| 9780061875670 |
| 0061875678 |
Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... East Library | Book | 242.722 C951G | Nonfiction | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
In The Greatest Prayer, foremost historical Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan, bestselling author of Historical Jesus and Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography, intimately explores the revolutionary meaning of the cornerstone of Christian faith: The Lord's Prayer.
Author Notes
Considered by many to be the most learned scholar on the topic of Jesus Christ, John Dominic Crossan's adversaries question how he reconciles his Catholic faith with 20th century secular study. A former priest, Crossan is the author of The Essential Jesus: Original Sayings and Earliest Images, The Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant, Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography; The Birth of Christianity: Discovering What Happened in the Years Immediately After the Execution of Jesus, and The Cross That Spoke: The Origins of the Passion Narrative, among others.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
No prayer is better known in the Christian world than the Lord's Prayer, taught by Jesus to His disciples as they listened to Him preach about the Kingdom of God. Crossan, co-founder of The Jesus Seminar and acclaimed author of many works on the life and mission of Jesus Christ, writes to answer the question, "How can we who live today hear the words of the Lord's Prayer in ways that reflect the concerns of His immediate hearers and impact our lives 2,000 years later?" Delving deeply into the story of the Jewish nation in Jesus' time, Crossan shows how Jesus, couched in the words of this prayer, advises His followers to reject violent methods of resisting their Roman captors, and instead work for the coming of the Kingdom of God, the only way to achieve true freedom. The theme of nonviolence permeates this book and becomes the foundation for Crossan's understanding, not only of the Lord's Prayer, but also of a variety of extra-biblical sources he references to support his thesis. A fine effort by a fine scholar. (Sept.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
Booklist Review
Noted biblical scholar Crossan takes a fresh look at the Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father and the Abba Prayer. Prayed by Christians of all denominations and doctrinal persuasions, yet mentioning none of the issues that divide them, it is certainly Christianity's official prayer and surely its greatest. Crossan takes key words from the prayer (Father, name, kingdom, will, bread, debt, and temptation), examines their meaning in a biblical context, and concludes that it is a revolutionary manifesto, proclaiming nonviolence and distributive justice. This seemingly radical exegesis will be as welcome to some as it is disconcerting to others. Even if one disagrees with the author's conclusions, it will be difficult to dislike his book, as one of Crossan's gifts is his ability to challenge his readers in a gentle, respectful, and nonconfrontational manner.--McConnell, Christopher Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
No historian of the life of Jesus or the world of early Christianity is better known than Crossan (religious studies, emeritus, DePaul Univ.; Who Killed Jesus?). His new, relatively brief book is nevertheless a full and loving exposition-a point by point explication-of Christianity's best-known and most-recited prayer. For Crossan, the Lord's Prayer reflects the dual nature of the New Testament's vision of God as a God of love, as well as a God of justice. VERDICT Crossan's pastoral intent is more straightforward here than in some of his other works; scholars will appreciate the richness of his readings, while nonscholarly readers will be grateful for the directness and clarity of his approach. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Prologue: The Strangest Prayer | p. 1 |
| 1 Pray Then in This Way | p. 9 |
| 2 Our Father in Heaven | p. 29 |
| 3 Hallowed Be Your Name | p. 53 |
| 4 Your Kingdom Come | p. 73 |
| 5 Your Will Be Done on Earth | p. 97 |
| 6 Give Us Our Daily Bread | p. 119 |
| 7 Forgive Us Our Debts | p. 143 |
| 8 Lead Us Not into Temptation | p. 163 |
| Epilogue: The Strangest Book | p. 183 |
| Appendix | p. 191 |
| Notes | p. 193 |
| Further Reading | p. 195 |
