A third testament

by Malcolm Muggeridge

Based on a celebrated TV series, these illuminating portraits bring to life seven famous men in search of God.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Philosophy, Biography, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge was an English journalist, author, media personality, and satirist. During World War II, he was a soldier and a spy. In the aftermath of the war, as a hugely influential London journalist, he converted to Christianity and helped bring Mother Teresa to popular attention in the West. He was also a critic of the sexual revolution and of drug use.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I made a mistake when ordering this book, I wanted to read something of Muggeridge and this popped up first on the Amazon search. My mistake was ordering it without reading the preview, this is not a collection of Muggeridge's thoughts on his spiritual journey but rather brief biographies of seven of the most prolific Christian thinkers over the course of church history. Having said that, I loved this book! And this book caused another problem - the growth of my Amazon Wishlist, which exceeds my ability to pay and read.

The seven pilgrims are St. Augustine, Blaise Pascal, William Blake, Soren Kierkegaard, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In this book, Muggeridge asserts that God placed each in critical points of history to preserve the church and to launch it into new ways of thinking and living. A Third Testament.

Here are my dog-ears, highlights, and thoughts:

Introduction, xvi - the computer as the graven image of the day

pg. 36 - Pascal quote - "Since men are unable to cure death, misery, ignorance, they imagine they can find happiness by not thinking about such things."

pg. 41 - Pascal's cul-de-sac of science, men grasping the extent and complexity of creation.

pg. 54 - a passion for goodness but hating morality, lovers of freedom hating laws, lovers of truth hating dogma.

pg. 123 - Tolstoy, in the eyes of civil authority a revolutionary; and in the eyes of ecclesiastical authorities a heretic. Like Jesus.

pg. 125 - Tolstoy felt as if he was ahead of his times, or just a person never satisfied.

pg. 136 - Tolstoy's desire for faith like the simple peasants that worked on his estate.

pg. 168 - Bonhoeffer as the only victor of World War II.

Afterword - "...God has an inner strategic purpose for his Creation, thereby enabling me to see through the Theater of the Absurd, which is what life seems to be, and into the Theater of the Fearful Symmetry, which is what it is. Thus reality sorts itself out, like film coming into sync, and everything that exists, from the tiniest atom to the illimitable universe in which our tiny earth revolves, everything that happens, from the most trivial event to the most seemingly momentous, makes one pattern, tells one story, is comprehended in one prayer: Thy will be done." -MM

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book after returning from my two year tour in the army after being drafted. Watched his series on the book on PBS and immediately became a follower of Malcolm Muggeridge.
Loved it,

[Giju Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calling the book 'A third testament' may not be entirely appropriate. However, it does tell the stories of some great men of the faith. The profiles of each are short given that this is essentially a transcript of the TV series. For me some of the people covered in the book were new and so I enjoyed it a lot especially those on Blake, Pascal and Kierkegaard. This to me can be a starting point to read about each of these great men.

There is no attempt to glorify or polish them but the book offers a realistic and balanced profile of their lives including their weaknesses and lows in life.

Overall a great book to get a snapshot of some interesting men of God!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I love to read, and because I love all of the authors that Muggeridge covers, I love this book. Hmmm. I learned a bit about Augustine (definitely want to start reading City of God soon), as well as Pascal and Blake. My most interesting and wonderful discovery was Kierkegaard. I have purchased two of his books since reading the chapter discussing his life and writings. I'm unofficially starting my own "3rd testament"...if you do, let me know who you include!

[James Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The purpose of this book for me was to gain a foundational knowledge of some great Christian figures throughout history. This book served my personal purpose for it. Although it doesn't reveal perhaps the full depths of each person's spiritual finding it does give a brief summary of their lives, who they were and what they did.

Other points to add are it's style are fairly textbook, underlying anti-communist themes appear every now and again.

I still enjoyed this book and Muggeridge as a writer.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed the biographies, but when Muggeridge interjected his personal opinions it felt wrong.

[Mary Karam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of the book was promising, a book composed of brief biographical accounts of some of the most influential writers of all time. And resembling the human portraits in the old testament, Muggeridge shows how these people were human, how we can see parts of ourselves in them, how they're genuine yet unique samples of humanity, and how their relentless pursuit for the purpose they were created for did not die in vain.
"...God has an inner strategic purpose for his Creation, thereby enabling me to see through the Theater of the Absurd, which is what life seems to be, and into the Theater of the Fearful Symmetry, which is what it is. Thus reality sorts itself out, like film coming into sync, and everything that exists, from the tiniest atom to the illimitable universe in which our tiny earth revolves, everything that happens, from the most trivial event to the most seemingly momentous, makes one pattern, tells one story, is comprehended in one prayer: Thy will be done." -MM

He still speaks...

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading Muggeridge. I read this many years ago and just re-read it (Feb 2022). This book is about writers Muggeridge describes as "God's spies" - Augustine, Blake, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Bonhoeffer. Each saw the collapsing (literally with Augustine) or corrupting around them and pursued an alternative vision of the kingdom of God in their own time. Like the first time I read this it makes me want to go read books by each of the featured authors.

[NIGEL PEARCE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Malcolm Muggeridge covers the transformative pilgrimage of these lives which makes it so reachable and tangible for us. That there is no greater pursuit than the pursuit of God. Reading the power it brought to each of these individuals helps us to see that each was touch in their own way by the hand of God. I will read over and over again so many nuggets of gold in their stories!

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author writes short biopics of influential men of the past whose lives were shaped by their "Christian Struggle." This book was designed to complement the film series by the same name; it is available on YouTube. I suggest this book be read during the viewing of the film series.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Milton

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star read. A short narrative (each) of six men of history and their life in faith.

[Stafford Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not exhaustive Muggeridge profiled these 7 Christians well and it would be a good supplement to more comprehensive biographies of each of the men that he calls "God's spies".

[Aaron Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

…although they were all quintessentially men of their time, they had a special role in common, which was none other than to relate their time to eternity.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broad overview of some giants in the faith whos voices have echoed through the ages on how we approach both culture and faith. An enjoyable read.

[J.P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first edition of this book, which did not include the chapter on Dostoevsky. Nevertheless, it was a thoughtful overview of a series of spiritual "pilgrims"---men who spent their lives questing to know God through their daily lives.

There are other deeper, more scholarly tomes available on any one of these subjects. But Muggeridge's introductory, Everyman approach makes this book an easygoing and engrossing primer. He does nothing less than humanize his topics: St. Augustine, who wanted only to retire to a life of contemplation and prayer, being pulled by communal need into being a bishop; Kierkegaard, spending his inheritance to publish his visionary works and suffering the critical backlash his writings brought him; Tolstoy's struggles with his contradictory impulses of worldly indulgence and spiritual satisfaction. Muggeridge truly made these figures breathe for me.

This is a book which does the best and most difficult thing a book can do---it piques your interest in and leads to further investigation of its enriching subjects. Those interested in spirituality will find time spent with this volume to be time well-spent.

[David Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of the re-reading of this book. (My first reading resulted in a rating of 5 stars.) The author examines the lives, works, and impact of six important figures in Christian history: St. Augustine of Hippo, Blaise Pascal, William Blake, Soren Kierkegaard, Leo Tolstoy, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The text is actually the script for a documentary series Muggeridge did for the BBC in 1974. He demonstrates rather straightforwardly what it is about each man that made him stand apart from his contemporaries, draws a good portrait of each man's spiritual journey, and discusses their respective influences on the current of Western religious thought. Muggeridge is opinated, but makes a good case for his modern heroes of faith. (He expresses some doubt about his inclusion of Bonhoeffer in this illustrious company; I must confess that I found it the least interesting of the chapters. Interestingly, for the paperback version, a chapter on Dostoevsky was included -- I may need to track that down to read just it!)

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This edition does not have a chapter on Dostoevsky, as some other editions do.

MM traces the lives and thoughts of people who have been influential in his own spiritual development. Written after his autobiography and some of his religious writing.

This is the script of a TV series, and it shows -- interesting ground, but sometime seems superficial.

Call it 3.5 stars. Could be four if it all was as good as the best chapters.

Sort of uneven -- some chapters (e.g., Pascal, Blake, Kierkegaard) seem more in-depth and investigate their thoughts and writing. Tolstoy and Bonhoeffer are more like minor biographies, especially Bonhoeffer.

[Isra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encontré por casualidad este libro buscando bibliografía sobre Kierkegaard y me cautivó por fuera su enfoque. Después de terminarlo y sabiendo que el autor no es ni mucho menos un inexperto, no puedo más que confirmar que mi «olfato» fue correcto. Una interpretación inspirada de la vida de siete «espías de Dios», profetas de su tiempo, escritores geniales, místicos en el mundo, que vivieron momentos clave de la civilización. Cristianos auténticos, aunque sólo dos fueron católicos, y uno de ellos rayando la herejía. Este libro es la reflexión de un hombre moderno que busca inspiración en los grandes hombres, y que, a su vez, inspira grandeza.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Tennyson said, "Lives of great men all remind us we can make or lives sublime, and departing leave behind us footprints on the sands of time." The six great Christian Malcolm Muggeridge profiles in this small volume ar all diverse in background, talents and callings. Yet they all were on spiritual journeys that have influenced others. These vignettes were inspirational and left me wanting to learn more about the lives of these great men.

[Morris Nelms · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Muggeridge's choices provacative and fascinating. It's a great book. Why did I hedge a star, then? Because Muggeridge himself is a rather dour fellow. I don't share his pessimism or some of his other attitudes. What I do share is his obvious enthusiasm for his subject here. All of the folks on his list are people I've either read before and loved or have always wanted to read. Highly recommended. Free from Plough Publishing as an e-book.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the 1970s by a conservative philosopher, this book explores the life and writings of Saint Augustine, Blaise Pascal, William Blake, Soren Kierkegaard, Leo Tolstoy, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The author posits that these authors, taken together, present a third testament, to be read alongside the Old and New Testaments, to show how God is speaking to contemporary society. The book is both thoughtful and well-written, and provides numerous insights into each of his subjects.

[benebean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really really wanted to like this book. But for some reason, maybe because I was constantly struggling with the tts or because I've already listened to biographies of 3 of the people covered, I had trouble focusing on the book-- and it came across as a collection of mediocre encyclopedia entries.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at how seven individuals - St Augustine, Pascal, Blake, Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Bonhoeffer impacted the civilization, the culture and the expression of the Christian faith in the times in which they lived. Muggeridge considers them to be prophets of their times due to the impact they had, perhaps not so much during their own lives as on future generations.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an excellent introduction to several great men in the history of Christianity, from Augustine to Bonhoeffer. Each chapter focuses on a different man--giving a reader the briefest of background. The author himself was born in 1903, and I found his perspective (as someone more closely connected to the last couple of individuals profiled) to be interesting.

[Yula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book chronicles the amazing life tales of how these men-Saint Augustine,Blaise Pascal,William Blake,Søren Kierkegaard,Fyodor Dostoevsky,Leo Tolstoy,and Dietrich Bonhoeffer all served God in their various capacities-All in one book!What a treat! It's one thing to have read their works,and quite another to explore their lives! What a treat!

[Debbie Petersen Wolven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to like this book, but it read like a high school book report. Some of the stories were interesting, but the poor writing style took away from it. I was surprised by this because I had heard so many good things about the author.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-written account of the lives and impact on Christendom of key figures in history, many literary luminaries. Muggeridge strikes a nice balance between biographical detail, personal perspective (and humor), and astute observations.

[Frank R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muggeridge's writing is a joy, as he surveys six "prophets" that have adapted and enhanced the Christian message since New Testament times. My main takeaway from the book was a desire to read more Kierkagaard, Blake, and Pascal.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alternative views of christianity