Divine Guidance: Lessons for Today from the World of Early Christianity

by John A. Jillions

The twenty-first century opened with the religiously-inspired attacks of 9/11 and in the years since such attacks have become all too common. Over against the minority who carry out violence at God's direction, however, there are millions of believers around the world who live lives of anonymous kindness. They also see their actions as guided by the divine. How is divine guidance to be understood against the background of such diametrically opposed results? How to make sense of both Osama bin Laden and Mother Teresa?In order to answer this question, John A. Jillions turns to the first-century world of Corinth, where Jews, Gentiles, and early Christians intermixed and vigorously debated the question of divine guidance. In this ancient melting pot, the ideas of writers and poets, philosophers, rabbis, prophets, and the apostle Paul confronted and complemented each other. These writers reveal a culture that reflected deeply upon the realities, ambiguities, and snares posed by questions of divine guidance. Jillions draws these insights together to offer an outline for the twenty-first century and suggest criteria for how to assess perceived divine guidance. Jillions opens a long-closed window in the history of ideas in order to shed valuable light on this timeless question.

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 24, 2020

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked Jillions' commentary on 1 Corinthians, which in some ways was the focus of the book, though in terms of length, it was only a portion of the book. That part of the book is relevant to all levels of Christians. That portion of the book though is wrapped in what is Jillions' academic research on the notion of divine guidance in Judaism and paganism in Corinth in the 1st Century. That part of the book is more for scholarly readers, though a lot of interesting information in it. It was beyond my interest, but I learned a lot as i have never read or studied the Latin philosophers. Fr John's reading of Corinthians is insightful because he explores the entire letter through this same lens of divine guidance. He takes into account St Paul's own effort of trying to create one community centered on Christ, yet made up of people from the many different philosophical and religious traditions of the polytheistic pagan Roman Empire.

[w gall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unpleasant surprises

I thought this was a devotional book. Most of it is a history of various notions concerning Divine guidance, pagan, Jewish, as well as an interpretation of the Apostle Paul's views on the subject. When the dynamism of practical interpretation of revelation became the relativism of the Christian moral standards of St. Paul, I stopped reading three quarters of the way through. One learns things, though, so I gave it a 2 rather than a 1.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent survey of the concept of divine guidance in antiquity. Recommended for the library of anyone interested in the concept or the budding biblical scholar.