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The Life and Teachings of Jesus
Who was Jesus, and what were his teachings? Jesus inspired the largest religion in the world, with an estimated 2.4 billion followers today. Many of us were raised in some variant of Christianity, and we know the basic story of Jesus. However, when asked, “What were the top teachings of Jesus?” we struggle to list more than a few. This book presents a summary of who Jesus was, his life and death, and what he taught, informed by a study of the scriptures and the analyses of religious scholars.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2024
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 27, 2025
I was looking for a book that could give me an unbiased, base level, context of the life and teachings of Jesus. I was born into, left, returned, and left again from the Catholic religion, so I knew what the church told me. I pay attention to the news and can see what others say about Jesus, but again, they are from other faiths. Then on top of that, I'd listen to those who speak in the name of Jesus and then wonder if he'd be pleased at their interpretation of his words. I say all this to say, it was difficult to find the book that I was looking for.
The Life and Teaching of Jesus by Douglas Leas caught my eye because he is not a religious scholar and is not associated with any specific religion. However, please don't let that sway you because his writing is not based on opinion. There were ample cited sources throughout, but not in a distracting way. Although not a specific faith tradition focus, Leas would let you know the differences when they were significant enough to mention, such as the eucharist and how the Catholic religion believes versus other Christian faiths. So religion is covered but not focused on specifically. The focus was Jesus and that was what I wanted and needed to lay the unbiased foundation I was looking for.
The set up of the book was in sections consisting of the history, teachings, and then the death and resurrection of Jesus. At the beginning of each chapter were bullet points providing a summary, followed by a discussion. Some chapters cover how Jesus taught or thought about salvation, The Commandments (noticed I didn't say ten?), marriage and divorce, abortion, retaliation, homosexuality, etc. This was perfect for how I learn and can easily find a topic again if I want to reread about a specific belief. Then Leas also gave some history and context about the apostles, disciples, and the women he knew as well.
I was not looking for a book to confirm what I believe (because I'm not sure completely yet) and there were teachings and beliefs of Jesus that I disagree with, for sure. However, from what I learned I think that if Jesus was sitting here, we could talk about it. That's how real Leas made Jesus and the understanding of where Jesus stood. Now I can continue my journey of learning more with this foundational knowledge.
The Life and Teaching of Jesus by Douglas Leas caught my eye because he is not a religious scholar and is not associated with any specific religion. However, please don't let that sway you because his writing is not based on opinion. There were ample cited sources throughout, but not in a distracting way. Although not a specific faith tradition focus, Leas would let you know the differences when they were significant enough to mention, such as the eucharist and how the Catholic religion believes versus other Christian faiths. So religion is covered but not focused on specifically. The focus was Jesus and that was what I wanted and needed to lay the unbiased foundation I was looking for.
The set up of the book was in sections consisting of the history, teachings, and then the death and resurrection of Jesus. At the beginning of each chapter were bullet points providing a summary, followed by a discussion. Some chapters cover how Jesus taught or thought about salvation, The Commandments (noticed I didn't say ten?), marriage and divorce, abortion, retaliation, homosexuality, etc. This was perfect for how I learn and can easily find a topic again if I want to reread about a specific belief. Then Leas also gave some history and context about the apostles, disciples, and the women he knew as well.
I was not looking for a book to confirm what I believe (because I'm not sure completely yet) and there were teachings and beliefs of Jesus that I disagree with, for sure. However, from what I learned I think that if Jesus was sitting here, we could talk about it. That's how real Leas made Jesus and the understanding of where Jesus stood. Now I can continue my journey of learning more with this foundational knowledge.
Displaying 1 of 1 review