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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Was Jesus?
This fascinating addition to the best-selling Who Was...? series does not settle questions of theology. Instead, it presents young readers with a biography that covers what is known historically about Jesus and places in his life in the context of his world when Jerusalem was part of the Roman Empire. In an even-handed and easy-to-read narrative, this title—illustrated with eighty black-and-white drawings—also explains the early origins of Christianity and how it became a major religion.
112 pages, Paperback
First published February 5, 2015
322 people are currently reading
780 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
October 3, 2021
After being absorbed by the book Who Was Galileo? a couple of weeks ago, my son and I immediately placed an order for a tonne more of the series. I may have gone a little crazy, but they were a good deal, so… Each book offers an escape into the life of a fascinating figure, but after sifting halfway through the pile the lad selected Who Was Jesus? as our first.
My husband and son are of Greek descent, and all of us are baptised Greek Orthodox, so stories about Jesus are not new to our reading rotation. Although not extensive, the timeline gave an appropriate and complete picture of Jesus’ story for my 8-year-olds intellect.
We learned about: Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, his disciples, the miracles he administered, his enemies, his Crucifixion, the Gospels, and symbols of the Christian faith. We also enjoyed the section that detailed how Jesus was represented in Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism.
Again, I was impressed by the breadth of information provided in such a slim book. The sketches add a richness to the narrative that will keep readers riveted. I am sure most of you have read these already, and I am just late, but if you have not yet, get into them, you won’t be disappointed!
To see my blog post discussing the similarities between Jesus and Galileo, click here.
My husband and son are of Greek descent, and all of us are baptised Greek Orthodox, so stories about Jesus are not new to our reading rotation. Although not extensive, the timeline gave an appropriate and complete picture of Jesus’ story for my 8-year-olds intellect.
We learned about: Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, his disciples, the miracles he administered, his enemies, his Crucifixion, the Gospels, and symbols of the Christian faith. We also enjoyed the section that detailed how Jesus was represented in Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism.
Again, I was impressed by the breadth of information provided in such a slim book. The sketches add a richness to the narrative that will keep readers riveted. I am sure most of you have read these already, and I am just late, but if you have not yet, get into them, you won’t be disappointed!
To see my blog post discussing the similarities between Jesus and Galileo, click here.
April 4, 2021
Today is Easter. This was a perfect read for today.
These are always great books for kids (an adults like me) but I wish this had been a little more thorough. It felt a little rushed at the end. Still, a good read for this day, and would be great to read aloud as a family.
Facts I learned (these will be as quoted from this book):
--For hundreds of years, people had heard stories that one day a man would free the Jewish people from their enemies. This person was known as the Messiah or "anointed one." (That means a person who has been especially chosen by God.) The Greek word for "anointed" is "Christos," or Christ. That is why Jesus became known as Jesus Christ.
--Fifty days after Passover, the disciples and other followers of Jesus gathered together for a feast. Peter told the people about Jesus's death and his resurrection. These people--about three thousand of them--were then baptized. Many people think of this day, which is also known as Pentecost, as the start of the Christian Church.
These are always great books for kids (an adults like me) but I wish this had been a little more thorough. It felt a little rushed at the end. Still, a good read for this day, and would be great to read aloud as a family.
Facts I learned (these will be as quoted from this book):
--For hundreds of years, people had heard stories that one day a man would free the Jewish people from their enemies. This person was known as the Messiah or "anointed one." (That means a person who has been especially chosen by God.) The Greek word for "anointed" is "Christos," or Christ. That is why Jesus became known as Jesus Christ.
--Fifty days after Passover, the disciples and other followers of Jesus gathered together for a feast. Peter told the people about Jesus's death and his resurrection. These people--about three thousand of them--were then baptized. Many people think of this day, which is also known as Pentecost, as the start of the Christian Church.
February 19, 2015
My 9yo says, "I did not learn many new things about Jesus and there weren't many details. But I did like that they talked about Jesus as the man the Christians believe is the son of God and not as though it is a fact that Jesus is the son of God. That was good."
January 2, 2022
I have now read several books in the Who Was? What Was? etc. series. Each book discusses an important historical figure or event or place in history. There are usually pictures, timelines, and a bibliography at the end of each book. This installment did not have any pictures which makes sense given the time period. I did appreciate the series not shying away from important religious figures.
I enjoyed reading this book, but it is definitely a quick read and gives a very brief synopsis on Jesus. However, this would be a nice start for younger children. In fact, I found this helpful at times, even as an adult, just for a quick reference. It states everything in such plain terms, and sometimes it is a relief to keep things black and white. Yes, this could be more detailed in describing the aftermath of Jesus's death and the importance of Christianity today. The focus of this book is just on Jesus's life, and I do think the author did a good job sticking to that. I'm sure it was not easy to keep it brief, and she did a much better job than I would have done.
I enjoyed reading this book, but it is definitely a quick read and gives a very brief synopsis on Jesus. However, this would be a nice start for younger children. In fact, I found this helpful at times, even as an adult, just for a quick reference. It states everything in such plain terms, and sometimes it is a relief to keep things black and white. Yes, this could be more detailed in describing the aftermath of Jesus's death and the importance of Christianity today. The focus of this book is just on Jesus's life, and I do think the author did a good job sticking to that. I'm sure it was not easy to keep it brief, and she did a much better job than I would have done.
July 12, 2015
I was a little surprised to see Jesus as part of the "Who was...?" series but I was very impressed with how this book was written. Now that I have read the book it is not so surprising to find Jesus as part of the series. The series looks at famous figures and generally "historic" figures and includes facts about the people's lives and references to things and events during the person's lifetime. This book talks about Jesus from a religious and historic viewpoint. I thought it was very objective and would suit both those faithful to the Christian religion and those of other faiths or no faith who want to learn about Jesus. The story of Jesus in this book is guided by the Gospels but does not make any religious claims. Over all an excellent read!
June 24, 2016
Not a bad introductory piece. Okay for kids, but the book definitely needs to be followed with some discussion. Ideas like Jesus being God's son, His work on the cross, His ideas towards your fellow man (being a "good person"), even other religions are all slightly flawed. The history is solid, although their view of the Gospels' timing should be followed with Lee Strobel's Case for Christ, they simply never made the final step into Jesus being The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
April 26, 2017
Kids perspective : It was a very very good book even though I already knew some of the facts. It taught me more facts about Jesus and how he lived back in the day. I would recommend it.
November 3, 2018
It is kind of like some story's in the bible where it tells all about Jesus Brith and his life in till he rose from the dead in some of the chapters it tells about important people in Jesus's life
February 24, 2020
Definitely great for a kid who would have trouble actually understanding the gospels. I learned a few things.
September 24, 2022
I think this book tried so hard to not offend anyone, that it ended up just being very bland.
March 21, 2016
I gave this book 5 stars because it is happy and interesting
March 14, 2018
I loved this book it taught me a lot love the series too ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💙💙💙💙💙💙😍😍😍😍😍😍
October 12, 2020
Who Was Jesus? by Ellen Morgan is a short but fact-filled book in the award-winning "Who Was..." series targeted specifically for the youth market. The author generally avoids issues of theology and religions and rather focuses on the known information and facts of the life of Jesus within the times in which he was on earth. It is set in the conditions of the Jews and others under the rule of the Roman Empire. The arrival of Jesus along with the many miracles attributed to him, the preaching to the masses, and teaching what are commonly known today as Christian values. Much of what the author includes were derived from the biblical stories and the Christian gospels that recount some of the better known activities about Jesus. While the author does not dwell on the theological aspects of the life of Jesus, she does present common beliefs of Christianity and their origins. I felt the author did a nice job of presenting a good picture of who Jesus was without being preachy or biased for or against what he represents.
April 30, 2015
I love this series of books for biographies of famous people and historic events. However, I am not a fan of "Who Was Jesus?" This book would be okay for someone who knows very little about Jesus, however, it contains many inaccuracies about His life. For instance, on page 21, they discuss Jesus's childhood and mention that he may have had several brothers and sisters. We as Catholics believe that Jesus was the only son of Mary. The Bible speaks of Jesus of having many "brothers" but these were brothers in a different sense. These "brothers" all had different mothers. This book will not be added to our Catholic elementary library because of this and several other inaccuracies.
December 23, 2020
The reason I choose to read the book is because I'm interested in Jesus from a historical perspective, not from a spiritual one. I’d like to learn something about this person whom I hear about a lot. Since Christians make up the largest religious group on Earth, he has certainly shaped our current world. As someone who knows too little about the character of Jesus, this book served as a basic introduction from which I can start learning more and more. It gives little details and it doesn't go in depth because it’s a children’s book.
May 4, 2017
Difficult topic to entertain because of the religious aspects that accompany it. Brothers and sisters? Not everyone believes he was the son of God. These books should remain neutral, "Just the facts, ma'am." How does the author suppose there are 2 billion Christians? Not everyone shows up to church anymore, or however else they acquired their statistics. Too much bothered me here.
January 29, 2024
This was by all means a good book, but I would’ve liked it better if it was a bit more thorough and clear in explaining some things. However, it did explain other things in unique ways that I quite liked being able to look at those new perspectives with those explanations.
As I am still going through my years-long journey in wrestling with religion (specifically with all Abrahamic religions), this book was a good place to start in learning who Jesus was historically and how different religions have different yet all still positive beliefs about him. While this book probably used the Christian Bible/New Testament somewhat too much for its credit sources, I still enjoyed and appreciated that it was as least biased as possible against anyone or anything-one of the many reasons I’ve always been quite a fan of this “Who Was?” series. Overall, this was a good book and I certainly couldn’t not recommend it to anyone. 😊
As I am still going through my years-long journey in wrestling with religion (specifically with all Abrahamic religions), this book was a good place to start in learning who Jesus was historically and how different religions have different yet all still positive beliefs about him. While this book probably used the Christian Bible/New Testament somewhat too much for its credit sources, I still enjoyed and appreciated that it was as least biased as possible against anyone or anything-one of the many reasons I’ve always been quite a fan of this “Who Was?” series. Overall, this was a good book and I certainly couldn’t not recommend it to anyone. 😊
July 3, 2018
Although none of this information is new to me, I think it was a wonderful book, and perfect for younger children. The illustrations were beautiful, and it was well written. Very enjoyable.
December 21, 2020
Drawings and text were equally good. Highly recommend.
January 31, 2023
Me personally read the Bible everyday, but if you want to know the outline of Jesus's life without reading the Bible, this is the book for you.
December 16, 2023
A very good book.
July 26, 2019
Ok
Well first of all the bible never says there were 3 wise men....It also doesn't say they came to the manager and have gifts. The wise men came to Mary and Joseph's house when he was a young child. Also, baptism isn't the washing away of sins. In too of it, they left out the entire reason why Jesus came. To save people from their sin and hell, to give eternal life. I guess the author didn't do her research.
Well first of all the bible never says there were 3 wise men....It also doesn't say they came to the manager and have gifts. The wise men came to Mary and Joseph's house when he was a young child. Also, baptism isn't the washing away of sins. In too of it, they left out the entire reason why Jesus came. To save people from their sin and hell, to give eternal life. I guess the author didn't do her research.
April 20, 2020
I read this book during Easter. I thought this book told a very easy and inspirational story of Jesus' life and death. I read it with my family. We all learned a new detail or were reminded of something we had forgotten.
November 11, 2018
Jesus is the son of God. His father was Joseph, and is mother was Mary. Jesus had followers. They were called the "twelve disciples." On the Sabbath day Jews were not supposed to do work. Jesus can perform miracles. An example is when he was at a wedding and they ran out of wine, Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water. When had done that Jesus told hem to take the jars to the wine steward, then the wine steward tasted it............and it was wine! Jesus had many people that followed him and worshiped him, but Jesus also had enemies like the rich people. The rich thought Jesus liked the poor better even though Jesus liked everyone equally. When Jesus had his last supper with his twelve disciples, Jesus told the disciples that one of them was going to betray Jesus. Pontius Pilate( the governor of Judea) sentenced Jesus to death. Roman soldiers put a crown of thorns on him to mock him because he said to them that he was a king. They nailed him to he cross, and his mother Mary watched him die. Joseph(a rich man) asked Pontius Pilate if he could have Jesus's body in order to bury it. Pilate agreed. Joseph wrapped Jesus up in a linen cloth, and put him in a tomb that had been carved out of rock. When Mary Magdalene had went into the cave and had not seen Jesus she told Peter. When Peter realized that Jesus really was not there, all of the disciples started to spread Jesus's message. Some had been killed for spreading this message, but hey still continued to preach and teach. This shows how much they really love Jesus.
April 20, 2018
This addition to the "Who was.." collection really explores the real reason for the excitement of Easter and Christmas day. This book is perfect for children, as it has a simplified version of the life and teachings of Jesus, still giving the full and complete meaning behind his ministry and miracles. Read this book to find out the glories of the Jesus Christ!
I really liked this book, as it definitely made some things easier to understand, even for me (a sophomore at private institution).
I would have this book in my classroom to really spark an interest for students about God; I know I cannot promote nor bash this book if put in the public school setting, but I think it would be great to have on hand to address curiosity of students.
I really liked this book, as it definitely made some things easier to understand, even for me (a sophomore at private institution).
I would have this book in my classroom to really spark an interest for students about God; I know I cannot promote nor bash this book if put in the public school setting, but I think it would be great to have on hand to address curiosity of students.
December 27, 2017
I read this book with my sons. They already knew the Bible stories that were retold in the book. My youngest was even telling me bits and pieces of the stories he has learned in school before I could finish reading but it still seemed to catch their attention. I liked the facts that were thrown in to help explain who the disciples were and facts about how life/the world was in Jesus’ time that were explained throughout the book. Those were the ‘new’ aspects for my boys. This was a quick read but we enjoyed our reading time together with this book.
Want to read
October 7, 2015The book was about Jesus life and how he became a preacher and how he gave a blessing to other people and they came back alive .Then the king of the country wanted people to tell him if there were a followers of Jesus and then if they said yes, the king would of killed them. Then jonathan , a follower of jesus, said he wasn't but he was so jonathan told the king were was jesus and then they fold jesus and a big problem happed.
June 1, 2015
This was an excellent read. It covered the historical and mythical aspects of a man who lived 2000 years ago, weaving legend with fact, and discussing him as a person rather than a religious icon. The book lives up to the standards of a children's biography, and even gives a little more in the form of maps and other small facts.
May 29, 2021
The Who Was? book series never disappoints, and Who Was Jesus? was no exception. I've read many of these books on scientists and inventors to my science classes, but this one was just for me. I read it at home in about a half hour. It's a great overview of Jesus's life. The only thing I wished for was a better map of the Roman Empire. Other than that, it was great!
April 6, 2016
Who was Jesus? was incredible book about the life of Jesus Christ. I love the way it took stuff from the bible into this book for kids to understand. I was glued to it and finished it in about 2 days.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews