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This Hebrew Lord: Finding Power and Wholeness Through the Faith of Jesus of Nazareth
In This Study I Found A Lord, a center for my being. Behind the supernatural framework of the first century...I discover a life I wanted to know; a life that possessed a power I wanted to possess; a freedom, a wholeness for which I had yearned for years."Illuminating the "figure who stands at the center of all the Christian Church is," John Shelby Spong explores Jesus under the light of the Hebrew tradition into which he was born. Candid, personal, and soundly argued, this is Spong's spiritual and intellectual pilgrimaged to the Christ he discovered in Jesus of Nazareth.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
29 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
John Shelby Spong
42 books304 followersJohn Shelby Spong was the Episcopal bishop of Newark before his retirement in 2000. As a leading spokesperson for an open, scholarly, and progressive Christianity, Bishop Spong has taught at Harvard and at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has also lectured at universities, conference centers, and churches in North America, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. His books include: A New Christianity for a New World, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Resurrection: Myth or Reality? Why Christianity Must Change or Die, and his autobiography, Here I Stand.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 17, 2009
This book validated the way in which I relate to Jesus.
August 24, 2007
Bishop Spong is in Australia at the moment promoting his latest book, and so a friend and I invited him to dinner last Monday. Bishop Spong (he immediately introduces himself as "Jack") only accepted our invitation on Saturday morning, so I ran out to a bookstore and bought two of his books to read before Monday night, and this was one of the two I found. My friend John read his latest one, which is called something like WHY CHRISTIANITY MUST CHANGE OR DIE.
Look . . . I guess I'm conflicted in trying to review this book because while Spong's scholarship is shoddy, his programme is by and large praiseworthy. THIS HEBREW LORD was his first major book, published originally in 1984, and it remains a very personal one for him. The book itself is one more addition to the tradition begun by the German scholar David Strauss in 1835 when he published his LIFE OF JESUS. Strauss was the first guy to make a distinction between the historical Jesus, a Judean peasant who caused an uproar of some sort but left no personal writings, and the Jesus Christ of Christian scripture, whose words and deeds we know from the writings of his disciples. Strauss believed in Jesus the Jewish peasant but not in Jesus Christ the son of God, and Spong agrees with him. Strauss's book changed history, causing several generations of Europeans to lose their faith in God (one of them, to provide an idea of the long term consequences of Strauss's influence, was Nietzsche).
Spong's agenda is very different, and on the whole it is an attractive one. Spong and his intelligent and poised wife are long time supporters of equal political rights for people of all races, genders, creeds and sexual orientations, and this attractive social agenda is well matched to their articulate and charming personalities.
My friend John, who hosted our little dinner party of six, has spent a lifetime in politics and diplomacy. I think of him as one of Dante's "noble pagans" like the poet Virgil, and John reacted very positively to the Spong book he read, and to Spong himself. My friend John, in fact, who feels at best thinly veiled contempt for religion in general, said that Spong's version of Jesus is the only one that has ever made sense to him, and they got along famously at dinner.
I guess the main point is that Spong is writing for two kinds of people: (1) conventional Christians who have never done any thinking for themselves about their faith--for example, people who have never reflected on the fact that almost everybody mentioned in the Bible is Jewish, and that Christianity is incomprehensible outside the context of Judaism, and (2) people with a distant knowledge of Christianity and who consider it responsible for most or all of the ills of history. To these groups, who are considerable in number, Spong reaches out with a message of love and personal freedom. And unlike traditional Christianity, the ticket for admittance to Spong's world view does not include belief in God, an acknowledgement of the reality of sin, or a profession of personal faith in Jesus Christ as a saviour.
In short, Spong's program makes his readers aware of much that is good in Christianity, and for many--Spong himself very much included--a person who accepts Spong's views need seek no further for the truth.
REVIEW CONT'D AS COMMENT #1
Look . . . I guess I'm conflicted in trying to review this book because while Spong's scholarship is shoddy, his programme is by and large praiseworthy. THIS HEBREW LORD was his first major book, published originally in 1984, and it remains a very personal one for him. The book itself is one more addition to the tradition begun by the German scholar David Strauss in 1835 when he published his LIFE OF JESUS. Strauss was the first guy to make a distinction between the historical Jesus, a Judean peasant who caused an uproar of some sort but left no personal writings, and the Jesus Christ of Christian scripture, whose words and deeds we know from the writings of his disciples. Strauss believed in Jesus the Jewish peasant but not in Jesus Christ the son of God, and Spong agrees with him. Strauss's book changed history, causing several generations of Europeans to lose their faith in God (one of them, to provide an idea of the long term consequences of Strauss's influence, was Nietzsche).
Spong's agenda is very different, and on the whole it is an attractive one. Spong and his intelligent and poised wife are long time supporters of equal political rights for people of all races, genders, creeds and sexual orientations, and this attractive social agenda is well matched to their articulate and charming personalities.
My friend John, who hosted our little dinner party of six, has spent a lifetime in politics and diplomacy. I think of him as one of Dante's "noble pagans" like the poet Virgil, and John reacted very positively to the Spong book he read, and to Spong himself. My friend John, in fact, who feels at best thinly veiled contempt for religion in general, said that Spong's version of Jesus is the only one that has ever made sense to him, and they got along famously at dinner.
I guess the main point is that Spong is writing for two kinds of people: (1) conventional Christians who have never done any thinking for themselves about their faith--for example, people who have never reflected on the fact that almost everybody mentioned in the Bible is Jewish, and that Christianity is incomprehensible outside the context of Judaism, and (2) people with a distant knowledge of Christianity and who consider it responsible for most or all of the ills of history. To these groups, who are considerable in number, Spong reaches out with a message of love and personal freedom. And unlike traditional Christianity, the ticket for admittance to Spong's world view does not include belief in God, an acknowledgement of the reality of sin, or a profession of personal faith in Jesus Christ as a saviour.
In short, Spong's program makes his readers aware of much that is good in Christianity, and for many--Spong himself very much included--a person who accepts Spong's views need seek no further for the truth.
REVIEW CONT'D AS COMMENT #1
November 12, 2014
Heart-wrenchingly beautiful and head-scratchingly heretical. FOUR STARS!!!
April 3, 2022
Perhaps obvious in some respects as a "first" book, i.e. a little rough around the edges and with a structure that's more basic than those that were to come later on. But there's no denying the power of Spong's position - that we should focus on the facts and teachings of Christ's life rather than getting caught up in the mythologising of it - and his clear, simple and persuasive arguments throughout. As such, this is a joy to read and a breath of fresh air.
December 11, 2025
Opens a doorway to belief that does not require acceptance of miracles, adherence to archaic and dubious creeds, or rejection of science for which I am grateful. Further, it posits a loving rather than narcissistic god. And Spong humanizes the life of Jesus, laying out the life choices leading to his most impactful of all lives in human history.
September 26, 2017
Rev. Spong tells us the truth about the scriptures. He wipes off all the BS we have been fed. It actually draws you closer to the spirit.
July 19, 2024
THE CONTROVERSIAL BISHOP LOOKS AT THE LIFE OF JESUS
John Shelby Spong (born 1931) is a retired Episcopal bishop, formerly of Newark; he has written many other books, such as Living in Sin?: A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A B'ishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture,' 'Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Virgin Birth,' 'Resurrection : Myth or Reality?', etc.
This book was originally written in 1973, but was revised for this 1993 edition. Spong wrote in his Preface for the new edition, "this book was and is for me nothing less than the attempt to retell the Christ story, which is a timeless task and one that will never be complete or finished..." He said in the original Preface that the book was "a struggle to translate the power of Jesus of Nazareth into the categories of our day. It is not offered as a definitive Christology but as a personal witness."
He rejects the Bible as an "otherworldly volume," arguing that "The Bible is life-centered, not heaven-centered." (Pg. 25) He suggests that if the Bible is to be understood in our day, "we must develop 'Hebrew eyes' and 'Hebrew attitudes' toward life." (Pg. 31)
He states that "To be in Christ is not to be religious, but to come alive. It is to discover the fulness of living." (Pg. 95) He admits, however, that "the Fourth Gospel frightens me. Its depth challenges my scholarship. Its insight baffles my rationalism... I avoid it. I am only willing to nibble at its edges." But he also acknowledges that it does not contain "historical accuracy," and that "No life of Jesus can be constructed" from it. (Pg. 141)
Not as interesting or challenging as Spong's later books, this book is still a useful popular overview of the life of Jesus.
John Shelby Spong (born 1931) is a retired Episcopal bishop, formerly of Newark; he has written many other books, such as Living in Sin?: A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A B'ishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture,' 'Born of a Woman: A Bishop Rethinks the Virgin Birth,' 'Resurrection : Myth or Reality?', etc.
This book was originally written in 1973, but was revised for this 1993 edition. Spong wrote in his Preface for the new edition, "this book was and is for me nothing less than the attempt to retell the Christ story, which is a timeless task and one that will never be complete or finished..." He said in the original Preface that the book was "a struggle to translate the power of Jesus of Nazareth into the categories of our day. It is not offered as a definitive Christology but as a personal witness."
He rejects the Bible as an "otherworldly volume," arguing that "The Bible is life-centered, not heaven-centered." (Pg. 25) He suggests that if the Bible is to be understood in our day, "we must develop 'Hebrew eyes' and 'Hebrew attitudes' toward life." (Pg. 31)
He states that "To be in Christ is not to be religious, but to come alive. It is to discover the fulness of living." (Pg. 95) He admits, however, that "the Fourth Gospel frightens me. Its depth challenges my scholarship. Its insight baffles my rationalism... I avoid it. I am only willing to nibble at its edges." But he also acknowledges that it does not contain "historical accuracy," and that "No life of Jesus can be constructed" from it. (Pg. 141)
Not as interesting or challenging as Spong's later books, this book is still a useful popular overview of the life of Jesus.
September 8, 2019
Thought provoking and makes you truly investigate what you believe, and why
This book will make you question everything. He does an amazing job explaining how the Gospel writers related Jesus to Moses and Elijah. Makes total sense why and how they did this.
That entire concept was mind blowing and thought provoking to me of how we should DEFINITELY not take that scriptures literally. To do so, would be heresy.
That being said, the definition of who Jesus is, spelled out in this book, leaves me with my original definition. It's so much easier to believe than his definition. Not only is it easier to believe, but, it gives us so much more hope. Or maybe I can't believe his definition because of that very reason. Whichever the reason my be, I believe his entire description of the characteristics of Jesus are accurate. The only thing is, I'm stuck on his divinity:)
Great book.
I'll read more of his stuff to see if he can change my definition of who Jesus is any further.
This book will make you question everything. He does an amazing job explaining how the Gospel writers related Jesus to Moses and Elijah. Makes total sense why and how they did this.
That entire concept was mind blowing and thought provoking to me of how we should DEFINITELY not take that scriptures literally. To do so, would be heresy.
That being said, the definition of who Jesus is, spelled out in this book, leaves me with my original definition. It's so much easier to believe than his definition. Not only is it easier to believe, but, it gives us so much more hope. Or maybe I can't believe his definition because of that very reason. Whichever the reason my be, I believe his entire description of the characteristics of Jesus are accurate. The only thing is, I'm stuck on his divinity:)
Great book.
I'll read more of his stuff to see if he can change my definition of who Jesus is any further.
August 6, 2020
Faith In Christ, Faith In “the Word Became Flesh and Blood”
A must read for contemporary Christians who want to seek life, not just the safety that an institutionalized religion claims to provide. It also corrects the traditional Christian, biased views of Judaism, such as the New Testament is to fulfill the Hebrew Scriptures. In today’s increasing polarized world, this book provides a holistic world view. Shalom.
A must read for contemporary Christians who want to seek life, not just the safety that an institutionalized religion claims to provide. It also corrects the traditional Christian, biased views of Judaism, such as the New Testament is to fulfill the Hebrew Scriptures. In today’s increasing polarized world, this book provides a holistic world view. Shalom.
August 1, 2007
A bit dated now, but Spong's consideration of the essential Jewishness of Jesus' teachings was considered scandalous in the 1970s. Really good introduction to the Jewish roots of his teachings and ideas.
July 15, 2008
Beautiful
December 22, 2010
Sadly, I did not read Spong because of my disagreement of his views...well I was wrong. this book is just great.
July 9, 2012
This is one of JSS first books & is not as developed as his subsequent ones but well worth reading for the progressive Christian.
August 31, 2015
I enjoyed this book but not as much as some of JohnShelby Spongs later works. It's still informative and readers who like progressive theology will I think enjoy it as I did.
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March 23, 2018Seeing Jesus through Jewish eyes of first century
Five Stars due this book as it stresses the importance of seeking Jesus thru Jewish eyes. Clear view of faith of early Christians,
Five Stars due this book as it stresses the importance of seeking Jesus thru Jewish eyes. Clear view of faith of early Christians,
December 28, 2021
A must read for a honest person of faith
February 27, 2016
Terrible book, don't bother.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews