is a figure often taken for granted, both by Christians and non-Christians. On one side often only seen as the almighty Son of God, capable of doing the unthinkable and supernatural acts, while on one side seen only as a meek moral teacher asking people to do good. It is as if these two sides are "battling" to decide which Jesus is correct, then commodified their own version of Jesus for their agenda.

In this book, Albert Nolan, a Dominican priest, challenged all those assumptions, stripped Jesus off our modern world perceptions that are often so distorted, in order to try to see, albeit in an imperfect way, who Jesus really was as a human being: a male, Palestinian Jew, who ministered in the area of Galilee, with the desire to bring the Kingdom of God as a stamp that times are changing: the oppressed are free, and the oppressors are captured, through endless compassion and faith activated through his words and deeds.

This book is divided into four parts:
1. Catastrophe, a short layout of what our world has become, also what the Jewish world has become at the context of Jesus' arrival, along with John the Baptist's preparation of his arrival. Also a peak at Jesus' already political act by allowing John to baptize him.
2. Praxis, on how the signs of arrival of the Kingdom of God oozes through Jesus' works and miracles, empathy towards the poor and oppressed, healings, and forgiveness
3. The Good News, how the Kingdom of God in Jesus' mind interacts with what was considered important in Jewish society and Roman imperium at that time: money, prestige, selfish group solidarity, and power. The "kairos" (time as quality) timing of Kingdom of God signals the stripping of all those features society considered important, to be replaced with kingdom of compassion and faith
4. Confrontation, how until the death of Jesus, there were always confrontations with the powers that be, with the world dominated by Evil, with the oppression of the marginalized. Jesus' strong compassion and desire for the Kingdom of God somehow tempts him to act further: to either interrupt through force or act on the desire to show power, just as he was tempted in the desert. In the end, Jesus triumphs over all those tempations through his death. Those are the strengths for our works as followers of Jesus today, in the midst of trip to catastrophe.

We can vividly see Nolan's worldview and struggle in his fight against apartheid with the fellow freedom fighters through this book: oppression must be ended, and it can only be done through the Kingdom come.

Seeing Jesus as an exceptional, perfect truthful human that he was, help us to see both his humanity and his divinity not fpr granted: he deserves our fullest attention and deepest desire to follow him.

An exceptional book built on historical-critical method studies that humanize and also divinize Jesus as he is, without trying to force faith in organized religion. A book for any people of faith, or lack of, wanting to see historical Jesus as he was: that exceptional Palestinian Jew that signals the arrival of Kingdom of God.

[Valeska · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic for a reason. You could tell it was written in the 70s in parts but overall, it is a thoughtful and amazing read. I really appreciated his take on giving us an idea of what life during Jesus's time was like. It reminded me of some of the smaller parts of homilies.

My favorite chapter was The Man Who Emerges. It really gave insight into the personality of Jesus which will make me think about it for a while. I did wonder what the man who was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard , who hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes, who spoke in a way that ticked a lot of folks off would think of his followers now...

[Dean Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in South Africa in 1976, Albert Nolan’s Jesus before Christianity is a vivid portrait of the Jesus I know from the Gospels and a compelling call to follow that Jesus into the new humanity out of a world that is hell-bent for destruction. I especially like the chapters on healing, forgiveness, and faith in Jesus—and Nolan’s emphasis throughout the book on Jesus’ compassion.

Three chapters are a little difficult to follow unless you read them in their historical and political context—the struggle against South African apartheid. Those chapters are Chapter 11: “A New Time,” Chapter 15: “The Temptation to Violence,” and Chapter 16: “The Role of Suffering and Death.” It is helpful to read Jesus before Christianity in connection with a political manifesto from 1985, which Albert Nolan is believed to have had a hand in writing: Challenge to the Church: A Theological Comment on the Political Crisis in South Africa, better known as “the KAIROS Document.”

The KAIROS Document outlines a political philosophy that resonates with those of Mohandas Gandhi (assassinated January 30, 1948), Martin Luther King, Jr. (assassinated April 4, 1968), and Stephen Biko (“died in custody” September 12, 1977). Gandhi and King must have been two among many (including many young people in South Africa) whom Albert Nolan had in mind when he wrote “The Role of Suffering and Death.”

The KAIROS Document is a stark reminder of the evils we perpetually inflict on one another as we cling to the old humanity. It clearly lays out our urgent need of salvation and the insipid quality of a Christianity that does not follow the Jesus of the Gospels. But, whereas the focus in Jesus before Christianity is upon Jesus only, in the KAIROS Document, written nearly ten years later, the field of vision takes in the entire Bible. With that shift, we no longer have Jesus only, but Jesus in conversation with Moses and Elijah—that is, Jesus plus the Law plus the Prophets, as in Mark 9:2-8.

The KAIROS Document is a prophetic word. We disciples of Jesus do well to heed its call to faith in action through courageous compassion. And, as disciples of Jesus, we do well to stay focused on Jesus—the Jesus before Christianity.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nolan builds off the research of hundreds of historians and biblical scholars to offer a new take on Jesus. I appreciated his fresh approach which took very little for granted.

Most of the book described what Nolan concluded Jesus actually believed and was influenced by. There is a great deal of cultural and historical context information brought out in this book that illuminates the character of Jesus the man. Nolan used this background to argue that Christ was one deeply concerned with the political/spiritual plight of Israel, and especially its most vulnerable and powerless members. Jesus offered an example of values fully grounded in compassion that Nolan argued were introduced by Jesus with the hope of impeding the coming destruction of Israel at the hands of the Romans.

I appreciated these fresh perspectives but diverged from Nolan's argument in the books conclusion where he seemed to argue that Jesus' authority came from the perfect truth that he spoke and represented, and that this truth itself could be accepted as God. Therefore, Nolan argued that following Jesus is actually following the truth he represented. This is an interesting idea, but comes off deeply flat for one like myself who experiences worshiping God as a being and not as an idea. I agree that God is truth but scripture and my experience of God seems to promise that he is more than simply that.

[Brian Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nolan wants to understand what people saw in Jesus before anyone could call him "the risen one". There was a movement of Jesus' followers before Easter or Pentecost. What was it like? Nolan's clear, common-sense approach presents reasonable distinctions between Jesus' own teaching and the theological interpretations of later followers. He notes where the later interpretations do or don't fit with Jesus' own words, or with the context of Jewish history. For example, concerning the accounts of Jesus execution, Nolan notes that the gospel accounts say Jesus gave himself up to the executioners, believing that this was God's will. But the accounts also report that Jesus was a wanted man, and the authorities in Jerusalem argued as follows:

"This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone like this the whole population will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and sweep away our temple and our nation .... it is more expedient for one man to die than for the whole nation to be destroyed." (John 11: 48-50)

Nolan points out that this logic was very traditional. The wanted man must be handed over lest the entire community suffer on his account. Perhaps, Nolan suggests, this was the real sense in which Jesus was "a sacrifice for the people". And possibly it was this threat of punishment from imperial overlords which was later ascribed to God -- so that it was God who had Jesus die rather than make all of humanity suffer.

[Allan Savage]

As far as I can see, few books on this topic acknowledge the significant philosophical change in perspective that Nolan has adopted in this book. He does not write from the classical philosophical perspective of the Western philosopher or theologian. Any philosopher of phenomenology will appreciate what Nolan says in Chapter 19 about the spirit that motivated Jesus of Nazareth and that motivates us today. Chapters 1 through 18 will be of special interest to the theologian. They are especially significant when understood from a phenomenological perspective. I dare suggest that a phenomenological understanding of Nolan's work will correct the long-standing habit of Christians noted by Nolan. "Jesus has been more frequently honoured and worshipped for what he did not mean than for what he did mean" (p.3). In short, phenomenological philosophy discloses the baggage of scholastic philosophy that has contributed to this undesirable habit. To my mind, any Thomistic, neo-classical, or Hellenist philosopher who chooses to become familiar with the phenomenological perspective and then re-read the book will encounter additional personal insights about the Christian spirit.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it important to know of the man, Jesus, before Christianity wrapped Him and His teaching in the dogma and ritual of Christianity? I think so. We have cluttered up the message of this holy and sincere man whose message was simply compassion... for the poor, the marginalized, the sick in body and spirit and the hungry for food and faith.

The book is well documented, historical, but not only historical.

I actually started the book in mid February. I did not read it in one day!!!

5/2021 Now, watching episodes of "The Chosen," which portrays Jesus and His disciples as so human, so real, as such diverse and interesting, I can appreciate this book even more.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing book. Brings insights into the life of the historic Jesus that I had never considered and opened my mind to new ways of scriptural interpretation. I may have to work a bit on the last chapter to resolve statements regarding Resurrection.

Read again for Ascension's book discussion.

[Bill Kupersmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Albert Nolan was a Dominican priest in South Africa and the first edition of this book was written in the Apartheid era, not an inappropriate setting to compare with Roman occupied Palestine in the time of Jesus. Whilst on retreat, I devoured this book in a day; it is both an easy read and supported by impressive scholarship, two qualities rarely found together. Too many attempts to reconstruct the “historical” Jesus founder on the author’s presuppositions, like one I read which insisted that Jesus must have been illiterate because he was a Mediterranean peasant and Mediterranean peasants were illiterate. Nolan, contrastingly, would place Jesus as the son of a carpenter as middle class. What distinguishes Nolan’s Jesus is his overwhelming compassion, his sympathy and feeling for the poor, the sick, and the outcast–the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Nolan does not think that Jesus ever claimed to be the Messiah (hence Christ would be a post-resurrection anachronistic title), though he had a uniquely close identification with God as his father. I’d already believed that Jesus really did foresee the destruction of the Temple (it hardly required supernatural foresight to see that the Jews in Palestine were headed towards disaster). For Nolan Jesus’ only claim to authority came from the truthfulness of his sayings, not divine authority.

As the only contemporary nonbiblical source of information about Jesus is Josephus (who tells us more about John the Baptist than about Jesus), we have to use the gospel accounts whilst remaining sceptical of their accuracy. Reasoning in circles is unavoidable; the investigator cannot avoid picking and choosing, with the risk of preferring as genuine evidence those lexia that support the author’s theories and rejecting as fictions of the later Christian church those that don’t. (As Nolan explains, the gospel accounts were written for Jews and gentiles outside of Palestine.) Personally, I liked Nolan’s having Jesus hiding from Herod and the Temple authorities, travelling about in disguise and advising his followers to carry swords. The account of the feeding of the 4000 or 5000 was exciting but I still cannot imagine how the suggestion they share their picnic lunches could have been blown up into a fill-scale miracle. Nolan tells us that Jesus never intended to create an organization to carry on his work and that Jesus was seriously annoyed with Peter for suggesting he try to become ruler of Israel. But I don’t think there’s a real contradiction between Nolan’s historical Jesus, the man who actually lived in 1st century Palestine, and the Jesus Christ who was and is the Head of the Christian Church. Orthodox Christians have always believed that Jesus Christ is truly human and truly divine simultaneously, so there is no reason Christians have to suppose the during his lifetime Jesus went about thinking he was God. Both believing Christians and unbelievers should profit from reading this book. Whatever the ontological status of Jesus, his effect on those he encountered in his life, who carried on his teachings and work, was indeed miraculous.

[The · Rating 5 out of 5]

Albert Nolan revised his 1976 version of Jesus Before Christianity in 1992. I read it originally in 1998 but was lured back into its pages now 20 years later for a review. This is a timeless book. For years I have felt our times where pre-Christian. Like many in Jesus’ day we are attracted to his words and example, and as soon as everyone is on board we will jump on too. But for now the ‘world’ isn’t like that yet and we are afraid to go the whole way. Nolan says on page 171 “Jesus can help us to understand the voice of Truth but, in the last analysis, it is we who must decide and act.” He goes on to say in page 151 that “Jesus did not make authority his truth, he made truth his authority.” Later on page 102 we find: People’s compassion for one another releases God power in the world, the only power than can bring about the miracle of the “kingdom”. And then on page 39 he gets to the core: “Faith is a good and true conviction. It is the conviction that something can and will happen because it is good and because it is true that goodness can and will triumph over evil.”
In these troubled time when humanity has tried all the alternatives to compassion to see if that would be enough to solve our problems, we might be getting ready to try Jesus’ way. I hope so. Now I ask everyone “where do you see the hope?” I invite you to find a copy of this timeless examination of the times before Christianity to appreciate what was going on then. I think you will find the parallels to this time uncanny and see why I think we are still pre-Christian.

[Lyana Azan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

* To imagine that one can have historical objectivity with perspective is an allusion.
* ...the general atmosphere of fatalism had been replaced by an atmosphere of faith, the impossible began to happen.
* Compassion allows the power of God to become operative and effective.
* Jesus valued humanity, not status and prestige.
* Base your identity upon the loyalties and prejudices of race, nationality, language, culture, class, ancestry, family, generation, political party, and religious denomination makes love about loyalty to those, not all-inclusive solidarity of God's love....not dependent on reciprocity.
* Solidarity with humankind...takes precedence over every other kind of love.
* Faith releases within us a power that is beyond us...is radical reorientation of one's life...is a decision...is not possible without compassion.
* Root cause of oppression is humanity's lack of compassion.
* Jesus mad truth his authority...obey the truth of God...live truthfully.

[Evan Kostelka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very enlightening, even though it is 50 years old from initial publication.

The author lays out a compelling case that Jesus' intense compassion for people is what drove so much of his ministry. This is why so much of his ministry was with the poor and oppressed. it is what drove him to confront the powerful rulers and authority figures. Also is what ultimately led to his death.

Part 3, The Good News, was my favorite section of the book. For anyone who wants to understand more about the motives of Jesus this is a great book to add to your list.

The section about Jesus choosing to be baptized by John was fascinating, as it highlighted the early focus of Jesus and how he later deviated from John's mission.

There were tidbits scattered throughout that are worthy of reflection: Jesus was from the middle class but intentionally spent time with lowest class. The miracle with feeding of the 4,000 & 5,000 was that people with excess shared with others who had none.

[Sally Krause · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I chose to read for Lent and I'm glad I did. Never before have I so deeply considered Jesus from a historical perspective with a focus on the decisions he made in his ministry and the actions he took in the face of Roman and Jewish power. The author was always mindful of Jesus' divinity and how He interacted with his Father but helped me consider more about the human part of Jesus. It provided greater insight into what Jesus defined as a good Christian vs how some are trying to redefine it today. It certainly gave me some things to mull over as we move through the Easter season. Great book, well written.

[Claudia Egger · Rating 4 out of 5]

kindle edition

Interesting read, no doubt. The digital book, however, was poorly edited. Words are left out of sentences and sometimes punctuation is confusing, rendering some parts as a puzzle to solve in order to understand what the author is saying.
From a theology standpoint, some statements seem to me to contradict the Catholic understanding of Jesus and his mission. However this has provided many points for further reflection and discussion.

[genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most interesting book I’ve ever read hands down. It was exactly what I was needing to learn and know. And by complete chance I picked it up off my grandmas bookshelf thinking it looked good. Albert Nolan could use a few more Oxford commas and learn how to structure his sentences, but his ideas, thoughts, and scholarship came across crystal clear and were extremely illuminating. I love you religion thank you for being so enduringly fascinating

[Paul Birch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nolan has challenged my view of Jesus and opened up my mind to who the man Jesus was. I have always struggled with the divinity part of Jesus, Nolan explains this in such a beautiful way. This has filled in so many gaps for me in my understanding. It’s going in my top ten with Willard, Manning and Merton. Yes it is that good.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the review by Paul Dubuc which is very close to what I would write if I was going to take the time. There were sections of this book that I appreciated related to Jesus compassion and his embodying truth. Disappointed by the dismissing the miracles and other bits which remind me of the Jesus seminar.

[Stephen B. Kealoha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What was so very interesting was the in-depth perspective of what Jesus experienced as a person given the historical understanding of the community in which He lived and the political ramifications of the Romans and the Jews at the time. This insight nevertheless reinforces the belief that Jesus as Abba and "son of man" is never in doubt.

[Mandi McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone exiting high demand religion, i found this book to contain the insights and perspective that resonated with my lived experience with Jesus. Having studied the old and new testaments with many denominations, Jesus remained a hot topic of contention. I longed for a reading of the Gospels without an eye toward dogma and this was it.

[Kevin Marler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read a quite a few books on the historical Jesus, but this has to be one of my very favorites. Not for it’s outstanding scholarship (although I think it’s pretty balanced and solid) but more for Nolan’s thoughtful insights, connections, and reflections. I wore out my highlighter on passages to return to again.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely riveting read. I had no expectations when I dove in, but fou d this a refreshing and challenging view of what we can say about a Jesus who is as yet unclouded by layers of doctrinal disputes and the co-opting of his movement in the service of power. Read- you won’t be sorry.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually read all my books about religion during Lent, but I've fallen behind while not riding the T. Anyway, this was SUPER interesting- it points out a lot of things about the Gospels and how they were written/portray Jesus that I'm surprised I hadn't heard or hadn't heard much of before.

[Greg M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Albert Nolan does a great job in explaining Jesus the man before he became the object of Christian faith. I've always wanted to gain a better understanding of what it was like to follow Jesus when he walked on the earth and the major challenges he faced within the Jewish community.

[Stewart Fells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible. Can bring Jesus from myth to reality for any reader with an open mind.

[Hernán Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, concreto y con vueltas de tuerca para no quedarse con la imagen tradicional y esquemática de siempre. Provoca una crítica interesante.