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Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography
Beginning with the Gospels, interpretations of the life of Jesus have flourished for nearly two millennia, yet a clear and coherent picture of Jesus as a man has remained elusive. In Rabbi Jesus , the noted biblical scholar Bruce Chilton places Jesus within the context of his times to present a fresh, historically accurate, and revolutionary examination of the man who founded Christianity.
Drawing on recent archaeological findings and new translations and interpretations of ancient texts, Chilton discusses in enlightening detail the philosophical and psychological foundations of Jesus’ ideas and beliefs. His in-depth investigation also provides evidence that contradicts long-held beliefs about Jesus and the movement he led. Chilton shows, for example, that the High Priest Caiaphas, as well as Pontius Pilate, played a central role in Jesus’ execution. It is, however, Chilton’s description of Jesus’ role as a rabbi, or "master," of Jewish oral traditions, as a teacher of the Cabala, and as a practitioner of a Galilean form of Judaism that emphasized direct communication with God that casts an entirely new light on the origins of Christianity.
Seamlessly merging history and biography, this penetrating, highly readable book uncovers truths lost to the passage of time and reveals a new Jesus for the new millennium.
Drawing on recent archaeological findings and new translations and interpretations of ancient texts, Chilton discusses in enlightening detail the philosophical and psychological foundations of Jesus’ ideas and beliefs. His in-depth investigation also provides evidence that contradicts long-held beliefs about Jesus and the movement he led. Chilton shows, for example, that the High Priest Caiaphas, as well as Pontius Pilate, played a central role in Jesus’ execution. It is, however, Chilton’s description of Jesus’ role as a rabbi, or "master," of Jewish oral traditions, as a teacher of the Cabala, and as a practitioner of a Galilean form of Judaism that emphasized direct communication with God that casts an entirely new light on the origins of Christianity.
Seamlessly merging history and biography, this penetrating, highly readable book uncovers truths lost to the passage of time and reveals a new Jesus for the new millennium.
330 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Bruce Chilton
87 books17 followersBruce Chilton (sometimes Bruce D. Chilton) (born 1949) is an American scholar of early Christianity and Judaism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_C...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_C...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
June 26, 2016
I read this on the heels of Reza Aslan's Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth and it was great fun to consider Chilton's account next to Aslan's. Chilton paints Jesus as a Jewish mystic, an Old Testament prophet who is deeply disturbed by the corruption wrought by the high priest of the Temple and his Roman overlords. The importance of the Temple and the law cannot be overestimated in either account. But Chilton argues that the means by which Jesus intends to reform the establishment are much different: for Chilton, Jesus is the most conservative of spiritual leaders, not a lestes, not a bandit or a rebel; he is a prophet focused almost entirely on the Kingdom of God. By virtue of this intense spiritual focus alone, and not by any overt conspiracy, is Jesus able to attract a loyal following and threaten both Temple and Roman authorities.
Chilton's argument is better supported than Aslan's -- his knowledge of the historical sources, including the Aramaic Targums, makes his account resonate. But his writing is not exactly compelling. It is thoughtful, but difficult, perhaps intentionally so. His translations from the Gospels are so unwieldy and awkward that they prove the old adage that a faithful translation cannot be beautiful. (He insists on translating "Peter" as "Rock" at every turn, which is literal but sounds ridiculous.) On the other hand, the difficulty of interpreting υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (via Hebrew prophetic scripture) is highlighted every time he translates "the one like a person" instead of the traditional "son of man."
Rabbi Jesus was written for the lay community, but it is clear that it springs from much more advanced scholarship. It's a book to wrestle with, and a gateway to further study.
Chilton's argument is better supported than Aslan's -- his knowledge of the historical sources, including the Aramaic Targums, makes his account resonate. But his writing is not exactly compelling. It is thoughtful, but difficult, perhaps intentionally so. His translations from the Gospels are so unwieldy and awkward that they prove the old adage that a faithful translation cannot be beautiful. (He insists on translating "Peter" as "Rock" at every turn, which is literal but sounds ridiculous.) On the other hand, the difficulty of interpreting υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (via Hebrew prophetic scripture) is highlighted every time he translates "the one like a person" instead of the traditional "son of man."
Rabbi Jesus was written for the lay community, but it is clear that it springs from much more advanced scholarship. It's a book to wrestle with, and a gateway to further study.
December 11, 2009
This compact book is filled with an extraordinary set of insights, engagingly told & supported by inspired scholarship.
When the traditional Gospel accounts are supplemented with their missing Judaic context, a fresh Jesus emerges - he is a 1st century Palestinian, a devout Jew, steeped in the Torah.
As one Catholic priest told a mutual friend: After giving an informed sermon, the priest was approached by a disturbed parishoner who exclaimed, "Father, are you telling me that Jesus had a Jewish mother!"
No kidding.
Chilton, who began this project as a Christian scholar fluent in Aramaic and Hebrew, is a gifted storyteller. Whatever your theological and cultural perspective, this book is a classic, a never out-of-print. It's a must-read (& re-read)for everyone who wants to understand more about that First Century spiritual earthquake the reverberations of which still shape current events.
Jay B Gaskill
When the traditional Gospel accounts are supplemented with their missing Judaic context, a fresh Jesus emerges - he is a 1st century Palestinian, a devout Jew, steeped in the Torah.
As one Catholic priest told a mutual friend: After giving an informed sermon, the priest was approached by a disturbed parishoner who exclaimed, "Father, are you telling me that Jesus had a Jewish mother!"
No kidding.
Chilton, who began this project as a Christian scholar fluent in Aramaic and Hebrew, is a gifted storyteller. Whatever your theological and cultural perspective, this book is a classic, a never out-of-print. It's a must-read (& re-read)for everyone who wants to understand more about that First Century spiritual earthquake the reverberations of which still shape current events.
Jay B Gaskill
July 10, 2008
This book is fascinating. The author explores the Biblical and other historical evidence of Jesus' life and posits the theory that many of his sayings need to be interpreted more closely in light of rabbinical teachings at the time, especially those of the charismatic leader John the Baptist. I hope I do not mischaracterize the book in saying that what I took away from it was that Jesus was indeed a transformative figure, but not necessarily in the way that Christians typically understand.
I liked the tone of historical inquiry, from the point of view of one schooled in both history and Christianity (the author is a priest), and found it very well written. The author's telling of the events of the Passion (in the context of tenuous Roman rule) was absolutely riveting. I almost doubted the outcome at moments, and the tragedy was fully conveyed.
I liked the tone of historical inquiry, from the point of view of one schooled in both history and Christianity (the author is a priest), and found it very well written. The author's telling of the events of the Passion (in the context of tenuous Roman rule) was absolutely riveting. I almost doubted the outcome at moments, and the tragedy was fully conveyed.
February 18, 2020
Not a very good book. The problem is really not the assertions he makes as much as the lack of sources and evidence he fails to produce in support. Books such as The Jesus Dynasty are much better reads in this regard. The novel like presentation was great Approach but does not make up for the absence of explaining his conclusions about Jesus. For example of Jesus does not return home after his incident in the temple at 12, other than saying trust me I've figured this all out he doesn't even attempt to explain how he arrived at that conclusion. Since the entire book follows this format I would have to call it a waste for anyone seriously seeking to know more about the historical Jesus
August 16, 2020
I love love loved this book. For the history, the detail, the perspective, the picture of Jesus that Chilton painted that is unlike anything I’ve ever read about the big JC. It took a couple of months to pore over this slim volume, but there were so many notes to take and questions to note for later, but I enjoyed every second of it. Reading Chilton was an experience! I will definitely look for more of his books, after I read this one more time.
HUGELY recommended to lovers of history, Biblical or otherwise, and to biography lovers across the board, whether you are religious, Christian, Jewish, agnostic, atheist, or whatever. Great book!
HUGELY recommended to lovers of history, Biblical or otherwise, and to biography lovers across the board, whether you are religious, Christian, Jewish, agnostic, atheist, or whatever. Great book!
April 2, 2011
Wonderful book by Bruce Chilton about the historical Jesus. It is so exciting that fairly recent archaeology and cultural anthropology studies have made Jesus so much more accessible. No, he was not born in Bethlehem; no he did not arrive via Virgin Birth; yes, he was illiterate; no he did not die for our sins; yes, he was a Jew who hoped to change the rituals of sacrifice for the Temple and had no intention of forming a new religion; yes, he and Mary Magdalene, his primary disciple, and he may have loved each other in every sense of that word (pre-marital sex was no big deal in first century Judaism); no, he never said the bread and wine were literally his Body and Blood, a statement that would have been blashpemous to him. But, he was an incredible prophet so very close to God, a visionary whose mysticism deepened during the course of his life until he occupied the spiritual realm as much as the earthly one and could bring others into that realm with him. And he was radically, insistently inclusive -- there could be no one termed "other" by this rabbi -- not Samaritans, Syro-Phoenicians, women, adulteresses, tax collectors. The challenge to every one of us who call ourselves "Christians" is to demand of ourselves that no is "other" -- not gays, not Muslims, not liberals, not conservatives, not illegal aliens, not blacks. The Christ is a man-made metaphor too often devoid of passion, humor, joy, earthiness, friendship, doubt and pain; Rabbi Jesus is astonishing, captivating, demanding, loving, generous, hilarious, insistent that the Kingdom of God is already here and available through community feasting.
May 12, 2016
In preparation for hearing Bruce Chilton speak, as part of the Spong Lecture Series (which I attend every year), I read his book, which is the most detailed reconstruction of the life of Jesus that I have so far seen. The main thrust is to place Jesus squarely within the context of first century Judaism. While the book is necessarily speculative, given the limitations of the sources, Chilton takes the approach of developing as much context as possible, so that any surmises are sensible understandings of the sketchy language of the gospels.
Chilton develops the extensive context in several ways, for example, by becoming conversant in Aramaic and Syriac, in addition to Hebrew and Greek, so that he can get a better feel for the actual language than Jesus used. Chilton argues that Jesus was illiterate, and knew the Torah and prophets through Aramaic oral tradition (Targums). On the basis of this, he is able to suggest that the Lord’s Prayer started out as a piece of the Jewish Kaddish in Aramaic. The phrases “Hallowed be thy name” and “Thy kingdom come” have a clear similarity to “May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified” and “May He give reign to His kingship” (excerpted from an on-line Kaddish). What is thought of as a distinctively Christian prayer has a clear continuity with Jewish tradition.
Another way that Chilton develops context is by making use of extensive non-Biblical sources, such as Talmud and Midrash (in Hebrew of course), as well as contemporaneous historical sources such as the Jewish historian Josephus. I had known that Josephus had written very little about Jesus, but it turns out that he wrote quite a bit more about John the Baptist, and James, the brother of Jesus, in the context of Jewish history. Both were noteworthy figures integral to first century Judaism, John as a wilderness reformer, and James as an unusually observant ascetic in the Temple at Jerusalem. The insight gained helps to flesh out Jesus’ own experience.
Occasionally the speculations conflict with each other. For example, Chilton makes clear that Jesus shared the widespread first century belief that an apocalyptic upheaval would usher in “the Kingdom of God” at any moment. This was not surprising in a religious culture oppressed by Roman power. I had known this ever since I read Albert Schweitzer’s autobiography years ago.
But Jesus also says (what I remember as) “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Chilton argues, through his linguistic expertise, that this ought to be translated as “The Kingdom of God is in your midst.” that is, that the Kingdom of God is immediate and communal. These two concepts of the Kingdom of God are inconsistent. One cannot both speculate that Jesus hoped to usher in the Kingdom of God and also speculate that he held that it was already here. This is an area in which too much context doesn’t help.
These are snippets, but there is much to be valued in Chilton’s work. While eschewing magical explanations, Chilton describes a detailed fabric for Jesus’ life, placed squarely within Jewish tradition, which could plausibly inspire two millennia worth of followers.
Chilton develops the extensive context in several ways, for example, by becoming conversant in Aramaic and Syriac, in addition to Hebrew and Greek, so that he can get a better feel for the actual language than Jesus used. Chilton argues that Jesus was illiterate, and knew the Torah and prophets through Aramaic oral tradition (Targums). On the basis of this, he is able to suggest that the Lord’s Prayer started out as a piece of the Jewish Kaddish in Aramaic. The phrases “Hallowed be thy name” and “Thy kingdom come” have a clear similarity to “May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified” and “May He give reign to His kingship” (excerpted from an on-line Kaddish). What is thought of as a distinctively Christian prayer has a clear continuity with Jewish tradition.
Another way that Chilton develops context is by making use of extensive non-Biblical sources, such as Talmud and Midrash (in Hebrew of course), as well as contemporaneous historical sources such as the Jewish historian Josephus. I had known that Josephus had written very little about Jesus, but it turns out that he wrote quite a bit more about John the Baptist, and James, the brother of Jesus, in the context of Jewish history. Both were noteworthy figures integral to first century Judaism, John as a wilderness reformer, and James as an unusually observant ascetic in the Temple at Jerusalem. The insight gained helps to flesh out Jesus’ own experience.
Occasionally the speculations conflict with each other. For example, Chilton makes clear that Jesus shared the widespread first century belief that an apocalyptic upheaval would usher in “the Kingdom of God” at any moment. This was not surprising in a religious culture oppressed by Roman power. I had known this ever since I read Albert Schweitzer’s autobiography years ago.
But Jesus also says (what I remember as) “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Chilton argues, through his linguistic expertise, that this ought to be translated as “The Kingdom of God is in your midst.” that is, that the Kingdom of God is immediate and communal. These two concepts of the Kingdom of God are inconsistent. One cannot both speculate that Jesus hoped to usher in the Kingdom of God and also speculate that he held that it was already here. This is an area in which too much context doesn’t help.
These are snippets, but there is much to be valued in Chilton’s work. While eschewing magical explanations, Chilton describes a detailed fabric for Jesus’ life, placed squarely within Jewish tradition, which could plausibly inspire two millennia worth of followers.
July 17, 2015
I wish I had realized I had read Mary Magdalene: A Biography, also by Chilton; I could have saved myself the effort of reading this one.
Chilton starts with the basic premise that Jesus was a mamzer, a term not quite synonymous with bastard. Here, he uses it to mean that Jesus' purity as a Jew was suspect, because no one knew for certain who his father was, though Chilton puts forth the theory that it was, in fact, Joseph. From this, he builds a story where Jesus, the perpetual outcast, creates a religion for outcasts.
That religion, according to Chilton, is heavily reliant on Kabbalistic mystery teachings. The "miracles" Jesus is said to have performed are instead cases of mass visions. The parables are directly related to Jesus' own life (casting him, for example, as the prodigal son who returns to his family in Nazareth after spending some years as a disciple of John the Baptist, from whom he learned the mystery tradition).
In the end, I come back to the same issues I had with Mary Magdalene: A Biography: the research is sloppy and poorly presented, the conclusions are circumspect at best (how do we "know" Jesus was fat and balding?), and he lacks the background, understanding, or perhaps ability to describe the mystery tradition he is comparing Christianity to (in this case, Kabbalah, in the case of Mary Magdalene, Gnosticism).
I can't in any way recommend this author, despite the fact that he appears to be a respected academic. It could be that his ideas have merit and are backed by actual scholarship, but nowhere is that evident in his writing.
Chilton starts with the basic premise that Jesus was a mamzer, a term not quite synonymous with bastard. Here, he uses it to mean that Jesus' purity as a Jew was suspect, because no one knew for certain who his father was, though Chilton puts forth the theory that it was, in fact, Joseph. From this, he builds a story where Jesus, the perpetual outcast, creates a religion for outcasts.
That religion, according to Chilton, is heavily reliant on Kabbalistic mystery teachings. The "miracles" Jesus is said to have performed are instead cases of mass visions. The parables are directly related to Jesus' own life (casting him, for example, as the prodigal son who returns to his family in Nazareth after spending some years as a disciple of John the Baptist, from whom he learned the mystery tradition).
In the end, I come back to the same issues I had with Mary Magdalene: A Biography: the research is sloppy and poorly presented, the conclusions are circumspect at best (how do we "know" Jesus was fat and balding?), and he lacks the background, understanding, or perhaps ability to describe the mystery tradition he is comparing Christianity to (in this case, Kabbalah, in the case of Mary Magdalene, Gnosticism).
I can't in any way recommend this author, despite the fact that he appears to be a respected academic. It could be that his ideas have merit and are backed by actual scholarship, but nowhere is that evident in his writing.
December 27, 2020
Chilton possibly outdoes the whole host of Jesus Seminar scholars in his quest to uncover the real Jesus. His account is learned, sensitive, and viscerally dramatic. The tension and excitement are palpable, and the questions are arresting. For example: "What Jew would tell another to drink blood, even symbolic blood?" The Torah, Chilton notes, forbids it in several places such as Genesis 9:4. The Mishnah records an ancient Jewish abhorrence at the very thought, stating that the most heinous desecration of sacrificial ritual possible for a priest was, "if he slaughters in order to eat from its flesh and drink from its blood" (p. 252). At Chilton's hands a whole set of challenging alternatives arise as to what Jesus meant. This is the most thought provoking biography of Jesus I've seen.
October 13, 2007
The author, an ordained cleric, nevertheless doubts the supernatural powers and authority of Jesus of Nazareth, and attempts (somewhat unsuccessfully) to explain away most of Jesus' miracles and radically new teachings, couching him as an itinerant, illiterate preacher with a knack for knocking off Jewish teachings and re-tooling them as his own. While unconvincing in that respect, the book is priceless as an inside view of the times that Jesus came of age. Chilton's vivid description of Jerusalem and especially the Temple are required reading if you wish to understand Judaism of the time and its most profound symbol, the Temple of Jerusalem. Keep your skeptic hat on, but enjoy the read!
May 23, 2021
I didn't finish this book. There were too many statements unsupported by fact that I disagreed with. There are too many books I want to read to waste any more time on this drivel.
June 27, 2020
The book promises to provide the 1st century context of Jesus' life and how we may be misinterpreting events and saying from his life without this necessary background information. How the book is actually a work of historical fiction, making providing details without sources, coming to conclusions that seem far fetched, even if you accept the fictional details added to the story.
One example, Chilton claims that Jesus, knew a Lazarus wasn't really dead but actually was just sleeping, despite everyone else considering him dead and being interred for days, but somehow Jesus knew, and knew this multiple times for different people. Rather than argue the whole story was an embellishment, or fiction, or argue Jesus raised the dead, he takes the improbable argument that people were suddenly often mistaken for dead, for days, by entire communities, but Jesus somehow, was the only one who knew these people were actually still alive. Yet, Chilton never established how Jesus would come to know about this affliction to the exclusion of everyone else, nor how to detect it, nor why everyone thought he raised people from the dead.
This one example highlights his consistent problem in writing this, there are no alternatives. Chilton picks a path for Jesus in his biography and sticks with it, there is no debating two points of view in his book, he just makes claims and presents it as an authoritarian biography, if you want to be taken seriously as a scholar you need to present and refute arguments that you do not agree with, instead he puts in details and events that even the canonical and non-canonical gospels do not speculate upon and makes them stone cold facts of his narrative.
One example, Chilton claims that Jesus, knew a Lazarus wasn't really dead but actually was just sleeping, despite everyone else considering him dead and being interred for days, but somehow Jesus knew, and knew this multiple times for different people. Rather than argue the whole story was an embellishment, or fiction, or argue Jesus raised the dead, he takes the improbable argument that people were suddenly often mistaken for dead, for days, by entire communities, but Jesus somehow, was the only one who knew these people were actually still alive. Yet, Chilton never established how Jesus would come to know about this affliction to the exclusion of everyone else, nor how to detect it, nor why everyone thought he raised people from the dead.
This one example highlights his consistent problem in writing this, there are no alternatives. Chilton picks a path for Jesus in his biography and sticks with it, there is no debating two points of view in his book, he just makes claims and presents it as an authoritarian biography, if you want to be taken seriously as a scholar you need to present and refute arguments that you do not agree with, instead he puts in details and events that even the canonical and non-canonical gospels do not speculate upon and makes them stone cold facts of his narrative.
July 17, 2007
I enjoyed Chilton's book on Mary Magdalene so much that I immediately bought and read Rabbi Jesus. Another interesting read. Much political context is included, basically adding an element that was not given to me in my Catholic education. On some level, the book on Mary was easier to read, but noone ever said Jesus of Nazareth was easy to understand. Certainly a portrait of a man, someone you could have met, was made. For anyone who likes to read about history and people, this is provocative. Not preachy.
July 5, 2020
I loved this book. I loved the way Bruce Chilton has brought forward the real personage of Jesus Christ. I loved the way he shows the reader in what context the gospel can be read & what it means in particular instances. This book is a must read for anyone who wants a historically almost accurate account of the real Jesus of Nazareth's life & what he means to us today. The book a scholarly work but written almost in the form of a simple biography. Kudos to Bruce Chilton for managing to do so. I look forward to reading more of Bruce Chilton's books in the year future.
January 14, 2019
This author had so many baseless assumptions that were used in the book without ever being listed or explained. In fact, many of these assumptions were ones that historians have discredited yet he used anyway. Moreover, he writes about the years that history has absolutely no account of as if his ideas are fact. At many times, I thought it read more like a work of fiction than what he claims to be a biography.
October 18, 2008
Main claim: Christ was a Merkabah mystic; plenty that I disagree with, but it's a very accessible book, and the closing statements are breathtaking in their poignant view of suffering and its role in Christianity.
May 15, 2018
This book is an expertly written piece of fiction from a brilliant and well read author.
I have learnt much about the Jewish culture during Jesus’ time, the significance of John the Baptist’s discipleship on the mamzer Jesus and Caiaphas’ relationship with Rome.
With that said, I must stress THIS IS FICTION.
To portray this book as anything else is simply irresponsible.
The historical sources quoted are often applied out of context and are used in utter disregard to their chronology all in support of the authors fictional narrative. Many of the supporting texts used were discredited during their time as written by cults and bare little light on the truth, yet they are given the same weight as the more credible sources and rabbinic commentaries. Which is all fair enough if presented as a fictional work.
I am deeply saddened to read the other comments of those who have taken this book seriously.
Friends, this is a well written and researched book of historical fiction, presenting a palatable and personally unchallenging Jesus. Rabbi Jesus is NOT the historical Jesus and you will be missing out if you stop your search here.
If you are interested may I suggest Kenneth E. Bailey - Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes (an excellent treatment on much the same source material) and of course the Bible itself.
Please note; Every time Jesus is approached in scripture as Rabbi (teacher) He follows with a rebuke.
Understanding Him simply as a teacher is missing the point of who He really is! Those who see this book as anything other than fiction please Read John’s Gospel 3:1-21.
I have learnt much about the Jewish culture during Jesus’ time, the significance of John the Baptist’s discipleship on the mamzer Jesus and Caiaphas’ relationship with Rome.
With that said, I must stress THIS IS FICTION.
To portray this book as anything else is simply irresponsible.
The historical sources quoted are often applied out of context and are used in utter disregard to their chronology all in support of the authors fictional narrative. Many of the supporting texts used were discredited during their time as written by cults and bare little light on the truth, yet they are given the same weight as the more credible sources and rabbinic commentaries. Which is all fair enough if presented as a fictional work.
I am deeply saddened to read the other comments of those who have taken this book seriously.
Friends, this is a well written and researched book of historical fiction, presenting a palatable and personally unchallenging Jesus. Rabbi Jesus is NOT the historical Jesus and you will be missing out if you stop your search here.
If you are interested may I suggest Kenneth E. Bailey - Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes (an excellent treatment on much the same source material) and of course the Bible itself.
Please note; Every time Jesus is approached in scripture as Rabbi (teacher) He follows with a rebuke.
Understanding Him simply as a teacher is missing the point of who He really is! Those who see this book as anything other than fiction please Read John’s Gospel 3:1-21.
July 12, 2017
I think we picked this book up from a yard sale. I could tell from the beginning that it would be quite a liberal spin on the life of Jesus--the kind of thing that the fatuous Jesus Seminar would produce (Chilton worked with that ultra-liberal project). But, I thought there might be some good historical stuff to glean from this book and so pressed on. Well, there were some insights worth the read, but overall it was a sad, liberal, twist-it-to-make-it-fit-my/our-liberal-biases volume. Who came up with the title that included "intimate?" Speculative and watered-down, weak-kneed would be more appropriate. The emphasis on the Ezekiel "Chariot of God" rabbinical experience and the "person who was a person" (Chilton's translation of "Son of Man") got tiring and only served the author's intention to present Jesus as a brilliant rabbi--a young disciple of John the Baptist (??)--whose dreams of overturning the Roman rule of Palestine were prematurely squashed by a politically fearful Pilate & jealous Jewish leaders--and whose "alleged" resurrection was all a mystic vision of his deluded disciples who thought it would be a neat idea to start a new religion to carry on Jesus' teachings. What rubbish! Please, Mr. Chilton, read and mediate on this: "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (I Cor. 15:17-19).
December 5, 2021
As someone who has read the Bible seven times and has graduated from seminary, this book is not worthy of attention. There were too many outright fallacies. But the worst part was that this book is totally antichrist. It denies the divinity of Jesus and specifically states that He did not atone for sin. You can't get worse than that for insulting Jesus. Whether you put your faith in Christ or not, Bible is very clear on who Jesus is, and this writing does no honor to truth or accuracy on the most important level. It is impossible to state Jesus as anything other than a total lunatic because of what He claims of Himself in the Bible, if either of these most basic refutations in Bruce's book are true. (Jesus was either who he said he was, or totally off his rocker....no in between.) So the least Bruce could've done is go all the way and outright slander Jesus, instead of just trying to make Jesus appear totally impotent of what Jesus claimed to be and do. How utterly disingenuous of the author...cowardly just like his spiritual father the devil.
Currently reading
December 25, 2008Fascinating take on who the person Jesus may have been. All the more remarkable because it's written by a priest, who debunks many of the unrealistic, commonly-held conceptions of Jesus. In fact, the real person was just like anyone else: flawed, angry, motivated, and complex. Unlike any other study of Jesus I've come across.
March 17, 2012
Oh my! What an interesting interpretation of the words spoken by Jesus ("This is my body. This is my blood.") that are now part of the Eucharist's Great Thanksgiving. Excellent choice for Lenten reading and reflection.
May 30, 2018
Humanizes the Prince of Peace and gives you many insights on the rocky times of early Christianity.
April 11, 2021
Review title: The One like the person
Chilton is an Anglican professor of religion, and has used his expertise in Aramaic and Jewish theology to write this "biography" of Jesus. While his use of language and historical knowledge gives his account some credence, his assumption that the miracles, deity, and resurrection of Jesus as described in the "biographies" of the gospel writers are explained by human psychology and mystic visions are serious issues for the reader who approaches this with Christian expectations.
The two stars in my rating are based on the insight into the background of Jesus as a Jew from Galilee at a time when Jews were under the political thumb of Rome and the religious thumb of Jerusalem, where the Jewish priesthood under Caiaphas maintained tenuous independence by collaboration with the Roman military watch of Pontius Pilate. The rural Galileans were nettlesome illiterate northerners separated from the center of their homeland and temple worship by the feared Samaritans and miles of dangerous roads. What could a poor unknown and suspected illegitimate son Jesus have to say of any value?; Galileans were "a tiny, powerless group in an occupied province of the Roman Empire whose Jewish identity was under siege." (p. 4)
One major problem I have with Chilton is that when he claims that the chronology of Jesus's life in the gospels at this point is inaccurate (p. 34), he completely throws out the gospel chronology and creates his own chronology out of whole cloth and ventures into barely historical fiction. In Chilton's account Jesus becomes "the prodigal son" of his later parable (p. 63) and goes off to learn his religious lessons as a disciple of John the Baptist, where through a period of years of mystic visions Jesus develops his theology of spiritual cleansing from the heart outward (symbolized by immersion in the "living waters" of the Jordan) and worship based on spirit rather than temple offerings. Similarly, when Chilton challenges the chronology of the Passion week at the end of Jesus's life (p. 248), he proposes his own chronology, but at least here he bases his chronology on the timing of the Jewish festivals and the political push and pull between Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod Antipas as documented by Chilton's research in letters exchanged between Rome and Jerusalem.
The insight into language and culture is the best takeaway for me from Chilton. The "living waters" Jesus taught flowed from his spirit was in Aramaic a reference to the naturally flowing and unfettered water of the Jordan in contrast to the "luxurious bathing pools" of the Pharisees and Zadokites (Sadducees) (p. 45). The Aramaic term translated "redemption" equated sin to economic debt, a term resonating with his audiences: "In Nazareth, everyone was in debt." (p. 79). It is interesting to learn that the Pharisees, despite Jesus's prickly dislike of that legalistic group, also earned enmity from the Jewish political leadership because of their nitpicking insistence on compliance with the letter of every law; the marketplace in the Temple courtyard for buying sacrificial offerings that Jesus disrupted and then condemned also "appalled the Pharisees, who insisted that the act of sacrifice should be a noncommercial encounter between the people of Israel and God." (p. 221)
Jesus aroused anger because he was "a Galilean [who] presumed to teach and practice purity by exemplary healing in the area of the Temple." (p. 121). But even if he was an unknown and unlettered bumpkin to the Jewish leadership, he astonished the priests with his authoritative teaching. " After all, for Jesus the five books of Moses were a living word, the Torah upon the lips"(p. 140) and--perhaps Chilton should consider--upon the divine heart of the true Son of God. While Jesus in his ministry "had already claimed to be messiah . . . [and] he had a potential army at his disposal, for whom there was nothing ethereal or otherworldly about the divine Kingdom of which he spoke," (p. 189), he remained focused on the coming sacrifice of his body for the redemption of the debt of sin. The Kingdom was not a political kingdom but a spiritual one based on the body and blood of Jesus to establish a spiritual worship capable of true redemption that the massive sacrificial system of the Temple could never accomplish. Chilton attributes Judas Iscariot's tortured suicidal response to his betrayal of Jesus to the fact that "Jesus forced Judas to choose between his loyalty to the Temple or his commitment to the Chariot [Jesus's vision of spiritual worship], and Judas chose the Temple." (p. 257)
The enigmatic expression "Son of Man" was in Aramaic literally "the one like the person" (p. 172), but here Chilton and I part ways when he writes that it meant that "Jesus had begun to see himself as part of the heavenly court", instead of Jesus declaring himself the equally human Son of Man and divine Son of God that he was that made his sacrifice sufficient. The assertion by Chilton that the power of Jesus was due solely to his ability to create and share human visions, based on his assumption of divine miraculous power as myth fatally weakens his arguments, as for example when he attributes the disciples' astonishment when Jesus stilled the waves by his command to "visionary practice" (p. 157) and when he attributes the resurrection appearances of Jesus to the disciples and 500 other followers as a "progression of visions." (p. 281). It is hard to imagine the disciples accepting martyrdom based on mythical visions.
Humility and awe as we learn and meditate on the language, history, and culture of the life of Jesus presented in the Bible and corroborating historical documents are powerful forms of spiritual worship; denying the reality of the words and the life drains the power from them. Chilton's expertise in the language and historical documentation of the world Jesus knew provides insight into the One like the person, but denies the person who is the One.
Chilton is an Anglican professor of religion, and has used his expertise in Aramaic and Jewish theology to write this "biography" of Jesus. While his use of language and historical knowledge gives his account some credence, his assumption that the miracles, deity, and resurrection of Jesus as described in the "biographies" of the gospel writers are explained by human psychology and mystic visions are serious issues for the reader who approaches this with Christian expectations.
The two stars in my rating are based on the insight into the background of Jesus as a Jew from Galilee at a time when Jews were under the political thumb of Rome and the religious thumb of Jerusalem, where the Jewish priesthood under Caiaphas maintained tenuous independence by collaboration with the Roman military watch of Pontius Pilate. The rural Galileans were nettlesome illiterate northerners separated from the center of their homeland and temple worship by the feared Samaritans and miles of dangerous roads. What could a poor unknown and suspected illegitimate son Jesus have to say of any value?; Galileans were "a tiny, powerless group in an occupied province of the Roman Empire whose Jewish identity was under siege." (p. 4)
One major problem I have with Chilton is that when he claims that the chronology of Jesus's life in the gospels at this point is inaccurate (p. 34), he completely throws out the gospel chronology and creates his own chronology out of whole cloth and ventures into barely historical fiction. In Chilton's account Jesus becomes "the prodigal son" of his later parable (p. 63) and goes off to learn his religious lessons as a disciple of John the Baptist, where through a period of years of mystic visions Jesus develops his theology of spiritual cleansing from the heart outward (symbolized by immersion in the "living waters" of the Jordan) and worship based on spirit rather than temple offerings. Similarly, when Chilton challenges the chronology of the Passion week at the end of Jesus's life (p. 248), he proposes his own chronology, but at least here he bases his chronology on the timing of the Jewish festivals and the political push and pull between Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod Antipas as documented by Chilton's research in letters exchanged between Rome and Jerusalem.
The insight into language and culture is the best takeaway for me from Chilton. The "living waters" Jesus taught flowed from his spirit was in Aramaic a reference to the naturally flowing and unfettered water of the Jordan in contrast to the "luxurious bathing pools" of the Pharisees and Zadokites (Sadducees) (p. 45). The Aramaic term translated "redemption" equated sin to economic debt, a term resonating with his audiences: "In Nazareth, everyone was in debt." (p. 79). It is interesting to learn that the Pharisees, despite Jesus's prickly dislike of that legalistic group, also earned enmity from the Jewish political leadership because of their nitpicking insistence on compliance with the letter of every law; the marketplace in the Temple courtyard for buying sacrificial offerings that Jesus disrupted and then condemned also "appalled the Pharisees, who insisted that the act of sacrifice should be a noncommercial encounter between the people of Israel and God." (p. 221)
Jesus aroused anger because he was "a Galilean [who] presumed to teach and practice purity by exemplary healing in the area of the Temple." (p. 121). But even if he was an unknown and unlettered bumpkin to the Jewish leadership, he astonished the priests with his authoritative teaching. " After all, for Jesus the five books of Moses were a living word, the Torah upon the lips"(p. 140) and--perhaps Chilton should consider--upon the divine heart of the true Son of God. While Jesus in his ministry "had already claimed to be messiah . . . [and] he had a potential army at his disposal, for whom there was nothing ethereal or otherworldly about the divine Kingdom of which he spoke," (p. 189), he remained focused on the coming sacrifice of his body for the redemption of the debt of sin. The Kingdom was not a political kingdom but a spiritual one based on the body and blood of Jesus to establish a spiritual worship capable of true redemption that the massive sacrificial system of the Temple could never accomplish. Chilton attributes Judas Iscariot's tortured suicidal response to his betrayal of Jesus to the fact that "Jesus forced Judas to choose between his loyalty to the Temple or his commitment to the Chariot [Jesus's vision of spiritual worship], and Judas chose the Temple." (p. 257)
The enigmatic expression "Son of Man" was in Aramaic literally "the one like the person" (p. 172), but here Chilton and I part ways when he writes that it meant that "Jesus had begun to see himself as part of the heavenly court", instead of Jesus declaring himself the equally human Son of Man and divine Son of God that he was that made his sacrifice sufficient. The assertion by Chilton that the power of Jesus was due solely to his ability to create and share human visions, based on his assumption of divine miraculous power as myth fatally weakens his arguments, as for example when he attributes the disciples' astonishment when Jesus stilled the waves by his command to "visionary practice" (p. 157) and when he attributes the resurrection appearances of Jesus to the disciples and 500 other followers as a "progression of visions." (p. 281). It is hard to imagine the disciples accepting martyrdom based on mythical visions.
Humility and awe as we learn and meditate on the language, history, and culture of the life of Jesus presented in the Bible and corroborating historical documents are powerful forms of spiritual worship; denying the reality of the words and the life drains the power from them. Chilton's expertise in the language and historical documentation of the world Jesus knew provides insight into the One like the person, but denies the person who is the One.
November 11, 2011
Definitely one of my favorite authors. I believe he's the one who called my most-studied scripture, Revelation, a “perfectly rancid book." But I forgive him; I think that quote sets the tone for his book about the practical, historical Jesus in 180-degree contrast to the bloody warrior image some Jews & Christians wished of their Messiah.
Chilton is a great story-teller, and his writing immerses us in the world of Jesus. Temple procedures and the Roman Empire come alive. Chilton knows his stuff. Do be aware, however, that he makes up his own caricature of Jesus--a caricature that more closely resembles the popular Buddha in looks and practices than the popular Jesus. It's a fill-in-the-gaps series of best guesses. I'm sure Chilton would be the first to admit he has flavored the image of Jesus somewhat for our reading pleasure. For example, Jesus grows fat because he's known to enjoy a good meal.
Chilton's Jesus is a bitter-but-lovable dreamer who begins to believe his ambitions are God-ordained. Though he ultimately fails in his reformation of the Temple and transformative vision for Judaism, he does accomplish a splinter movement which grew rapidly in the second century, and his legend lives on and continues to inspire, adding meaning to our lives two millennia later.
If Chilton does have a spiritual agenda in writing, it's a commendable one. The Epilogue states,
"The rabbi from Nazareth never claimed he was unique. His Abba was the Abba of all. His teaching, purifying, exorcism, healing, prayers, signs, meals, and sacrifices were not for himself alone, nor were they intended to demonstrate his personal power or bring him adulation for his attributes or accomplishments. All his work was undertaken to open the gate of heaven so that Israel might enter before the Throne of God.
Far too much theology has been preoccupied with closing that gate. By exalting Jesus as the only human being to sit on the right hand of God, many theologians have denied heaven to others. They remind me of Jesus' complaint about some Pharisees, who used the key of knowledge to shut God's Kingdom to those of lesser learning."
Chilton is a great story-teller, and his writing immerses us in the world of Jesus. Temple procedures and the Roman Empire come alive. Chilton knows his stuff. Do be aware, however, that he makes up his own caricature of Jesus--a caricature that more closely resembles the popular Buddha in looks and practices than the popular Jesus. It's a fill-in-the-gaps series of best guesses. I'm sure Chilton would be the first to admit he has flavored the image of Jesus somewhat for our reading pleasure. For example, Jesus grows fat because he's known to enjoy a good meal.
Chilton's Jesus is a bitter-but-lovable dreamer who begins to believe his ambitions are God-ordained. Though he ultimately fails in his reformation of the Temple and transformative vision for Judaism, he does accomplish a splinter movement which grew rapidly in the second century, and his legend lives on and continues to inspire, adding meaning to our lives two millennia later.
If Chilton does have a spiritual agenda in writing, it's a commendable one. The Epilogue states,
"The rabbi from Nazareth never claimed he was unique. His Abba was the Abba of all. His teaching, purifying, exorcism, healing, prayers, signs, meals, and sacrifices were not for himself alone, nor were they intended to demonstrate his personal power or bring him adulation for his attributes or accomplishments. All his work was undertaken to open the gate of heaven so that Israel might enter before the Throne of God.
Far too much theology has been preoccupied with closing that gate. By exalting Jesus as the only human being to sit on the right hand of God, many theologians have denied heaven to others. They remind me of Jesus' complaint about some Pharisees, who used the key of knowledge to shut God's Kingdom to those of lesser learning."
July 5, 2024
Terrible book. the author shows little interest in the historical Jesus. He writes what he hopes is true. There are better books on the Jewish Jesus.
The footnotes and essays in "The Jewish Annotated New Testament" by editors Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler provides a better look at the Jewishness of Jesus. One can read the New Testament and get very educated Jewish commentary on these books. The essays in the Appendix are especially good to read.
There is also "The Sage of Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus' Genius" by David Flusser. Dr. Flusser (1917-2000) was a professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is Jewish and was an academic specializing in Second Temple Judaism. He viewed Jesus as a righteous Jewish teacher who criticized the excesses within 1st century religious community in Palestine.
The footnotes and essays in "The Jewish Annotated New Testament" by editors Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Z. Brettler provides a better look at the Jewishness of Jesus. One can read the New Testament and get very educated Jewish commentary on these books. The essays in the Appendix are especially good to read.
There is also "The Sage of Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus' Genius" by David Flusser. Dr. Flusser (1917-2000) was a professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is Jewish and was an academic specializing in Second Temple Judaism. He viewed Jesus as a righteous Jewish teacher who criticized the excesses within 1st century religious community in Palestine.
January 29, 2018
Obviously Bruce Chilton is an intelligent man and a good writer. But I came away from this book wondering just what does the man truly believe about Jesus of Nazareth? Was he an idealistic and courageous Jewish rabbi who ended up getting himself killed because he annoyed the ruling elites. Or, was (is) he God in the flesh? I think perhaps Chilton believes the former? Read his epilogue ... "By exalting Jesus as the only human being to sit on the right hand of God, many theologians have denied heaven to others." ... no offense ... but what utter nonsense. Either He was (and is) Lord of all ... God in the flesh ... present during the creation 13.7 billion years ago ... the ultimate atonement resurrected to life on the third day after death on the cross AND opens heaven to ALL who believe OR ... he was just a good but flawed human like the rest of us. I have made my choice.
February 21, 2019
This book will be classified as pure blasphemy by the majority of the world's Christians, but Mr. Chilton has done studies into the personhood of Jesus that everyone who claims to be his disciple should read. Following someone requires knowing someone. Knowing someone so lost to time and so scant of resources requires study. Do yourself a favor and use this book as a basis for learning about the real life of history's most controversial leader.
October 23, 2019
I was disappointed in this book, which is not necessarily the author's fault; to some extent, the book is simply not about what I was particularly interested in. The author does use history, archaeology, &c. to recreate an accurate picture of daily life in Jesus's time. His speculation that Jesus always felt like an outsider because of being a "mamzer" (loosely: bastard) seems highly unlikely to me. I did read the first third or so of the book.
November 18, 2017
Lots of food for thought here. If I felt it got bogged down a bit in the middle section, that was probably more me, not grappling enough with some of the insights and interpretations and not getting my thoughts straight - but the opening chapters and the two closing chapters were particularly effective, I felt. Plenty to return to.
December 16, 2019
I wish I knew enough scholarship on this subject to judge some of his more controversial claims, but despite that I found this book challenging and exciting at many levels. He ends with a re-interpretation of the real "meaning" of the last supper and communion that strikes me as grounded in solid scholarship and an understanding of Judaism.
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