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A Hell of a Life
A lively and interesting investigation of the person of Jesus and what he came to do.
- GenresChristian
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
1 person is currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
John Dickson
96 books134 followersJohn focuses on the big ideas that have shaped our world.
His journey is an eclectic one. Starting out as a singer-songwriter, he now works as a writer, speaker, historian of religion (focusing on early Christianity and Judaism), media presenter, Anglican minister, and director of a multi-media think tank.
With an honours degree in theology from Moore Theological College Sydney, and a PhD in history from Macquarie University, John is also an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Ancient History (Macquarie), and teaches a course on the Historical Jesus at the University of Sydney (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies) .
John is a founding director of the Centre for Public Christianity(CPX), an independent research and media company promoting informed discussion about social, ethical and religious issues in modern life.
His book “The Christ Files: How Historians Know what they Know about Jesus” was made into a four-part documentary which aired nationally on Channel 7 in 2008. Now a best-selling DVD, it also won the 2008 Pilgrim Media award (see www.thechristfiles.com.au). His more recent Life of Jesus also aired on Channel 7 in 2009 (see www.lifeofjesus.tv).
His journey is an eclectic one. Starting out as a singer-songwriter, he now works as a writer, speaker, historian of religion (focusing on early Christianity and Judaism), media presenter, Anglican minister, and director of a multi-media think tank.
With an honours degree in theology from Moore Theological College Sydney, and a PhD in history from Macquarie University, John is also an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Ancient History (Macquarie), and teaches a course on the Historical Jesus at the University of Sydney (Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies) .
John is a founding director of the Centre for Public Christianity(CPX), an independent research and media company promoting informed discussion about social, ethical and religious issues in modern life.
His book “The Christ Files: How Historians Know what they Know about Jesus” was made into a four-part documentary which aired nationally on Channel 7 in 2008. Now a best-selling DVD, it also won the 2008 Pilgrim Media award (see www.thechristfiles.com.au). His more recent Life of Jesus also aired on Channel 7 in 2009 (see www.lifeofjesus.tv).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 17, 2021
A great book that explains the Gospel message that is directed more towards people who are searching for answers and explanations about who Jesus is. John Dixon is very informative and explains Biblical concepts very clearly.
June 29, 2021
A good explanation of a great message, but written in very simplistic language and much more suited for young teenagers than for adults. Just didn’t appeal to me
June 6, 2015
The Legacy of Christ
18 November 2011
One could be forgiven thinking that this is an autobiography about John Dickson. He started off his career when as a teenager he became a Christian, and then got some friends together and started a rock band. The problem was that none of them actually knew how to play instruments, so they learned, and then toured the country (Australia) playing gigs wherever they could. However, they never intended the band (In the Silence) to become some hot Australian rockband, but rather a vehicle that Dickson could use to tell people about Jesus. Now, I do not believe that there is anything wrong with telling people about Jesus, in fact (as I will later explain) Jesus is a very interesting character that has a lot to say about the human condition and how we can relate to God. What I do have a problem with is when people use fear and guilt to manipulate people's emotions so that they become enslaved to a cult. However, this is not what John Dickson was doing (the band has since been wound up) and further he did not do it for money but rather for the love of talking and singing about Jesus.
Now, I should mention that no, this is not an autobiography about Dickson, but rather a biography about Jesus. One may wonder whether Jesus' life was truly that impressive: he never travelled far from his place of birth; never held public office; never attended a university; and beyond his immediate province nobody of that day had really heard of him. Granted, in Judea he did develop a large following, but this following collapsed shortly after his arrest. His friends deserted him, the people turned against him, and he was handed over to the Romans to be mocked, tortured, and then executed in a very inhumane way. Come to think of it, his life was really nothing all that different to any other miracle worker then and now. However, what we cannot ignore is his legacy.
Shortly after his death his inner circle (who had all deserted him after his arrest) suddenly started running around Judea telling everybody that he has risen from the dead. This rumour did not stop in Jerusalem but went out all over Judea, and then throughout the entire Roman Empire. At times the imperial government attempted to crush it, but every time they did it it would only come back stronger to finally capture the heart of the Emperor who then established this faith as the state religion. It is still with us today. Pretty much everybody in the Western World has heard of Jesus of Nazareth.
So, what do we make of this? Did he really rise from the dead? Did he even exist? Well, to support the argument that he did, in the end, is the legacy. In the same way it is Alexander's legacy that is the strongest evidence that he conquered the Middle East in a few short years, and the fact that Greek Culture spread throughout the world because of it supports this theory. Once again, it is Julius Ceaser's legacy that is the strongest evidence that he existed, and the main supporting evidence is that French is a romance language (that is had Latin roots) as opposed to a Germanic language. In the same vein, it is Jesus' legacy that is the strongest evidence that he existed, and it is the legacy of his death and resurrection that is also the strongest evidence that it happened.
Now, some argue that people are not executed because of a lie. Now this, in my opinion, is blatantly wrong. People have done so in the past, and will do so again. However, there is a lot more background evidence that supports this, and the main point is that there is no corpse. Simply put, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then the authorities would easily have pointed to the body. Further, a bunch of peasants are unlikely to be able to overcome trained guards (even if they were Temple Guards as opposed to legionaries) to steal a body. Granted, it could have been argued that his resurrection was spiritual, but to me that simply does not cut it. There have been (and still are) numerous sects that argue this point, however it simply does not account for the impact that it has had on our society. Sure, Jesus' life in and of itself is not something to write home about, but his legacy is.
18 November 2011
One could be forgiven thinking that this is an autobiography about John Dickson. He started off his career when as a teenager he became a Christian, and then got some friends together and started a rock band. The problem was that none of them actually knew how to play instruments, so they learned, and then toured the country (Australia) playing gigs wherever they could. However, they never intended the band (In the Silence) to become some hot Australian rockband, but rather a vehicle that Dickson could use to tell people about Jesus. Now, I do not believe that there is anything wrong with telling people about Jesus, in fact (as I will later explain) Jesus is a very interesting character that has a lot to say about the human condition and how we can relate to God. What I do have a problem with is when people use fear and guilt to manipulate people's emotions so that they become enslaved to a cult. However, this is not what John Dickson was doing (the band has since been wound up) and further he did not do it for money but rather for the love of talking and singing about Jesus.
Now, I should mention that no, this is not an autobiography about Dickson, but rather a biography about Jesus. One may wonder whether Jesus' life was truly that impressive: he never travelled far from his place of birth; never held public office; never attended a university; and beyond his immediate province nobody of that day had really heard of him. Granted, in Judea he did develop a large following, but this following collapsed shortly after his arrest. His friends deserted him, the people turned against him, and he was handed over to the Romans to be mocked, tortured, and then executed in a very inhumane way. Come to think of it, his life was really nothing all that different to any other miracle worker then and now. However, what we cannot ignore is his legacy.
Shortly after his death his inner circle (who had all deserted him after his arrest) suddenly started running around Judea telling everybody that he has risen from the dead. This rumour did not stop in Jerusalem but went out all over Judea, and then throughout the entire Roman Empire. At times the imperial government attempted to crush it, but every time they did it it would only come back stronger to finally capture the heart of the Emperor who then established this faith as the state religion. It is still with us today. Pretty much everybody in the Western World has heard of Jesus of Nazareth.
So, what do we make of this? Did he really rise from the dead? Did he even exist? Well, to support the argument that he did, in the end, is the legacy. In the same way it is Alexander's legacy that is the strongest evidence that he conquered the Middle East in a few short years, and the fact that Greek Culture spread throughout the world because of it supports this theory. Once again, it is Julius Ceaser's legacy that is the strongest evidence that he existed, and the main supporting evidence is that French is a romance language (that is had Latin roots) as opposed to a Germanic language. In the same vein, it is Jesus' legacy that is the strongest evidence that he existed, and it is the legacy of his death and resurrection that is also the strongest evidence that it happened.
Now, some argue that people are not executed because of a lie. Now this, in my opinion, is blatantly wrong. People have done so in the past, and will do so again. However, there is a lot more background evidence that supports this, and the main point is that there is no corpse. Simply put, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then the authorities would easily have pointed to the body. Further, a bunch of peasants are unlikely to be able to overcome trained guards (even if they were Temple Guards as opposed to legionaries) to steal a body. Granted, it could have been argued that his resurrection was spiritual, but to me that simply does not cut it. There have been (and still are) numerous sects that argue this point, however it simply does not account for the impact that it has had on our society. Sure, Jesus' life in and of itself is not something to write home about, but his legacy is.
April 21, 2017
A simple, easily read and well thought out explanation of Jesus and what he came to do, great for Non-Christians and Christians alike!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews