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Visions of Jesus: Direct Encounters from the New Testament to Today
Ernie Hollands, a career criminal, said Christ appeared to him in his cell in Millhaven Penitentiary. Maria Martinez saw Jesus at a busy intersection in Miami, Florida. Rose Fairs was lying in bed one morning when the Venetian blinds opened and the head of Jesus materialized before her. Were these people only imagining a figure that seemed life-like, or is there a chance that what they saw was, in some way, real?
This first critical study of contemporary visions of Jesus offers the intriguing accounts of thirty people, most of them ordinary men and women without prior or subsequent experiences of this kind, who remain mystified about their encounters. Wiebe recounts each vision in vivid detail, exploring why these individuals believe their visions were of Jesus, and why they typically believe them to be objective happenings, rather than hallucinations or dreams. He regards the occurrences from perspectives as diverse as biblical scholarship and parapsychology, concluding that they may well represent genuine religious experiences of a mystical character. The fascinating nature of these visions and Wiebe's thoughtful, evenhanded approach to each report add up to a book that will be provocative reading for skeptics and the faithful alike.
This first critical study of contemporary visions of Jesus offers the intriguing accounts of thirty people, most of them ordinary men and women without prior or subsequent experiences of this kind, who remain mystified about their encounters. Wiebe recounts each vision in vivid detail, exploring why these individuals believe their visions were of Jesus, and why they typically believe them to be objective happenings, rather than hallucinations or dreams. He regards the occurrences from perspectives as diverse as biblical scholarship and parapsychology, concluding that they may well represent genuine religious experiences of a mystical character. The fascinating nature of these visions and Wiebe's thoughtful, evenhanded approach to each report add up to a book that will be provocative reading for skeptics and the faithful alike.
- GenresReligionChristianity
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 5, 2025
I found Visions of Jesus to be somewhat of a chore to read. The section that most held my attention was when Wiebe recounted the thirty modern experiences people reported of seeing Jesus.
The remainder of the book—covering possible explanations for these visions, philosophical reflections, and Wiebe’s personal conclusions—was much more technical and, at times, dense. Whether the individuals in the book genuinely saw Jesus is not for me to say; I don’t feel it’s my place to question someone else’s religious experience. Still, I wasn’t as impressed by some of the features Wiebe found noteworthy.
He places particular emphasis on cases where a person looked away from Jesus and, upon turning back, still saw him. Wiebe treats this stability as evidence that the experience was objective rather than hallucinatory. However, other kinds of hallucinations—such as those in Charles Bonnet Syndrome or temporal lobe seizures—can also display this kind of persistence.
I did appreciate Wiebe’s effort to categorize and analyze the various reports, and I noticed some recurring themes that could be seen as meaningful patterns. But ultimately, I wasn’t persuaded by his conclusions. In the end, I’d say the book was interesting in parts but overall just okay.
The remainder of the book—covering possible explanations for these visions, philosophical reflections, and Wiebe’s personal conclusions—was much more technical and, at times, dense. Whether the individuals in the book genuinely saw Jesus is not for me to say; I don’t feel it’s my place to question someone else’s religious experience. Still, I wasn’t as impressed by some of the features Wiebe found noteworthy.
He places particular emphasis on cases where a person looked away from Jesus and, upon turning back, still saw him. Wiebe treats this stability as evidence that the experience was objective rather than hallucinatory. However, other kinds of hallucinations—such as those in Charles Bonnet Syndrome or temporal lobe seizures—can also display this kind of persistence.
I did appreciate Wiebe’s effort to categorize and analyze the various reports, and I noticed some recurring themes that could be seen as meaningful patterns. But ultimately, I wasn’t persuaded by his conclusions. In the end, I’d say the book was interesting in parts but overall just okay.
March 2, 2013
A wonderful collection of 30 accounts of visions of Jesus
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews