THE JESUS MYTH

by Andrew M. Greeley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 22, 1971

The prolific Father Greeley's sixteenth book is not an effort to demythologize Jesus, but an attempt to mythologize him. For by ""myth,"" the author means a symbolic story; and the present work's purpose is to discover the inner meaning of Jesus' life and teaching. From this aspect, Greeley examines Jesus' background, the peculiarities of his mission and message (conversion, salvation, divine mercy, etc.), the ""mysteries"" -- the Resurrection, especially -- Jesus' own view of his work, the role of his disciples, and so forth. The effect is to present a Jesus of the via media: i.e., a Jesus who is neither an intellectual exercise for theologians, nor a placard-toting political revolutionary, but a man concerned primarily with human beings rather than with changing human circumstances. This is the supratemporal Jesus; and, consequently, the one who still is alive, both in the Church and in the human heart. All of this Greeley describes with the irreverent wit to which his readers are so well accustomed, which makes The Jesus Myth an effective decimation of theological humbug as well as a sensible work of modern spirituality. On the whole, this is probably the best and most salable of Greeley's many good and popular books.

Pub Date: Oct. 22, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1971

Categories: NONFICTION