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Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture
“A rich and expansive description of Jesus’ impact on the general history of culture. . . . Believers and skeptics alike will find it a sweeping visual and conceptual panorama.”—John Koenig, front page, New York Times Book Review
Called "a book of uncommon brilliance" by Commonweal , Jesus Through the Centuries is an original and compelling study of the impact of Jesus on cultural, political, social, and economic history. Noted historian and theologian Jaroslav Pelikan reveals how the image of Jesus created by each successive epoch—from rabbi in the first century to liberator in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—is a key to understanding the temper and values of that age.
"An enlightening and often dramatic story . . . as stimulating as it is informative.”—John Gross, New York Times
“A gracious little masterpiece.”—Thomas D'Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor
Called "a book of uncommon brilliance" by Commonweal , Jesus Through the Centuries is an original and compelling study of the impact of Jesus on cultural, political, social, and economic history. Noted historian and theologian Jaroslav Pelikan reveals how the image of Jesus created by each successive epoch—from rabbi in the first century to liberator in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—is a key to understanding the temper and values of that age.
"An enlightening and often dramatic story . . . as stimulating as it is informative.”—John Gross, New York Times
“A gracious little masterpiece.”—Thomas D'Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor
270 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
42 people are currently reading
1185 people want to read
About the author
Jaroslav Pelikan
176 books132 followersJaroslav Jan Pelikan was born in Akron, Ohio, to a Slovak father and mother, Jaroslav Jan Pelikan Sr. and Anna Buzekova Pelikan. His father was pastor of Trinity Slovak Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois, and his paternal grandfather a bishop of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches then known as the Slovak Lutheran Church in America.
According to family members, Pelikan's mother taught him how to use a typewriter when he was three years old, as he could not yet hold a pen properly but wanted to write. A polyglot, Pelikan's facility with languages may be traced to his multilingual childhood and early training. That linguistic facility was to serve him in the career he ultimately chose (after contemplating becoming a concert pianist)--as a historian of Christian doctrine. He did not confine his studies to Roman Catholic and Protestant theological history, but also embraced that of the Christian East.
In 1946 when he was 22, he earned both a seminary degree from Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri and a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago.
Pelikan wrote more than 30 books, including the five-volume The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine (1971–1989). Some of his later works attained crossover appeal, reaching beyond the scholarly sphere into the general reading public (notably, Mary Through the Centuries, Jesus Through the Centuries and Whose Bible Is It?).
His 1984 book The Vindication of Tradition gave rise to an often quoted one liner. In an interview in U.S. News & World Report (June 26, 1989), he said: "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition lives in conversation with the past, while remembering where we are and when we are and that it is we who have to decide.
"Traditionalism supposes that nothing should ever be done for the first time, so all that is needed to solve any problem is to arrive at the supposedly unanimous testimony of this homogenized tradition."
According to family members, Pelikan's mother taught him how to use a typewriter when he was three years old, as he could not yet hold a pen properly but wanted to write. A polyglot, Pelikan's facility with languages may be traced to his multilingual childhood and early training. That linguistic facility was to serve him in the career he ultimately chose (after contemplating becoming a concert pianist)--as a historian of Christian doctrine. He did not confine his studies to Roman Catholic and Protestant theological history, but also embraced that of the Christian East.
In 1946 when he was 22, he earned both a seminary degree from Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, Missouri and a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago.
Pelikan wrote more than 30 books, including the five-volume The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine (1971–1989). Some of his later works attained crossover appeal, reaching beyond the scholarly sphere into the general reading public (notably, Mary Through the Centuries, Jesus Through the Centuries and Whose Bible Is It?).
His 1984 book The Vindication of Tradition gave rise to an often quoted one liner. In an interview in U.S. News & World Report (June 26, 1989), he said: "Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition lives in conversation with the past, while remembering where we are and when we are and that it is we who have to decide.
"Traditionalism supposes that nothing should ever be done for the first time, so all that is needed to solve any problem is to arrive at the supposedly unanimous testimony of this homogenized tradition."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
December 9, 2010
This is not a book of devotions or inspiration (and I imply no condescension towards those genres, having read many myself)but an intellectual history of theology, culture and the arts. Pelikan's command of the scholarship is superb, even, at the risk of gushing, awe-inspiring. I found myself making marginal notes all over the place to look up innumerable authors and texts whose work he cites, some famous and some I'd never heard of. Each chapter, roughly 12-15 pgs, covers a different image or cultural perception of Jesus -- The King of Kings; The Universal Man; The Poet of the Spirit; The Liberator; etc -- and though organized chronologically, with some thematic progression, one needn't read it in that order or even the entire book to learn much. The chp headings encourage one to jump around. Dense with information but lucidly written, each chapter could be read as single essay. I found each chp so packed with fascinating information that I never read more than one at a time. Pelikan comes across as a calm, pleasant and brilliant scholar whom I imagine holding an 8am lecture hall of 300 students in rapt attention. He does an impressive job of drawing connections among multiple concepts and sources with clarity. His main strategy throughout is providing an overview of different periods, illustrated with a close reading of primary sources -- Gospels, Augustine, etc -- and scholarship, from the relevant period and current. Many of the chps raise issues still debated today. For example, Pelikan says that Jefferson did not believe in the concept of the Trinity, but rather admired the the historical Jesus as a man of common sense and universal virtue; an interesting portrait that lends complexity and nuance to the current argument that Founding Father's vision of America was that of a Christian nation.
This book has something for readers of many interests: history, religion, philosophy, art, social justice. For lovers of literature, for example, his readings of writers as diverse the Romantics and Dostoevsky is fascinating.
As a note of caution, I should add that this book is not an easy read; it requires your undivided attention. Not becasue it's difficult to understand, but because Pelikan presents so much detailed information. Because he's often drawing connections, he tends to write in long sentences with extended subordination. They are not in the least convoluted, but they do demand a level of sustained attention that might challenge those of us with attention spans stunted by rapid collage commercials and online surfing (and I included myself in that category). I read it over the course of 3-4 months, with breaks, but in the end I found it so rewarding that I'm sure I'll be picking it up and rereading certain chapters again and again.
This book has something for readers of many interests: history, religion, philosophy, art, social justice. For lovers of literature, for example, his readings of writers as diverse the Romantics and Dostoevsky is fascinating.
As a note of caution, I should add that this book is not an easy read; it requires your undivided attention. Not becasue it's difficult to understand, but because Pelikan presents so much detailed information. Because he's often drawing connections, he tends to write in long sentences with extended subordination. They are not in the least convoluted, but they do demand a level of sustained attention that might challenge those of us with attention spans stunted by rapid collage commercials and online surfing (and I included myself in that category). I read it over the course of 3-4 months, with breaks, but in the end I found it so rewarding that I'm sure I'll be picking it up and rereading certain chapters again and again.
May 29, 2021
Fantastic display of how the image changes through the centuries, and the message with it.
During the Victorian age, best-selling portraits of Jesus showed him as a man of delicate features and soulful eyes, with hair so long and silky he looked hyper-feminine. This Victorian Jesus seemed gentle, meek, and mild. But his legions of largely female soldiers could be militant for restricting alcohol, winning the vote, or putting an end to war.
During the Victorian age, best-selling portraits of Jesus showed him as a man of delicate features and soulful eyes, with hair so long and silky he looked hyper-feminine. This Victorian Jesus seemed gentle, meek, and mild. But his legions of largely female soldiers could be militant for restricting alcohol, winning the vote, or putting an end to war.
April 1, 2025
Jaroslav Pelikan (1923-2006) was one of the great ecclesiastical historians of the twentieth century. His five-volume “The Christian Tradition: A History in the Development of Doctrine,” published throughout the 1970s and 1980s, still stands as maybe the greatest synthesis of two millennia of Christian theology still in print. As a believer in the Christian faith who also taught divinity at the University of Chicago and church history at Yale, he was in a unique position to understand not only the development of theology, but how religious thought interacted dynamically with broader culture.
“Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture” (Yale University Press, 1985) traces the images of Christ through most of Christian history. The word “image” here doesn’t refer to strictly artistic or visual representation, but how the person of Christ has been imagined - to cite two examples - as an intermediary between God and humanity (one of the preeminent concerns of Byzantine theology), the embrace of evangelical poverty in imitation of Christ by the Franciscans which was seen as a threat to both the Pope and the Emperor alike, and the speculation we may wish to cast upon the claims of supernatural miracles in the light of modern science and textual criticism (as seen during the Enlightenment and the nineteenth century, respectively).
The book consists of eighteen short, tightly argued chapters which look at ways in which Jesus has been culturally received, with titles like “The Rabbi” (Jesus as teacher of the Jewish law), “The Teacher of Common Sense” (the rationalist approach that sought to understand Jesus’s moral and ethical teaching as divorced from the Bible’s miraculous or supernatural claims), and “Poet of the Spirit” (Jesus as conduit between art and artist that allows for the transmission of spiritual and artistic beauty). In each of the chapters, which read very much like impressionistic essays you can easily dip in and out of, Pelikan raises questions – befitting the subtitle – that reach beyond the narrow confines of the religious and touch on broader subjects. For example, at the end of “The Rabbi,” he poses an interesting rhetorical question about a certain counterfactual of Christian history:
“For the question is easier to ask than it is to answer, and it is easier to avoid than it is to ask in the first place. But ask it we must: Would there have been such antisemitism, would there have been so many pogroms, would there have been an Auschwitz, if every Christian church and every Christian home had focused its devotion on icons of Mary not only as Mother of God and Queen of Heaven but as the Jewish maiden and the New Miriam, and on icons of Christ not only as Pantocrator but as Rabbi Joshua bar-Joseph, Rabbi Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David, in the context of the history of a suffering Israel and a suffering humanity?”
Because of the short, vignette-like nature of the chapters, the arguments here aren’t subject to the deep analysis that you’re more likely to find in Pelikan’s other books. If anything, the cumulative argument is very much the one Albert Schweitzer makes in “The Quest for the Historical Jesus”: every age has laid new claim to Jesus in a way that doesn’t so much echo the theology or moral teaching of the Gospels but rather reflects the sentiments of the secular age itself. Being a devout Christian hasn’t blinkered Pelikan from realizing that the arrow between the complex relationship between Christ and culture points in both directions.
“Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture” (Yale University Press, 1985) traces the images of Christ through most of Christian history. The word “image” here doesn’t refer to strictly artistic or visual representation, but how the person of Christ has been imagined - to cite two examples - as an intermediary between God and humanity (one of the preeminent concerns of Byzantine theology), the embrace of evangelical poverty in imitation of Christ by the Franciscans which was seen as a threat to both the Pope and the Emperor alike, and the speculation we may wish to cast upon the claims of supernatural miracles in the light of modern science and textual criticism (as seen during the Enlightenment and the nineteenth century, respectively).
The book consists of eighteen short, tightly argued chapters which look at ways in which Jesus has been culturally received, with titles like “The Rabbi” (Jesus as teacher of the Jewish law), “The Teacher of Common Sense” (the rationalist approach that sought to understand Jesus’s moral and ethical teaching as divorced from the Bible’s miraculous or supernatural claims), and “Poet of the Spirit” (Jesus as conduit between art and artist that allows for the transmission of spiritual and artistic beauty). In each of the chapters, which read very much like impressionistic essays you can easily dip in and out of, Pelikan raises questions – befitting the subtitle – that reach beyond the narrow confines of the religious and touch on broader subjects. For example, at the end of “The Rabbi,” he poses an interesting rhetorical question about a certain counterfactual of Christian history:
“For the question is easier to ask than it is to answer, and it is easier to avoid than it is to ask in the first place. But ask it we must: Would there have been such antisemitism, would there have been so many pogroms, would there have been an Auschwitz, if every Christian church and every Christian home had focused its devotion on icons of Mary not only as Mother of God and Queen of Heaven but as the Jewish maiden and the New Miriam, and on icons of Christ not only as Pantocrator but as Rabbi Joshua bar-Joseph, Rabbi Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David, in the context of the history of a suffering Israel and a suffering humanity?”
Because of the short, vignette-like nature of the chapters, the arguments here aren’t subject to the deep analysis that you’re more likely to find in Pelikan’s other books. If anything, the cumulative argument is very much the one Albert Schweitzer makes in “The Quest for the Historical Jesus”: every age has laid new claim to Jesus in a way that doesn’t so much echo the theology or moral teaching of the Gospels but rather reflects the sentiments of the secular age itself. Being a devout Christian hasn’t blinkered Pelikan from realizing that the arrow between the complex relationship between Christ and culture points in both directions.
November 8, 2022
This book was excellent- truly excellent. Of the books about Jesus, which I know by reputation, this seems to be the most balanced, fair and almost non-denominational of all of them. Pelikan has this absolute mastery of the literary style, in which he combines his obvious intellectual prowess with a genuinely witty and well-informed prose.
Insofar as the actual content of the book is concerned, it is positively enlightening. The chapter entitled 'The Cosmic Christ' was philosophically the most interesting; it makes the clear the distinction between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith. The divine Logos which was begotten before all worlds, as the rationality of the universe, creating (in conjunction with the other two Persons of the Trinity) the harmony of the Cosmos is really a revelation in terms of philosophy for me. Patristics has often been something I've been interested in, but never explored in a great deal of depth and getting to grips (even in a secondary way) with Augustine, Gregory of Nazanius, Francis of Assisi etc... was very enjoyable indeed.
Historically, the most interesting chapter was 'The Monk Who Rules the World'; it explains the life of St Francis of Assisi, and the beginnings of the Franciscan Order, and how Jesus came to be portrayed as a monk in culture. Going from the elaborate clothing of 6th century mosaics, to a Benedictine habit in the 16th really shows how much a hold these monastic orders had over the papacy and the Catholic Church in general. In many ways, Francis became the second Jesus, even attaining in his mythos a story about the stigmata coming to his hands and feet in a moment of divine revelation and ecstasy.
Overall- an absolutely fantastic book- I highly recommend it to everyone, even if they are just tangentially interested in Jesus or the history of religion.
Insofar as the actual content of the book is concerned, it is positively enlightening. The chapter entitled 'The Cosmic Christ' was philosophically the most interesting; it makes the clear the distinction between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith. The divine Logos which was begotten before all worlds, as the rationality of the universe, creating (in conjunction with the other two Persons of the Trinity) the harmony of the Cosmos is really a revelation in terms of philosophy for me. Patristics has often been something I've been interested in, but never explored in a great deal of depth and getting to grips (even in a secondary way) with Augustine, Gregory of Nazanius, Francis of Assisi etc... was very enjoyable indeed.
Historically, the most interesting chapter was 'The Monk Who Rules the World'; it explains the life of St Francis of Assisi, and the beginnings of the Franciscan Order, and how Jesus came to be portrayed as a monk in culture. Going from the elaborate clothing of 6th century mosaics, to a Benedictine habit in the 16th really shows how much a hold these monastic orders had over the papacy and the Catholic Church in general. In many ways, Francis became the second Jesus, even attaining in his mythos a story about the stigmata coming to his hands and feet in a moment of divine revelation and ecstasy.
Overall- an absolutely fantastic book- I highly recommend it to everyone, even if they are just tangentially interested in Jesus or the history of religion.
April 27, 2015
Picked this up in a San Francisco resale shop. There were three hardcover copies, all with different prices, making this purchase a satisfying one.
Pelikan has impressed me with his scholarship in the past. This, however, is more an impressionistic piece about different facets of the Jesus figure as they reflect back on the historical periods which focused on them. It is as much about Pelikan's sense of Western European history and culture as it is about Jesus-as-archetype.
I suppose such a study might be done scientifically by the analysis of myriads of texts and artistic productions, but there was no such effort made here. Pelikan's impressions are not ill-informed, there are occasional bursts of illuminating insight, but they wouldn't stand up well to criticism or equally educated counterimpressions.
Pelikan has impressed me with his scholarship in the past. This, however, is more an impressionistic piece about different facets of the Jesus figure as they reflect back on the historical periods which focused on them. It is as much about Pelikan's sense of Western European history and culture as it is about Jesus-as-archetype.
I suppose such a study might be done scientifically by the analysis of myriads of texts and artistic productions, but there was no such effort made here. Pelikan's impressions are not ill-informed, there are occasional bursts of illuminating insight, but they wouldn't stand up well to criticism or equally educated counterimpressions.
October 23, 2021
I thought this would be more of an art history. Really, it is an overview of the theological interpretations of the person of Jesus Christ throughout the centuries. It then includes beautiful, full-color illustrations of paintings, prints, or photos that relate to the point at hand. The prose is denser than the average mass-market book of Christian thought, but an experienced reader with a modest theological background, whether from school or church experience, should be able to access this text. I found it interestingly educational, visually stimulating, and thought-provoking. It is also relatively multi-partisan, explaining various theological ideas from vastly different thinkers of divergent Christian traditions without proselytizing any of them as superior to the others.
December 26, 2024
Solid treatment of the of how Jesus has been viewed throughout history. Yet as the book progresses, Pelikan’s writing losses its luster. The topics he engages with in the last five chapters lack the depth as well as the explanation that previous chapters contained. Pelikan discusses an idea without fleshing it out well, leading to confusion in later chapters. Overall as a historian Pelikan shines. However, as a writer composing a narrative that is easy to follow, Pelikan struggles, making this book slightly inaccessible.
April 29, 2021
Admittedly I read this book for class and normally would not have chosen it as the content felt way over my head. I can tell that Pelikan is very intelligent and the parts of the book that I really comprehended will stick with me for a long time, I think; however, much of the book was hard to understand for me and was far too intellectual. Often there were references I didn’t understand or couldn’t contextualize, which made it hard to understand the arguments being made. This was a book that felt like a seminary book.
October 21, 2008
Yet another treasure snapped up at the Friends of the Seattle Public Library book sale. This book is a brief look at the perception of Jesus through the centuries by the "Christian" culture. While Jesus Himself has not changed over the centuries, the way His followers perceive Him has. Pelikan breaks the book up into 18 different roles that have at one point in history been the dominant perception of Jesus of Nazareth. In each chapter, Pelikan explains the concept, showcases those who held it and shows how it in turn is reflected in their actions. It's fascinating how so many can take the same source material, the Bible, and see different things in it. It's also a bit humbling as I'm forced to realize that my own beliefs about Jesus are not necessarily a pure doctrine delivered directly to me by the Holy Spirit, but rather are teachings that have been handed down and flavored by generations of scholars, philosophers and teachers. And maybe even a prophet or two. This is a must read for those interested in Jesus and history, which is why it's going on my shelf.
March 10, 2008
A fascinating account of how the image of Jesus shifts over time and place. I especially enjoyed the chapters on St. Francis of Assisi, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Thomas Jefferson.
March 4, 2024
Fascinating kaleidoscopic view on the often very conflicting images of Jesus, spanning 20 centuries. Yet it is questionable that each century forms a beautifully rounded whole.
September 12, 2018
Review title: Picturing Jesus
Pelikan, best known for his multiple-volume history of Christian creeds, here has written a short study of how Jesus has been displayed, interpreted, and most importantly perceived by cultures since his appearance on earth. Chapter by chapter, Pelikan moves chronologically through the 2.000 years of history and geographically through the spread of Christianity. Culture, specifically the way people have responded to Jesus, is expressed in many ways: art, literature, religious orthodoxy and heterodoxy, politics, historiography, biography, lifestyles, science, revolution, and civil war. Beyond question, given the breadth and depth of this list, Jesus's place in culture is at its very center.
Any study of Jesus must start with his history, as recorded in the Gospel, interpreted by the apostles in the rest of the New Testament, and in the prophecies of the Old. But even that terminology is freighted with the impact of Jesus on history, religion, and culture. It is easy to forget, as Pelikan reminds us, that at the time the prophets' writings were collected into the Hebrew scriptures, Jesus was an unknown presence. It is only with his birth and the intensely personal and powerful following that he left behind after crucifixion that the prophets' words were interpreted to predict the man Jesus, and that the Hebrew scriptures became the "Old" in comparison to the "New" testament that was written and collected by key members of that personal following.
The first centuries after Jesus his impact was focused on defining just who he was: human or divine, body or spirit. That presence was expressed in early Christian creeds, then began to be expressed in art, but even art became a battleground of dogma:
If you had to reread this quote more than once to grasp it, you have uncovered the biggest reason I only rated Jesus three stars. Pelikan writes like a theologian, even on a book like this one that is likely to be read by laymen. But even the language he writes in, the vernacular English based on the vernacular German and Latin roots, is itself an artifact of the cultural impact of Jesus. Martin Luther's translation of the Bible to German, and King James's translation by committee of the Bible to English established the modern versions of those languages: "Latin had truly achieved the status of a world language only when Jerome's Vulgate translation of the Bible had opened a new chapter in the history of the language. So also the various Reformation translations of Bible into the vernacular, with Luther's in the vanguard, became turning points for their languages in turn--a process that has continued, with additional languages, ever since." (p. 160)
The Christian impetus to missionary service carried that impact to the ends of the earth and expressed itself in the translation of the Bible to hundreds of new languages to spread the gospel, an effort which often required capturing spoken language in written alphabet and vocabulary for the first time. Through these efforts, Jesus became "The Man Who Belongs to the World", in the words of one of Pelikan's chapter headings. As the Christian world expanded around the globe and encountered other world religions like Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism, the question of the primacy of Jesus as the only way to God had to be addressed. Pelikan quotes the Second Vatican Council of 1965 before concluding:
So, the account of Jesus's place in the history of culture and in history itself comes down to this: who is this Jesus who is at the center of my world, and what claim does he have to be in the center of my life?
Pelikan, best known for his multiple-volume history of Christian creeds, here has written a short study of how Jesus has been displayed, interpreted, and most importantly perceived by cultures since his appearance on earth. Chapter by chapter, Pelikan moves chronologically through the 2.000 years of history and geographically through the spread of Christianity. Culture, specifically the way people have responded to Jesus, is expressed in many ways: art, literature, religious orthodoxy and heterodoxy, politics, historiography, biography, lifestyles, science, revolution, and civil war. Beyond question, given the breadth and depth of this list, Jesus's place in culture is at its very center.
Any study of Jesus must start with his history, as recorded in the Gospel, interpreted by the apostles in the rest of the New Testament, and in the prophecies of the Old. But even that terminology is freighted with the impact of Jesus on history, religion, and culture. It is easy to forget, as Pelikan reminds us, that at the time the prophets' writings were collected into the Hebrew scriptures, Jesus was an unknown presence. It is only with his birth and the intensely personal and powerful following that he left behind after crucifixion that the prophets' words were interpreted to predict the man Jesus, and that the Hebrew scriptures became the "Old" in comparison to the "New" testament that was written and collected by key members of that personal following.
The first centuries after Jesus his impact was focused on defining just who he was: human or divine, body or spirit. That presence was expressed in early Christian creeds, then began to be expressed in art, but even art became a battleground of dogma:
As the defenders of the gospel against the Greeks had long been able to quote the best of the Greeks in insisting, the requirement both of the Platonic tradition and of the Gospel of John, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth," was being violated whenever the outward physical picture was substituted for the spirit and whenever the deception of the icon replaced the truth. The Christian opponents of images in Byzantium during the eighth and ninth centuries, therefore, had behind them a distinguished history--Jewish, Greek, and Christian--of the struggle to extricate the divine from he unworthy physical representations of the divine. Jesus Christ himself was the True Image, every other image was false. (p. 88)
If you had to reread this quote more than once to grasp it, you have uncovered the biggest reason I only rated Jesus three stars. Pelikan writes like a theologian, even on a book like this one that is likely to be read by laymen. But even the language he writes in, the vernacular English based on the vernacular German and Latin roots, is itself an artifact of the cultural impact of Jesus. Martin Luther's translation of the Bible to German, and King James's translation by committee of the Bible to English established the modern versions of those languages: "Latin had truly achieved the status of a world language only when Jerome's Vulgate translation of the Bible had opened a new chapter in the history of the language. So also the various Reformation translations of Bible into the vernacular, with Luther's in the vanguard, became turning points for their languages in turn--a process that has continued, with additional languages, ever since." (p. 160)
The Christian impetus to missionary service carried that impact to the ends of the earth and expressed itself in the translation of the Bible to hundreds of new languages to spread the gospel, an effort which often required capturing spoken language in written alphabet and vocabulary for the first time. Through these efforts, Jesus became "The Man Who Belongs to the World", in the words of one of Pelikan's chapter headings. As the Christian world expanded around the globe and encountered other world religions like Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism, the question of the primacy of Jesus as the only way to God had to be addressed. Pelikan quotes the Second Vatican Council of 1965 before concluding:
For it is in that Gospel [of John] that Jesus speaks of himself as "the way, the truth, and the life" and says that no one comes to the Father except through him. And yet that same Gospel provided the epigraph for the universalism of the Enlightenment's portrait of Jesus; for the Gospel of John declares in its prologue that the Logos-Word of God, incarnate in Jesus, enlightens everyone who comes into the world. By citing the authority of both passages, the Second Vatican Council sought to affirm universality and particularity simultaneously and to ground both of them in the figure of Jesus. (p. 231)
So, the account of Jesus's place in the history of culture and in history itself comes down to this: who is this Jesus who is at the center of my world, and what claim does he have to be in the center of my life?
April 26, 2023
Great book. It looks at how Jesus was interpreted and understood throughout history. Really great stuff. Some summaries of the chapters:
1st century - Jesus as a teacher and prophet in the setting of first-century Judaism.
2nd century - How Jesus is a turning point in history. Apocalypse and prophecy.
3rd century - Seeing "anticipations" of Christ is pagan Greco-Roman writers.
4th century - Constantine and the rise of the "Christian Empire".
4th century (again) - The Cosmic Christ. Christ the logos in Christianized Platonic philosophy.
5th century - Augustine working out Christian psychology and anthropology.
8th and 9th century - Christ as an inspiration for iconography, art, and architecture in Byzantine culture.
10th and 11th century - The crucified Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God in the Middle Ages.
11th and 12th century - The Benedictine definition of "love for Christ" as denial of the world. Monasticism and politics in the medieval Western society.
14th century - Christian mysticism. Sacred and profane love in the allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs.
13th and 14th century - Francis of Assisi as a "second Christ".
15th and 16th century - Sacred Philology and The Philosophy of Christ in Erasmus and other humanists during the Renaissance.
16th and 17th century - Reformation images of Christ. Christ as Mirror of the True, the Beautiful (Catholic art in Spain), and the Good (politics under Calvin).
17th century - Wars of religion. Just War vs. Holy War. Resurgence of pacifism and Christ as the Prince of Peace.
18th century - Enlightenment and the quest for the historical Jesus.
19th century - Idealism in philosophy and Romanticism in the arts. Their protest against orthodox rigidity and rationalist banality.
19th and 20th century - Jesus the Liberator. From Tolstoy to Gandhi to King.
19th and 20th century - Missions movement into Asia and Africa. Jesus as a world figure.
1st century - Jesus as a teacher and prophet in the setting of first-century Judaism.
2nd century - How Jesus is a turning point in history. Apocalypse and prophecy.
3rd century - Seeing "anticipations" of Christ is pagan Greco-Roman writers.
4th century - Constantine and the rise of the "Christian Empire".
4th century (again) - The Cosmic Christ. Christ the logos in Christianized Platonic philosophy.
5th century - Augustine working out Christian psychology and anthropology.
8th and 9th century - Christ as an inspiration for iconography, art, and architecture in Byzantine culture.
10th and 11th century - The crucified Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God in the Middle Ages.
11th and 12th century - The Benedictine definition of "love for Christ" as denial of the world. Monasticism and politics in the medieval Western society.
14th century - Christian mysticism. Sacred and profane love in the allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs.
13th and 14th century - Francis of Assisi as a "second Christ".
15th and 16th century - Sacred Philology and The Philosophy of Christ in Erasmus and other humanists during the Renaissance.
16th and 17th century - Reformation images of Christ. Christ as Mirror of the True, the Beautiful (Catholic art in Spain), and the Good (politics under Calvin).
17th century - Wars of religion. Just War vs. Holy War. Resurgence of pacifism and Christ as the Prince of Peace.
18th century - Enlightenment and the quest for the historical Jesus.
19th century - Idealism in philosophy and Romanticism in the arts. Their protest against orthodox rigidity and rationalist banality.
19th and 20th century - Jesus the Liberator. From Tolstoy to Gandhi to King.
19th and 20th century - Missions movement into Asia and Africa. Jesus as a world figure.
November 26, 2019
This was a selected book for a Bible study group I joined at Grace Cathedral in SF and though I enjoyed it, I found it was very heady and challenging to read without a solid, clear, intricate knowledge of historical religious events--much can be lost on the reader. Yet there are gems within this book and especially at the end where it tells of the revival of the idea of Jesus the Jew as a result of the holocaust by the Vatican and even German Christians shortly after the Holocaust in Easter Europe and their attitude change reflected by the church:
"...especially since the Second World War, was the relation between Christianity and its parent faith, Judaism." p 231
"This rethinking of the relation between Christianity and Judaism was partly the consequence of the worldwide horror over the Holocaust, but partly it also came through a deepening of Christian understanding and reflection. The result was the most basic Christian reconsideration of the status of Judaism since the first century." p 232
"Ironically, the years of Nazi anti-Semitism and the Holocaust in Germany had also been the years in which Christians developed the new awareness of the Jewishness of Jesus, the apostles, and the New Testament, an awareness that receives expression in the language of the Vatican Council."
p 232
"...especially since the Second World War, was the relation between Christianity and its parent faith, Judaism." p 231
"This rethinking of the relation between Christianity and Judaism was partly the consequence of the worldwide horror over the Holocaust, but partly it also came through a deepening of Christian understanding and reflection. The result was the most basic Christian reconsideration of the status of Judaism since the first century." p 232
"Ironically, the years of Nazi anti-Semitism and the Holocaust in Germany had also been the years in which Christians developed the new awareness of the Jewishness of Jesus, the apostles, and the New Testament, an awareness that receives expression in the language of the Vatican Council."
p 232
March 22, 2018
Based on the title, I expected to read more about Jesus, but this volume is a look at church history as seen through the lens of how the church viewed Jesus at different time periods. Despite being only peripherally about Jesus, it is a unique view of church history that adds much to one's understanding of how the church has viewed, and changed its view of, Jesus through the ages. Mr. Pelikan shows how in response to this view of Jesus people have responded in action, started movements, undertaken projects, and given their lives. This is the highlight of the book: seeing how a person's view of Jesus leads to action.
Mr. Pelikan has his biases: he is heavily pro-Catholic; and he, like any historian, picks and chooses what to highlight. His writing style is elegant and a pleasure to read, with each short chapter arranged topically or epochally. This makes for a very informative, thought-provoking book that is a joy to read. This book will not give you a comprehensive overview of church history, but it is an enlightening read to see how people have viewed and responded to their view of Jesus through the centuries.
Mr. Pelikan has his biases: he is heavily pro-Catholic; and he, like any historian, picks and chooses what to highlight. His writing style is elegant and a pleasure to read, with each short chapter arranged topically or epochally. This makes for a very informative, thought-provoking book that is a joy to read. This book will not give you a comprehensive overview of church history, but it is an enlightening read to see how people have viewed and responded to their view of Jesus through the centuries.
February 19, 2019
Jaroslav Pelikan was a brilliant theological historian who wrote and taught extensively during the twentieth century. Though he worked as a scholar at the highest level during his life, his insight wit and intellectual breath are accessible to almost anyone in this survey of the understanding of Jesus throughout the centuries. Pelikan documents how the person and work of Jesus has influenced successive generations since his crucifixion during the days of the Roman Empire. What a generation honors about Jesus often reveals as much about their preoccupations as it does about Jesus' message. He was the Light to the Gentiles, the Cosmic Christ, the Focal Point of History to some He was the Conquering King or the Monk who ruled the world to others. He was the Preacher of Common Sense to the Enlightenment thinkers and the Liberator of the Oppressed to the volatile 20th century. Throughout this well-documented book Pelikan writes with great balance, insight and reverence. He shows that Jesus is in some sense all of these and yet is still more. This is a great work of history, theology and devotion.
September 10, 2021
Pelikan's command of history and scholarship is astounding. This book is an incredibly compact tour through intellectual and cultural history since the time of Jesus, and it grants the reader an impressive sense of the sheer impact Jesus has had on important thinkers through the ages.
Stylistically, this isn't the easiest book to read (the chapters are short, but the material is dense, because Pelikan covers so much ground), but it's extremely rewarding. It also fills a nice niche, as it's not a standard church history book.
Overall, an incredibly helpful book packed full of insights. I really loved the way Pelikan handles topics like Christian mysticism, Enlightenment rationalism, and the 19th-20th century liberation movements. Great stuff, highly recommended for those who are seriously interested in history.
Stylistically, this isn't the easiest book to read (the chapters are short, but the material is dense, because Pelikan covers so much ground), but it's extremely rewarding. It also fills a nice niche, as it's not a standard church history book.
Overall, an incredibly helpful book packed full of insights. I really loved the way Pelikan handles topics like Christian mysticism, Enlightenment rationalism, and the 19th-20th century liberation movements. Great stuff, highly recommended for those who are seriously interested in history.
August 7, 2023
An interesting look at how Jesus was viewed through the last 2,000 years. Provides both theological as well as cultural insight. Discusses the aspects of Jesus brought developed in different periods of history - Jesus as rabbi, monks, king, human, the cosmic Christ, the logos, the liberator as well as other aspects of Jesus.
In addition the the ideas, he discusses the cultural expressions, normally in painting and how the idea relates to the artistic expression.
Very qualified to write about the theological development as he is well known for his 5 volume history of doctrine.
At first, the book feels a little disjointed as each chapter is somewhat independent, but after a while, you can start to pick up the threads of connection. Recommended for insight into who Jesus is, how he was thought of and portrayed through history and culture.
In addition the the ideas, he discusses the cultural expressions, normally in painting and how the idea relates to the artistic expression.
Very qualified to write about the theological development as he is well known for his 5 volume history of doctrine.
At first, the book feels a little disjointed as each chapter is somewhat independent, but after a while, you can start to pick up the threads of connection. Recommended for insight into who Jesus is, how he was thought of and portrayed through history and culture.
March 25, 2020
3.5 Not sure I have the kind of historians training needed to appreciate the full depth and breadth of Pelikan's research, but this was still an interesting, illuminating, and formative work. Gave me new appreciation for various historical figures and political/social movements throughout history.
There were a few chapters that were largely so meandering that they were almost nonsensical, but that's probably because, again, I'm not a historian, and Pelikan got deep into the weeds at times. Biggest critique however is his Western centrism. We hear nothing of intellectual developments of Christology or Christ in art, culture, or society across communities outside of Europe after he covered the 4th or 5th century. Felt like he missed a lot.
There were a few chapters that were largely so meandering that they were almost nonsensical, but that's probably because, again, I'm not a historian, and Pelikan got deep into the weeds at times. Biggest critique however is his Western centrism. We hear nothing of intellectual developments of Christology or Christ in art, culture, or society across communities outside of Europe after he covered the 4th or 5th century. Felt like he missed a lot.
February 3, 2021
A friend said this book impacted his view of Jesus more than anything he had ever read. So I bought it as he is one of the wisest and more well read people I know. After some starts and stops, I completed the book and can say the same. While I take issue with the summary in chapter 18 regarding writing in Africa - I am a scholar of African politics & the statements made are decidedly false - the rest of the book is impeccable. Each chapter is akin to drinking from a fire hydrant of theological and historical information. Definitely a book to read more than once and one that benefits from if not requires looking up and also reading Dr. Pelikan’s immense citations and references. A concise but powerful work.
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June 30, 2021I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected to, perhaps it was not exactly what I was expecting in the first place. Pelikan discusses many different 'titles' of Jesus through the century in about 230 pages, which is, ambitious, to say the least. I think this book is great for somebody who already has a fair share of knowledge about Jesus and his role within culture but I felt rather lost. I felt like a structure within each chapter was missing and couldn't keep up with all the different theologians, philosophers, writers, et cetera who were being mentioned. I felt like knowing more background information about them would have definitely helped understanding the argument Pelikan was presenting.
Overall not a bad book, I think I just wasn't ready yet.
Overall not a bad book, I think I just wasn't ready yet.
September 4, 2019
Took a long time to read but well worth it. What I like about Pelikan's book is that you cannot pin him down to any particular theological viewpoint because his breadth of understanding and knowledge is so vast. It was written over 40 years ago so it would be interesting to know his interpretations given the accelerated developments of our modern ->post modern eras. For this reason I have just ordered "Dominion" by Tom Holland.
In spite of the many varied interpretations over the centuries of the person of Jesus Christ, in my mind, he towers above and eclipses then all.
In spite of the many varied interpretations over the centuries of the person of Jesus Christ, in my mind, he towers above and eclipses then all.
November 19, 2020
This was fascinating and I really enjoyed reading it. I especially liked looking at the paintings and how they highlight the different aspects of Jesus that have been focused on over time. The ending felt slightly off, however. The last chapter ends with a very liberal, interfaith approach to Jesus (hooray!) I also would have loved to hear what the author has to say about Prosperity/Capitalist Jesus though. Not enough to detract from a five-star review though. Can’t wait to pick up a copy of Mary Through the Centuries as well.
June 23, 2018
I’ve read a lot of history text books. I enjoy many of them. This one, however, is one of the worst I’ve ever read. The author never makes his intention or purpose of writing clear. It is filled with uncredited presumptuous statements, and quotes that seem to be included to highlight the author’s intelligence rather than to help emphasize a point. I will say there is nothing wrong with the content of the book, but he sure has made the subjects of art, history and theology boring.
July 10, 2019
“The later chapters of this book show that as respect for the organized church has declined, reverence for Jesus has grown. For the unity and variety of the portraits of ‘Jesus through the generations’ has demonstrated that there is more in him than is dreamt of in the philosophy and Christology of the theologians. Within the church, but also far beyond its walls, his person and and message are, in the phrase of Augustine, a ‘beauty ever ancient, ever new’ and now he belongs to the world.”
September 26, 2023
I had to read this book for a seminar class and i thoroughly enjoyed it! As someone who grew up christian, i’ve never been able to view Jesus’ life through a historical lense as well as a religious one, and this book has allowed me to do just that. As someone who is frustrated with the modern church and in the process of deconstructing and reconstructing my faith, this book has been a very helpful tool to get me through that. HIGHLY recommend for every christian or history buff!!
January 10, 2024
Another of those books I ought to have read long ago. Pelikan's erudition is well known, and this is a remarkable survey of 18 ways of imagining Jesus through the centuries. Whether it's rhetorical or meant as a more substantive claim, Pelikan's willingness to attribute all these images to the direct impact and influence of Jesus of Nazareth stretches credulity at times -- although there's surely a philosophy of personal identity to defend it.
January 23, 2018
A really quite unique introduction to christology and Christ through history. Pelikan is so obviously exceedingly learned that the amount of references can be a little overwhelming. I am not completely sure how easy this is to read as an introduction, but it is very impressive how Pelikan manages to link theological themes with cultural expressions throughout history.
June 19, 2021
Jaroslav Pelikan’s attempts (and largely succeeds) in tracing 20 centuries of cultural influence, based upon the church’s changing understanding of the Lord’s identity. The survey is remarkably broad, and Pelikan does a great job with the first three quarters of church history, but appears to lose interest around the Enlightenment. Still, this is a very interesting book.
May 22, 2022
Excellent overview of both the early (and I would say more important) debates and understandings of Christ and who He is and the more contemporary understandings of His life and message. Particularly good chapter on Greek philosophy and it’s relation to Christianity and Christology.
Would recommend to anyone interested in Christology or Christian history.
5/5
Would recommend to anyone interested in Christology or Christian history.
5/5
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