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Jesus (09) by Chopra, Deepak [Paperback (2009)]
Jesus (09) by Chopra, Deepak [Paperback (2009)]
Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
239 people are currently reading
1448 people want to read
About the author
Deepak Chopra
690 books19.1k followersDeepak Chopra, MD serves as the Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Foundation, and Co-Founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing.
As a global leader and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Chopra transforms the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellness. Known as a prolific author of eighty books books with twenty-two New York Times best sellers in both fiction and non-fiction, his works have been published in more than forty-three languages.
Chopra’s medical training is in internal medicine and endocrinology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Dr. Chopra serves as Co-Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Founder of The Chopra Well on YouTube, Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Assistant Clinical Professor, in the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences, Faculty at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization.
GlobeIn acknowledges Chopra as "one of top ten most influential spiritual leaders around the world." TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine."
As a global leader and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Chopra transforms the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellness. Known as a prolific author of eighty books books with twenty-two New York Times best sellers in both fiction and non-fiction, his works have been published in more than forty-three languages.
Chopra’s medical training is in internal medicine and endocrinology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Dr. Chopra serves as Co-Founder and Chairman of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Founder of The Chopra Well on YouTube, Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Assistant Clinical Professor, in the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences, Faculty at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization.
GlobeIn acknowledges Chopra as "one of top ten most influential spiritual leaders around the world." TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
May 27, 2015
I love pretty much anything that Deepak Chopra writes, but this is the first work of fiction of his that I've read. I am also a person that LOVES reading anything that helps break Jesus out of the tiny box that organized Christianity has put him in, and this really does a good job of that.
This book is a fictionalized account of Jesus' lost years prior to his mission as described in the New Testament. As a work of fiction, the book is very well written and very believable. Even hard liners would most likely enjoy reading it.
My favorite part of the book, however, was the Epilogue where Chopra gives his own opinion about who Jesus really was and what he was really trying to teach us. Overall, I would recommend this book very highly. As a work of fiction, it is very good. I recommend it for anyone who has a deep love of Jesus and what he stands for but, at the same time, has a hard time finding any of that inside the church that claims to follow his teachings.
This book is a fictionalized account of Jesus' lost years prior to his mission as described in the New Testament. As a work of fiction, the book is very well written and very believable. Even hard liners would most likely enjoy reading it.
My favorite part of the book, however, was the Epilogue where Chopra gives his own opinion about who Jesus really was and what he was really trying to teach us. Overall, I would recommend this book very highly. As a work of fiction, it is very good. I recommend it for anyone who has a deep love of Jesus and what he stands for but, at the same time, has a hard time finding any of that inside the church that claims to follow his teachings.
February 5, 2019
Author’s Note: “This book isn’t about the Jesus found in the New Testament, but the Jesus who was left out – the enlightened Jesus. The gospel writers are silent about “the lost years,” as they are known, covering the span in Jesus’s life between the ages of twelve and thirty.”
This story is based on the premise that Jesus wanted “us to reach the same unity with God that he had reached. (…) To do that, Jesus has to be brought into the scheme of everyday life. He worries about violence and unrest; he wonders if God is listening; he is intensely absorbed in the question, “Who am I?””
In the village of Nazareth, two types of people lived, “people of the mountains and people of the roads, that is, those who stayed at home and those who traveled. (…) But Jesus was rare. He was of the mountains and the roads both.”
What Jesus and his brother James witness is the continuous rise of Zealot rebels against Romans. And wonder themselves which path to pick? “The Zealots had bitterly divided the community. For every Jew who saw them as merciless killers, another saw them as heroes against the oppressor.”
Then like an answer, Judas appears and tempts Jesus to pick up a sword and fight. “Pick it up when you’re ready to be a free man. Or leave it there to rust. That’s what a slave would do.”
“He had had enough of being a slave, and if Judas knew where the road to freedom led, the choice was clear.”
Jesus and Judas travel to Jerusalem “on a lethal mission, to stab the high priest of the Temple.” But only Judas knows the details of the mission. Jesus was tempted to fulfill the mission to gain freedom. But what he doesn’t know is that he is being lead on a mission to sin.
After a failed mission, they’re on the run toward the Dead Sea. But there is something about Jesus. Wherever he hides, he finds “new clothes and loses the air of a fugitive.”
He is lead to an oasis by the Dead Sea and as soon as they approach it, he recognizes the sect of Essenes; ones living in caves and hillside enclaves. “They were recluses, reputed to be the most secret sect in Judea.”
At oasis, he recognizes “the painting that shadowed Mary and Joseph in the stable.” On another painting he recognizes three crosses, and their meaning.
This unique journey takes Jesus through confusion and doubt to the realization of his true identity. The author combines spirituality with dramatic narrative to bring this intriguing story.
Author’s Note: “A static Jesus stands outside human experience… it makes him unique… but it also creates a gap. (…) Indeed, the only way to follow Christ’s teachings is to reach his own state of consciousness. To achieve Christ-consciousness… means walking the path to enlightenment that he walked. For that reason, the Jesus of this novel faces everyday doubts and contradictions. He wonders why God allows evil to triumph so often. He feels inadequate to change other people. He is torn between love for men and women and divine love. In other words, Jesus sets out to solve the deepest mysteries of life – this is the chief reason he isn’t static, as the biblical version of Jesus often seems to be.”
@FB/BestHistoricalFiction
This story is based on the premise that Jesus wanted “us to reach the same unity with God that he had reached. (…) To do that, Jesus has to be brought into the scheme of everyday life. He worries about violence and unrest; he wonders if God is listening; he is intensely absorbed in the question, “Who am I?””
In the village of Nazareth, two types of people lived, “people of the mountains and people of the roads, that is, those who stayed at home and those who traveled. (…) But Jesus was rare. He was of the mountains and the roads both.”
What Jesus and his brother James witness is the continuous rise of Zealot rebels against Romans. And wonder themselves which path to pick? “The Zealots had bitterly divided the community. For every Jew who saw them as merciless killers, another saw them as heroes against the oppressor.”
Then like an answer, Judas appears and tempts Jesus to pick up a sword and fight. “Pick it up when you’re ready to be a free man. Or leave it there to rust. That’s what a slave would do.”
“He had had enough of being a slave, and if Judas knew where the road to freedom led, the choice was clear.”
Jesus and Judas travel to Jerusalem “on a lethal mission, to stab the high priest of the Temple.” But only Judas knows the details of the mission. Jesus was tempted to fulfill the mission to gain freedom. But what he doesn’t know is that he is being lead on a mission to sin.
After a failed mission, they’re on the run toward the Dead Sea. But there is something about Jesus. Wherever he hides, he finds “new clothes and loses the air of a fugitive.”
He is lead to an oasis by the Dead Sea and as soon as they approach it, he recognizes the sect of Essenes; ones living in caves and hillside enclaves. “They were recluses, reputed to be the most secret sect in Judea.”
At oasis, he recognizes “the painting that shadowed Mary and Joseph in the stable.” On another painting he recognizes three crosses, and their meaning.
This unique journey takes Jesus through confusion and doubt to the realization of his true identity. The author combines spirituality with dramatic narrative to bring this intriguing story.
Author’s Note: “A static Jesus stands outside human experience… it makes him unique… but it also creates a gap. (…) Indeed, the only way to follow Christ’s teachings is to reach his own state of consciousness. To achieve Christ-consciousness… means walking the path to enlightenment that he walked. For that reason, the Jesus of this novel faces everyday doubts and contradictions. He wonders why God allows evil to triumph so often. He feels inadequate to change other people. He is torn between love for men and women and divine love. In other words, Jesus sets out to solve the deepest mysteries of life – this is the chief reason he isn’t static, as the biblical version of Jesus often seems to be.”
@FB/BestHistoricalFiction
October 9, 2015
I have picked up this book numerous times only to put it back again and come back still interested.
The obvious controversy left me unwilling to read. I finally did and found it a fascinating fiction, not overtly offensive, though some might be put off by this "lost years" narrative.
The obvious controversy left me unwilling to read. I finally did and found it a fascinating fiction, not overtly offensive, though some might be put off by this "lost years" narrative.
January 6, 2009
Holy Crap!?! As I forced myself to read this work of fiction in one sitting, I could not help but wonder what Deepak was hoping to accomplish with this publication (or how strapped for cash he was). I was neither enlightened nor inspired by his story. If anything, it has only fueled my curiosity and yearning for knowing the truth. Sylvia Browne's "The Mystical Life of Jesus" (using her spiritual guide) and Dolores Cannon's "Jesus and the Essenes" (utilizing subjects of hypnotic regression) were both far more interesting attempts to fill in the missing pieces of a man who once lived we now refer to as Jesus Christ.
The sad truth is: Even IF somehow, some day, somewhere and in some way, Jesus told his story, the odds are that He Himself wouldn't be believed.
The sad truth is: Even IF somehow, some day, somewhere and in some way, Jesus told his story, the odds are that He Himself wouldn't be believed.
August 18, 2010
Last Week: So far I read the Authors Note pages and the Reader's Guide at the end of the book. I think it gives the book a better head start. I have enjoyed both of these sections very much and look forward to the fictional story of Jesus' middle years within.
Conclusion: I think this book, to be enjoyed by Christians, must be approached with an open heart and an open mind. One should not be attached to their own version/vision of who Christ was in his early years, the between years. But rather, be accepting of Chopra's own vision in his work of fiction about what it might have been like for Jesus.
In all I found when I approached the writing with non-resistance, non-attachment and non-judgment, I could more calmly accept this nicely written story. Hence the rating of four stars from me. (I know, I know, it is a judgment of sorts :-P)
Conclusion: I think this book, to be enjoyed by Christians, must be approached with an open heart and an open mind. One should not be attached to their own version/vision of who Christ was in his early years, the between years. But rather, be accepting of Chopra's own vision in his work of fiction about what it might have been like for Jesus.
In all I found when I approached the writing with non-resistance, non-attachment and non-judgment, I could more calmly accept this nicely written story. Hence the rating of four stars from me. (I know, I know, it is a judgment of sorts :-P)
March 26, 2013
I enjoyed this book for the same reason I have always loved Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar- they portray the "human" side of Jesus who I can find relatable. I did not know much about Deepak Chopra before this and I look forward to learning more about him, and reading more of his books.
September 25, 2010
Deepak Chopra offers sage advice on transforming your life, from a Christian perspective, in his novel "Jesus." While many Christians may not agree with his fictional account of Jesus' lost years before his ministry began, they can reap new insights from the Readers Guide - Jesus and the Path to Enlightenment. He writes that Jesus was the product of transformation and that he wanted others to be transformed also, giving up unloving, violent, selfish and narrow-minded attitudes and offering only love and peace to the world. He describes how all Jesus' teaching was in service of one objective: to find the way back home, to oneness with God. He explains that while Christianity offers prayer as a way to "transcend," it is not so different than than the goal of Eastern spiritual traditions which offer meditation. Both quiet the mind and expand it beyond everyday boundaries.
Deepak Chopra's explanation is that Jesus was teaching how to find the source of all God's qualities inside yourself and ultimately to embody them. I personally found this explanation very powerful, as my work in chakra balancing will help one to embody these qualities... which to me, makes it in line with Christ consciousness.
While this book may not be the best "fiction" ever written, it offers an explanation I can grasp of how and why Christianity has failed to bring love and peace to the world. Chopra illustrates Jesus' teachings in a way that bridges a gap between the Christianity that is taught in organized religion and the way to transformation that Jesus offered to the world. Inspirational to say the least!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries
Deepak Chopra's explanation is that Jesus was teaching how to find the source of all God's qualities inside yourself and ultimately to embody them. I personally found this explanation very powerful, as my work in chakra balancing will help one to embody these qualities... which to me, makes it in line with Christ consciousness.
While this book may not be the best "fiction" ever written, it offers an explanation I can grasp of how and why Christianity has failed to bring love and peace to the world. Chopra illustrates Jesus' teachings in a way that bridges a gap between the Christianity that is taught in organized religion and the way to transformation that Jesus offered to the world. Inspirational to say the least!
Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries
January 27, 2013
A very interesting book, Deepak is a superb writer and has a wonderful imagination. I like that it sparks thoughts about life and humanity from a personal level and how we can shine and encompass our own Christ-like selves. To see that both light and dark are equal aspects of God and play their part in the grand stage of life. I would've enjoyed more from Mary's perspective and influence as it seems she was more influential in his life than shown here, possibly. I also like that it emphasizes how we all have the potential, born in whatever circumstances, to rise above human foibles and live amazing, Divinely inspired lives.
July 8, 2014
I looked forward to learning Chopra's understanding of Jesus. This book is a mishmash of legends, traditions and some outright crazy tales about Jesus's mid-to-late twenties. He runs around doing strange miracles and befriending Judas Iscariot and Mary Magdalene for no clear reason. The temptation story is mixed in with the baptism scene and both are mangled. If I hadn't been listening on audiobook while driving, I'd have closed the book in disgust.
November 15, 2018
This is reminiscent of The Last Temptation of Christ. In that the Jesus character is as human as human can be. The other characters, Mary Magdalene & Judas, are equally committed and well rounded. Even though Jesus is making sense of his mission and purpose as he goes along and questioning his interpretation each step of the way, he does not waiver from the guidance he is receiving from Spirit. We would all be well served by taking such a tact.
April 17, 2011
I expected a lot more or else I completely missed the point.
July 12, 2019
A biographical account of the in-between years in the life of Jesus, the one's only alluded to in the New Testament from about 12 to 30, and according to author, Deepak Chopra, the years in which Jesus journeyed toward and found enlightenment.
June 4, 2025
Interesting and thought provoking!
August 31, 2021
This is a very interesting book. The body of the book, a fanciful idea about what the "lost years of Jesus" (from the age of 12 to the age of 30) might have been like, was a rather strange story. The very best part of the book was the "Reader's Guide" titled "Jesus and the Path to Enlightenment." It is probably the most beautiful "sermon" I have ever heard or read, and it was written by a non-Christian.
February 15, 2013
Although I find the storyline improbable, I found Chopra's imagined tale to be an interesting story of "what might have been" the activitiies of Jesus, between the ages of 26 to 30. I say that I find this story improbable, but I am open to the idea that it is - not impossible. Given that it is hard to know exactly what life was like in the region of Jerusalem, over 2000 years ago - Chopra did a fine job of telling a story of a region and a society living under harsh poltiical, cultural, and religious bias and persecution. His telling of Mary Magdalene's life as a prostitute, portrays the hardship that women may have faced, when abandoned or widowed by their family and or husband. For what it is worth - I found Chopra's presentation of MM as a prostitute more unbelievable than that of his portrayal of Judas. But that did not deter me from enjoying this book, which I've given a 4-star rating, mostly because Chopra was brave enough to present a different story of Jesus, one which is certain to offend some readers.
I did not read the book, but rather, I listened to the book...and I absolutely loved listening to Deepak Chopras' voice, inflections, and cadence.
If you are not locked into a pre-conceived notion of who can speak of Jesus, and what can be said about him, and if you are open minded enough, then you just might find this book to be thought provoking.
I did not read the book, but rather, I listened to the book...and I absolutely loved listening to Deepak Chopras' voice, inflections, and cadence.
If you are not locked into a pre-conceived notion of who can speak of Jesus, and what can be said about him, and if you are open minded enough, then you just might find this book to be thought provoking.
March 25, 2014
mengisahkan tentang masa muda Yesus.
ya ... saya tahu ini fiksi. tapi ... entahlah kisahnya sama sekali nggak menarik.
dikisahkan ternyata Yesus punya saudara dan dia terlibat dalam kaum Zelot, kaum pemberontak bawah tanah yang menentang Romawi. kaum ini memang benar-benar ada, tapi ... seorang Messiah--sebenarnya kenapa harus Messi? kenapa gak Bale? atau Ronaldo? Ah ya Neymar memang seorang bajingan diving yang profesional.
anyway .... Yesus bahkan sudah menemukan siapa pengkhianat di sini!!! ya ... Yudas adalah seorang pemberontak Zelot yang menemani Yesus selama pengembaraannya mencari siapa dia.
lalu ada Maria Magdalena yang ternyata adalah seorang KEKASIH Yesus. kalau baca Da Vinci Code pasti tahu hubungannnya juga, tapi sungguh, kartu merah Sergio Ramos itu sungguh tidak beradab. Neymar sungguh aktor bangsat yang layak dianugerahi oleh Oscars!
agak sulit bila mengisahkan kejadian yang diambil dari bagian alkitab yang hilang. tapi setidaknya Dewi Lestari--(Dee)pak Chopra berani mengambil kisah fiksi dari buku yang punya followers separuh penduduk bumi. saya tidak mengikuti apakah ada kontroversi mengenai buku ini yang jelas Real Madrid masih berada di atas Barca untuk sementara.
Hala Madrid
ya ... saya tahu ini fiksi. tapi ... entahlah kisahnya sama sekali nggak menarik.
dikisahkan ternyata Yesus punya saudara dan dia terlibat dalam kaum Zelot, kaum pemberontak bawah tanah yang menentang Romawi. kaum ini memang benar-benar ada, tapi ... seorang Messiah--sebenarnya kenapa harus Messi? kenapa gak Bale? atau Ronaldo? Ah ya Neymar memang seorang bajingan diving yang profesional.
anyway .... Yesus bahkan sudah menemukan siapa pengkhianat di sini!!! ya ... Yudas adalah seorang pemberontak Zelot yang menemani Yesus selama pengembaraannya mencari siapa dia.
lalu ada Maria Magdalena yang ternyata adalah seorang KEKASIH Yesus. kalau baca Da Vinci Code pasti tahu hubungannnya juga, tapi sungguh, kartu merah Sergio Ramos itu sungguh tidak beradab. Neymar sungguh aktor bangsat yang layak dianugerahi oleh Oscars!
agak sulit bila mengisahkan kejadian yang diambil dari bagian alkitab yang hilang. tapi setidaknya Dewi Lestari--(Dee)pak Chopra berani mengambil kisah fiksi dari buku yang punya followers separuh penduduk bumi. saya tidak mengikuti apakah ada kontroversi mengenai buku ini yang jelas Real Madrid masih berada di atas Barca untuk sementara.
Hala Madrid
December 18, 2009
Amazing Amazing Book! My favorites:
1. “You want to protect the innocent. Let me tell you, God isn’t just in the rabbits. He’s also in the foxes. So your little act of kindness deprived God of a meal.” P 133
2. “How can we discover God’s will unless we give up our own?” P 161
3. “If I use my power, people will become afraid of me too. And why not, if they fear my Father so greatly?” P 165
4. “If God is everywhere, we must figure out why he’s so hard to see, “ he once said when somebody found him crouched in a field studying something intently on the ground. It turned out to be a lark’s nest hidden in the grass. A clutch of eggs had just hatched, and the blind fledglings in the nest mistook Jesus’s shadow for the return of their mother. They opened their huge pink beaks, crying and weaving their heads for food. P 195
5. To be blessed in a cursed world would become unbearable. P 209
6. “Only someone who can see the demons as part of God is free. Good and evil dissolve. The veil drops away and all you see is divine light- inside, outside, everywhere.” The Blanket p 220
1. “You want to protect the innocent. Let me tell you, God isn’t just in the rabbits. He’s also in the foxes. So your little act of kindness deprived God of a meal.” P 133
2. “How can we discover God’s will unless we give up our own?” P 161
3. “If I use my power, people will become afraid of me too. And why not, if they fear my Father so greatly?” P 165
4. “If God is everywhere, we must figure out why he’s so hard to see, “ he once said when somebody found him crouched in a field studying something intently on the ground. It turned out to be a lark’s nest hidden in the grass. A clutch of eggs had just hatched, and the blind fledglings in the nest mistook Jesus’s shadow for the return of their mother. They opened their huge pink beaks, crying and weaving their heads for food. P 195
5. To be blessed in a cursed world would become unbearable. P 209
6. “Only someone who can see the demons as part of God is free. Good and evil dissolve. The veil drops away and all you see is divine light- inside, outside, everywhere.” The Blanket p 220
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2016
I really don't know what to say about this book. The genre is not new. Others have combined the Middle Eastern traditions with those of India. So, this is Chopra's foray into the realm. It tells a story of a Jesus who is searching as much as - no, more than - any of us do for a place and a purpose. There are false starts and redefinings. There are truths that are learned and the relearned. The comparison and expansion of the Christian tradition by the mysterious monk really only happens at the end. The book is set up for us to hear the story, draw our own conclusions. Then, the slate gets wiped clean and the monk says, as the best improv artist might, "Yes, and..."
But this book just didn't do it for me. I found it boring and a great deal of hand-wringing. I feel like I wish I got more out of it. Maybe I missed something. So, whether it was Chopra or it is me...I want more.
But this book just didn't do it for me. I found it boring and a great deal of hand-wringing. I feel like I wish I got more out of it. Maybe I missed something. So, whether it was Chopra or it is me...I want more.
October 13, 2009
I'm always curious to see what others think/imagine of what Christ was like, how they pictured him as a person, as the man. While this might ruffle a few feathers or just come off as pure drivel to others, I neither thought it was amazing nor did I think it was terrible. There are probably many other Chopra books I could've/should've started with, but regardless of the "high dramatics" of this one, Chopra can weave a coherent sentence, and let a few ponder-worth moments slip in, too.
I can't really recommend this to anyone in particular. Maybe those like me, who just like to see what the world thinks about someone like Jesus.
I can't really recommend this to anyone in particular. Maybe those like me, who just like to see what the world thinks about someone like Jesus.
December 17, 2018
Deepak Chopra tells us his purpose in writing about Jesus on the outer cover and the Author's Note — to lead others to not worship the real Jesus and consider him only a part of Chopra's understanding of spirituality. He has Jesus lie, create a fake miracle, take part in a zealot plot to attack a priest and many other things totally out of character with the real Jesus of the Bible. Then his Jesus is "enlightened" by visiting a guru in the East which encourages him to embrace Satan.
I have imagined Jesus' early years from clues given in the Bible. It looks nothing like this.
I can only conclude Chopra creates a Jesus who is made in his own image.
I have imagined Jesus' early years from clues given in the Bible. It looks nothing like this.
I can only conclude Chopra creates a Jesus who is made in his own image.
Read
May 1, 2012"Ron and Hermione follow Harry on his quest to destroy Horcruxes, conquer death by means of the Deathly Hallows, and ultimately defeat Voldemort in a stunning display of self-sacrifice." Replace with names like "Jesus," "Judas," "Mary Magdalene" and "Satan" and you've got yourself this silly secularization claiming itself a deeply spiritual interpretation of the person of Christ. Have a little more respect, Chopra :(
Read
January 10, 2009I loved this book. At first I was unsure if I would even get through it, but I couldn't put it down. It has helped me renew some faith I have been lacking...
January 31, 2011
A reviewer put it in the class of "The Red Tent!" Rubbish! Poorly written. Badly contrived. Filled with historical and biblical inaccuracies.
May 15, 2016
I enjoyed Deepak's Readers Guide the most. It was interesting to imagine what Jesus's journey was like other than what we know from the bible.
July 3, 2019
I will have to admit to being rather disappointed after reading this book. That doesn't mean it wasn't a well-written book, certainly worth reading. But I expected something more from the author, Deepak Chopra.
In his preface to Jesus, Chopra is very straightforward about his purpose in writing the book, saying:
"[there is] a Jesus left out of the New Testament - the enlightened Jesus. His absence, in my view, has profoundly crippled the Christian faith, for...making [Jesus] the one and only Son of God leaves the rest of humankind stranded...What if Jesus wanted his followers - and us - to reach the same unity with God that he had reached?"
Chopra takes on the task quite well, but not without failing to give some consideration I would have thought he'd undertake in his treatment of the Jesus mythos. For example, he allows the notion that Jesus was born in Nazareth, a misrepresentation caused by illiteracy in the early translations of the ancient texts that made up the canonical texts. Nazareth didn't even exist at the time of the radically inclusive Dharma teacher and itinerate Rabbi. And he fails to recognise that it was the ignorance of Pope Gregory that resulted in the complete misrepresentation of Mary of Magdala as a whore -- something that is indicated nowhere, even in the poorly plagiarised canonical texts of the Christian Bible.
Still, I think that Chopra's thoughtful treatment of the story in a way that those who entertain such ideas as the god-concept, and who believe the account in their bible was ever intended to be an historic or literal account of the life of Rav Yeshua ben Yusef, is well done and imaginative.
I might have expected that greater attention would have been paid the likelihood that the Egyptian Therapeutae, long believed to either be Tibetan Buddhist monks or to have been trained by Tibetan monks, played a significant role in the formative ideology and philosophy of the young Yeshua. But this possibility is implied in Chopra's positioning of Yeshua with the Essenes, who are likewise, students of the Dharma, integrated with a more mystical/metaphysical understanding of the traditional god-concept.
I was disturbed by Chopra's decision to support the notion of "Satan", and by an almost Harry Potter-esque encounter by Yeshua with paintings depicting future events. It seemed incongruent with Chopra's own intelligence and wisdom, and only supported one of the most unhealthy delusions of theistic spiritual paths... the notion of this fearmongering, spiteful and bitchy "god", and his "nemesis" (the Angel of Light).
In the end though, I think that for those inclined toward theistic philosophies and spiritual paths, it would be useful to consider the idea that Yeshua (Jesus) understood that all of the qualities we seek from "God" can be found within us already, and the Enlightenment is the pathway or realisation of these qualities (our True Nature). He brings to the forefront the realisation that like the meditative practices (sadhanas) of the Eastern traditions, Christianity offers prayer as a way to "transcend," to still the mind and expand it beyond the limitations of our perceived realities.
The premise that Jesus became enlightened during the so-called "lost years" is a powerful idea, but unfortunately, I expected a bit more substance to support this idea. That was entirely my fault, because I did not realise, when I picked the book up, that Chopra's intended approach was going to be purely fictional -- midrashic, really... much as the authors of the canonical and apocryphal texts intended.
Missing was any reference to the reality that most of the tales we find in the canonical texts, especially in the synoptic gospels, are nothing more than repackaged (horribly plagiarised) versions of a 5000 year old astrological myth about various sun-gods (including Horus, Osiris/Isis, Mithra, Attis, and so many others). I had hoped this book might illuminate some possibilities, even within the context of ficition, that somehow, a manipulative, unilluminated, power-hungry group of rich and powerful men (known collectively as what we now call the Roman Catholic Church) would miss the entire point of the stories, and after them, nearly every "Christian" sect that followed would be disadvantaged and misinformed as well.
Perhaps that is a book that is yet to be written... by a punk monk or something along those lines! ;-)
If you like a light, good natured read... pick up this book. It's certainly better written than the Bible, and much more believable overall.
In his preface to Jesus, Chopra is very straightforward about his purpose in writing the book, saying:
"[there is] a Jesus left out of the New Testament - the enlightened Jesus. His absence, in my view, has profoundly crippled the Christian faith, for...making [Jesus] the one and only Son of God leaves the rest of humankind stranded...What if Jesus wanted his followers - and us - to reach the same unity with God that he had reached?"
Chopra takes on the task quite well, but not without failing to give some consideration I would have thought he'd undertake in his treatment of the Jesus mythos. For example, he allows the notion that Jesus was born in Nazareth, a misrepresentation caused by illiteracy in the early translations of the ancient texts that made up the canonical texts. Nazareth didn't even exist at the time of the radically inclusive Dharma teacher and itinerate Rabbi. And he fails to recognise that it was the ignorance of Pope Gregory that resulted in the complete misrepresentation of Mary of Magdala as a whore -- something that is indicated nowhere, even in the poorly plagiarised canonical texts of the Christian Bible.
Still, I think that Chopra's thoughtful treatment of the story in a way that those who entertain such ideas as the god-concept, and who believe the account in their bible was ever intended to be an historic or literal account of the life of Rav Yeshua ben Yusef, is well done and imaginative.
I might have expected that greater attention would have been paid the likelihood that the Egyptian Therapeutae, long believed to either be Tibetan Buddhist monks or to have been trained by Tibetan monks, played a significant role in the formative ideology and philosophy of the young Yeshua. But this possibility is implied in Chopra's positioning of Yeshua with the Essenes, who are likewise, students of the Dharma, integrated with a more mystical/metaphysical understanding of the traditional god-concept.
I was disturbed by Chopra's decision to support the notion of "Satan", and by an almost Harry Potter-esque encounter by Yeshua with paintings depicting future events. It seemed incongruent with Chopra's own intelligence and wisdom, and only supported one of the most unhealthy delusions of theistic spiritual paths... the notion of this fearmongering, spiteful and bitchy "god", and his "nemesis" (the Angel of Light).
In the end though, I think that for those inclined toward theistic philosophies and spiritual paths, it would be useful to consider the idea that Yeshua (Jesus) understood that all of the qualities we seek from "God" can be found within us already, and the Enlightenment is the pathway or realisation of these qualities (our True Nature). He brings to the forefront the realisation that like the meditative practices (sadhanas) of the Eastern traditions, Christianity offers prayer as a way to "transcend," to still the mind and expand it beyond the limitations of our perceived realities.
The premise that Jesus became enlightened during the so-called "lost years" is a powerful idea, but unfortunately, I expected a bit more substance to support this idea. That was entirely my fault, because I did not realise, when I picked the book up, that Chopra's intended approach was going to be purely fictional -- midrashic, really... much as the authors of the canonical and apocryphal texts intended.
Missing was any reference to the reality that most of the tales we find in the canonical texts, especially in the synoptic gospels, are nothing more than repackaged (horribly plagiarised) versions of a 5000 year old astrological myth about various sun-gods (including Horus, Osiris/Isis, Mithra, Attis, and so many others). I had hoped this book might illuminate some possibilities, even within the context of ficition, that somehow, a manipulative, unilluminated, power-hungry group of rich and powerful men (known collectively as what we now call the Roman Catholic Church) would miss the entire point of the stories, and after them, nearly every "Christian" sect that followed would be disadvantaged and misinformed as well.
Perhaps that is a book that is yet to be written... by a punk monk or something along those lines! ;-)
If you like a light, good natured read... pick up this book. It's certainly better written than the Bible, and much more believable overall.
October 21, 2021
I am still not totally sure how I feel about this book. I am a Christian, so I believe that Jesus was fully human and fully divine and that all I need to know about Jesus is written in the Bible and since He is living I can have a relationship with Him here and now. All that said to make my biases clear.
The narrative of the book is well paced and intriguing. It’s main focus is in the relationships between characters and Jesus’s spiritual growth as He comes to realize His calling as the Messiah. It is not a piece of historical fiction. I think more accuracy and research in that area would have greatly enriched the narrative and its lack was disappointing and distracting. There are also several time jumps, giving the narrative an almost dream like structure, but at the same time feels a bit lazy. Also Jesus shows in the New Testament a deep and rich knowledge of scripture, but in this story he is illiterate. One time jump of five years has a very slight implication that his knowledge of scripture might have happened then, but it’s never really acknowledged in any meaningful way. Jesus’s prayer life is also mostly just inferred. Both of these are so central to the known Jesus, it seems strange to leave them out.
In the introduction, Chopra makes it clear this is purely a work of His imagination and lays out his own point of view as an outsider to Christianity, but with understanding of the main tenants of the faith. There are parts of the story that made me uncomfortable, but I think that’s okay. All art is made to provoke feelings, and ones like anger, discomfort, and unease are just as important to explore and unpack as any.
The Reader’s Guide is the best part of the book and changed my rating from three stars to four. Does it line up exactly with the Christian faith? No, but the areas that do are very interesting since they are coming from the perspective of Eastern spirituality traditions. As a Christian, when you read this book, I think what you should ask is, “Why did God lead me to this book?” There are worthy lessons here. Don’t get caught up in what you disagree with and put it down in disgust. Find what it can teach you about your faith. You were drawn to it for a reason.
The narrative of the book is well paced and intriguing. It’s main focus is in the relationships between characters and Jesus’s spiritual growth as He comes to realize His calling as the Messiah. It is not a piece of historical fiction. I think more accuracy and research in that area would have greatly enriched the narrative and its lack was disappointing and distracting. There are also several time jumps, giving the narrative an almost dream like structure, but at the same time feels a bit lazy. Also Jesus shows in the New Testament a deep and rich knowledge of scripture, but in this story he is illiterate. One time jump of five years has a very slight implication that his knowledge of scripture might have happened then, but it’s never really acknowledged in any meaningful way. Jesus’s prayer life is also mostly just inferred. Both of these are so central to the known Jesus, it seems strange to leave them out.
In the introduction, Chopra makes it clear this is purely a work of His imagination and lays out his own point of view as an outsider to Christianity, but with understanding of the main tenants of the faith. There are parts of the story that made me uncomfortable, but I think that’s okay. All art is made to provoke feelings, and ones like anger, discomfort, and unease are just as important to explore and unpack as any.
The Reader’s Guide is the best part of the book and changed my rating from three stars to four. Does it line up exactly with the Christian faith? No, but the areas that do are very interesting since they are coming from the perspective of Eastern spirituality traditions. As a Christian, when you read this book, I think what you should ask is, “Why did God lead me to this book?” There are worthy lessons here. Don’t get caught up in what you disagree with and put it down in disgust. Find what it can teach you about your faith. You were drawn to it for a reason.
December 30, 2021
*3.5 Stars
I had no clue where this choice was going to take me. Saw the author, that provided some clout, so I took a chance. Seemed seasonally important as well. Thought it may provide a reminder to what the season is really about and who it is celebrating, its namesake.
Whether or not Jesus of Nazareth actually existed is a huge question for me. How does someone so influential not leave behind unquestionable evidence relating to his existence? I'm not talking about the son of God, I'm talking about the man Jesus and his messages regardless of their tie to a deity.
Chopra does a decent job of providing his take of the history/ story. It sounds much like the historical Jesus I personally envisioned. The interesting use of central characters of the "tale" such as Judas and Mary Magdalene provided some unique reflection.
On the whole, I was hoping for a more in-depth look at the man, Jesus. Hoping for some historical offering to help support the idea of this man's existence. The ideas were good and complementary to my perspectives but there was nothing "concrete". The book is well written though and was an enjoyable glimpse into what might have been. I wasn't blown away and actually think that many authors could provide similar fictional accounts of the man, thus the low rating. Enjoyable but not unique enough to stand out. I did enjoy the last chapter which provided some Deepak -esque insights, analysis and recommendations on how to take the ideas in the book and implement them in your own life for improvement.
Worth the time despite the lower rating. It is a short read and goes by quickly.
Happy reading!
I had no clue where this choice was going to take me. Saw the author, that provided some clout, so I took a chance. Seemed seasonally important as well. Thought it may provide a reminder to what the season is really about and who it is celebrating, its namesake.
Whether or not Jesus of Nazareth actually existed is a huge question for me. How does someone so influential not leave behind unquestionable evidence relating to his existence? I'm not talking about the son of God, I'm talking about the man Jesus and his messages regardless of their tie to a deity.
Chopra does a decent job of providing his take of the history/ story. It sounds much like the historical Jesus I personally envisioned. The interesting use of central characters of the "tale" such as Judas and Mary Magdalene provided some unique reflection.
On the whole, I was hoping for a more in-depth look at the man, Jesus. Hoping for some historical offering to help support the idea of this man's existence. The ideas were good and complementary to my perspectives but there was nothing "concrete". The book is well written though and was an enjoyable glimpse into what might have been. I wasn't blown away and actually think that many authors could provide similar fictional accounts of the man, thus the low rating. Enjoyable but not unique enough to stand out. I did enjoy the last chapter which provided some Deepak -esque insights, analysis and recommendations on how to take the ideas in the book and implement them in your own life for improvement.
Worth the time despite the lower rating. It is a short read and goes by quickly.
Happy reading!
February 5, 2022
I really wanted to like this book. I like Deepak and I enjoy his writing style but the "symbolism" was beyond my comprehension level and I just don't know enough about the politics of that time to fully understand the story plot. I had no idea what any of the characters were doing or thinking, including Jesus, in regards to their mission. Some characters were from the Bible, but some I'm not sure. And I have no idea who the story teller was or who he was supposed to represent.
The "Reader's Guide" at the end of the book gave a nice summary of Jesus's teachings in the New Testament, but did not, in my opinion, explain the story just told.
However, this quote was one good take-away for me:
"Now we have a much clearer picture of the path Jesus walked and the one he wants us to walk. Our goal is to shift our allegiance away from the material plane, to be guided by our souls, and ultimately to rejoin our source, which is God. Renunciation of the world, in the sense of giving up on it, has nothing to do with this path, nor does piety and ostentatiously living a religious life in order to seem better than those who don't. Jesus scoffed at all such pretenses and dismissed the professional priestly caste of Pharisees and Sadducees - he called them hypocrites because they knew everything about the letter of God's law, but nothing about its spirit."
The "Reader's Guide" at the end of the book gave a nice summary of Jesus's teachings in the New Testament, but did not, in my opinion, explain the story just told.
However, this quote was one good take-away for me:
"Now we have a much clearer picture of the path Jesus walked and the one he wants us to walk. Our goal is to shift our allegiance away from the material plane, to be guided by our souls, and ultimately to rejoin our source, which is God. Renunciation of the world, in the sense of giving up on it, has nothing to do with this path, nor does piety and ostentatiously living a religious life in order to seem better than those who don't. Jesus scoffed at all such pretenses and dismissed the professional priestly caste of Pharisees and Sadducees - he called them hypocrites because they knew everything about the letter of God's law, but nothing about its spirit."
March 14, 2015
Chopra takes his own non-historical sense of who Jesus was and places him in a geniusly re-created first century Palestine. It�s an odd experience to read historical fiction where so much time and care is taken to get the history right�setting detailed accurately, culture described vividly, and characters so believably first-century�yet the central character isn�t given the same attention. To care so deeply about historical sources, but to disregard the best historical sources in determining who the central character is a huge disconnect. The Jesus portrayed is a convincing character�especially in the world of first century Palestine read by 21st century Westerners�but he�s entirely fictional.[return][return]As I thought about other historical fiction, I found myself reflecting on Seth-Green�s �Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.� I think one learns more about the historical Abraham Lincoln by reading Seth-Green�s well-researched book than one can learn about Jesus from reading Chopra�s well-researched book. In Seth-Green�s work, the integrity of the central character is maintained�in fact, it�s amplified by the fictionalized vampire hunting. Chopra doesn�t make any gross paranormal additions to his Jesus, but by changing little things�e.g., making him feel guilty, refuse to speak with authority, or to lie�the character�s life pivots and becomes irreconcilable to the historical Jesus that has been sought after by the church for the past 2,000 years.[return][return]To be fair, the book is fiction. Had I not read Anne Rice�s �Road to Cana,� I may not have even realized a more comprehensively faithful fictionalization was possible. But now that I have read that novelization of Jesus� ministry I can see that either Chopra wasn�t trying to be historical or he tried and failed miserably. He seems too gifted of a writer for the second option to be viable.[return][return]This is a book with an agenda�every book about Jesus is. Chopra�s agenda isn�t to portray the real Jesus, a Jesus whose rooted in historical reality. Rather, Chopra�s taking his sense of who Jesus is and proving his feasibility by demonstrating to the reader that Chopra�s Jesus could convincingly live in Roman Palestine.[return][return]Thankfully, Chopra is more or less honest about this. He subtitled the book: A Story of Enlightenment, which should tip off Christian readers that this is not the same Jesus portrayed in the first century accounts of his life. One could characterize Jesus� story as a story of a prophet, a story or a servant leader, or a story of a redeemer, but to call it a story of enlightenment is to move the focus of Jesus� life from the people he served to Jesus� own personal sojourn�it is to say that Jesus came first to serve his own spiritual needs and secondarily to serve others�a service that primarily helps Jesus get what he wants, i.e., enlightenment.[return][return]That is not to say the book is without merit. It�s refreshing to live in a Jerusalem described so well. To see the motives of the first century Jews as they struggle with Roman oppression and their own sense of distance from their God. Chopra nails these things. He has a knack for empathy, and this allows him to create viable characters who probably are much like the one who actually inhabited the hills of Galilee and the courtyards of the great temple.[return][return]The book, however, is still dangerous. Its portrayal is so compelling the reader can often forget that an experienced truth�even a most compelling one�when separated from historical reality is no truth at all. Faith doesn�t need to have all the facts, but it needs a footing in reality. Soaring and meaningful experiences without some footing a shared reality is simply madness. [return][return]The pantheism the book's Jesus endorses at the end is attractive because it breaks through our Western individualism, but it replaces individualism for a worldview where the individual is assimilated into a broad spirituality and anything that made that individual unique or special is lost.[return][return]The Jewish notion of a fallen world wanting to be redeemed is lost. The radical prophetic focus on the suffering poor is replaced with an escapist desired your soul. The hard work of redemption through forgiveness is supplanted with the ascetic ideal of piety. To have a conversation between Jesus and Eastern mystics is an admirable and fruitful dialog, but to collapse Jesus into a guru's disciple is silly--and offensive. Silly, because there's no reason to think there was any cultural interchange between Indian and Palestinian spiritualists. Offensive because the only reason people would need to propose such a thing is that they haven't taken the time to go deep enough into Judaism. For one who has taken the time to dive into Judaism's depth there is no need for a Jew in Jesus' position to get ideas from someone or something outside the Jewish tradition to become the person he became (or was). [return][return]Part of the reason I suspect is that Chopra equates Jesus' mercy and forgiveness for the Eastern idea of tolerance. In Chopra's world (as it's outlined in the novel), evil is not undone or a force to be pushed back against, but merely a way of approaching the world that should be fully embraced--exalted as though evil is merely an unpleasant lens through which we see the world. To Chopra's credit, Jesus would have to go outside Judaism to make that move--a move that would exchange the mission of social justice (i.e., undoing evil's power and replacing it with love) for social tolerance (i.e., an attempt to see acts of hate or indifference as no better or worse than acts of charity, courage, or wisdom). [return][return]The book is recommendable to some. It�s a great work for those who are trying to understand popular perceptions of Jesus or looking to gain a more vibrant sense of the world Jesus lived in. To seekers looking for fiction that helps search for Truth (with a capital T), I suggest trying Anne Rice's 'Road to Cana.'
February 14, 2019
Deepak Chopra's book stir our imagination about Jesus' early years. I agree that Christians largely conceive of Jesus as static; He didn't have problems, and he didn't evolve. As Deepak Chopra argues, a transformed Jesus could be a more powerful role model for Christians and even non-Christians. I also liked the reminder that the Kingdom of Heaven is already within us and can be found within our every day lives. Of course, transcending from the material life is always difficult, given the temptation and social pressures. However, true happiness or pure bliss can be only achieved when we become close to God, or the Original Source. While the traditional Christians might be upset at Deepak Chopra's more Universalist's view, I am convinced that how Christianity is interpreted in major churches no longer serves us. We all just need to be more like Jesus, our beautiful and almost impossible role model.
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