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Jesus of Nazareth
In this popular yet academically grounded look at Jesus, liberation theologians Dorothee Soelle and Luise Schottroff offer a corrective to the "Jesus of history" research recently made popular through the work of the Jesus Seminar. By situating Jesus within his community of friends--who played a large part in his life, ministry, and movement--the authors show that the story of Jesus has not come to a close. Rather, Jesus of Nazareth demonstrates how his works, words, and inspired community pose timeless challenges for contemporary life.
This book includes sixty-seven color illustrations, a glossary, chronological table, map, and brief annotated bibliography.
This book includes sixty-seven color illustrations, a glossary, chronological table, map, and brief annotated bibliography.
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2000
46 people want to read
About the author
Dorothee Sölle
99 books47 followersDorothee Steffensky-Sölle was a German liberation theologian and writer.
Sölle studied theology, philosophy and literature at the University of Cologne. She became active in politics, speaking out against the Vietnam War, the arms race of the Cold War and injustices in the developing world. Notably, from 1968 to 1972 she organized Cologne's Politisches Nachtgebet (political night-prayers). Between 1975 and 1987, she spent six months a year at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where she was a professor of systematic theology.
She wrote a large number of books, including Theology for Skeptics: Reflections on God, The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance (2001) and her autobiography Against the Wind: Memoir of a Radical Christian (1999). In Beyond Mere Obedience: Reflections on a Christian Ethic for the Future she coined the term "Christofascist" to describe fundamentalists. Perhaps her best-known work in English was Suffering, which offers a critique of "Christian masochism" and "theological sadism." Sölle's critique is against the assumption that God is all-powerful and the cause of suffering; humans thus suffer for some greater purpose. Instead, God suffers and is powerless alongside us. Humans are to struggle together against oppression, sexism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of authoritarianism.
"I believe in God who created the world has not done such a thing that always must remain, not the ruled by eternal laws, which are immutable, not by natural systems of rich and poor, experts and uninformed, rulers and extradited. I believe in God, who wants the appeal of living and the change in all states through our work, our policy".
Sölle studied theology, philosophy and literature at the University of Cologne. She became active in politics, speaking out against the Vietnam War, the arms race of the Cold War and injustices in the developing world. Notably, from 1968 to 1972 she organized Cologne's Politisches Nachtgebet (political night-prayers). Between 1975 and 1987, she spent six months a year at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where she was a professor of systematic theology.
She wrote a large number of books, including Theology for Skeptics: Reflections on God, The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance (2001) and her autobiography Against the Wind: Memoir of a Radical Christian (1999). In Beyond Mere Obedience: Reflections on a Christian Ethic for the Future she coined the term "Christofascist" to describe fundamentalists. Perhaps her best-known work in English was Suffering, which offers a critique of "Christian masochism" and "theological sadism." Sölle's critique is against the assumption that God is all-powerful and the cause of suffering; humans thus suffer for some greater purpose. Instead, God suffers and is powerless alongside us. Humans are to struggle together against oppression, sexism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of authoritarianism.
"I believe in God who created the world has not done such a thing that always must remain, not the ruled by eternal laws, which are immutable, not by natural systems of rich and poor, experts and uninformed, rulers and extradited. I believe in God, who wants the appeal of living and the change in all states through our work, our policy".
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 15, 2020
Hummed and hahed (sp?) about giving this the full five-star treatment, but I got a lot out of this so what the hell. It's a short book and deals with its themes and subject matter breezily, but none the worse for either of those. Just a really good overview from a feminist-liberation theology perspective, with a real focus, and the addition of art & poetry was a v. nice touch. Looks like a pretty good bibliography too, not that I need more books to go on my to-read list...
January 30, 2022
Written for a more broad audience than some of Sölle's other work, what it loses in lengthy explanation it makes up in succinct insight.
If you've been wanting to give Christian leftism a try but aren't sure how, start here
If you've been wanting to give Christian leftism a try but aren't sure how, start here
July 8, 2010
I liked the feminist approach and learning more of the role women played in the story of Jesus.
Jesus is coming, look busy!
Jesus is coming, look busy!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews