A poorly executed religious study.
An emeritus professor of religious studies presents a treatise about—and apparently against—society’s concept of “messiah.”
Wilson devotes a large part of his latest book to debunking the idea that Jesus was a messiah, but he goes further by questioning the concept of any leader, real or fictional, as deserving of the title. The author does not offer a thesis for his work; he dives right into the life of Jesus, pointing out that he did not call himself a messiah and was not viewed as such by his contemporary followers. Only after declaring that Jesus was not a messiah does Wilson investigate the definition of the term. Using the Hebrew Bible, he admits that a clear definition of messiah is difficult to find; he settles on “a divinely designated leader who has been anointed—smeared with oil and singled out to perform a task, typically that of being a ruler or priest.” Seeking a more formidable definition against which to measure Jesus, the author turns to an obscure first-century B.C.E. Jewish text called “The Psalms of Solomon.” Interpreting this text quite literally, Wilson then develops a “job description” of a messiah, which is not applicable to Jesus in a significant way: He is not a literal king over a Jewish kingdom. After dismissing the Gospel writers as mythmakers, the author then explains how—but not why—Paul created a new religion about Jesus that ignored the teachings of Jesus. Wilson goes on to argue that modernity has looked for messiah figures in political leaders—his examples include Woodrow Wilson and Hitler—and in fictional characters like Batman. He concludes that we should each be our own messiah. Though not as sensationalist as Wilson’s How Jesus Became Christian (2008) or as melodramatic as The Lost Gospel (2014), this work is nevertheless insubstantial.
A poorly executed religious study.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64313-450-5
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Pegasus
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.
An examination of how the U.S. can revitalize its commitment to freedom.
In this ambitious study, Snyder, author of On Tyranny, The Road to Unfreedom, and other books, explores how American freedom might be reconceived not simply in negative terms—as freedom from coercion, especially by the state—but positive ones: the freedom to develop our human potential within sustaining communal structures. The author blends extensive personal reflections on his own evolving understanding of liberty with definitions of the concept by a range of philosophers, historians, politicians, and social activists. Americans, he explains, often wrongly assume that freedom simply means the removal of some barrier: “An individual is free, we think, when the government is out of the way. Negative freedom is our common sense.” In his careful and impassioned description of the profound implications of this conceptual limitation, Snyder provides a compelling account of the circumstances necessary for the realization of positive freedom, along with a set of detailed recommendations for specific sociopolitical reforms and policy initiatives. “We have to see freedom as positive, as beginning from virtues, as shared among people, and as built into institutions,” he writes. The author argues that it’s absurd to think of government as the enemy of freedom; instead, we ought to reimagine how a strong government might focus on creating the appropriate conditions for human flourishing and genuine liberty. Another essential and overlooked element of freedom is the fostering of a culture of solidarity, in which an awareness of and concern for the disadvantaged becomes a guiding virtue. Particularly striking and persuasive are the sections devoted to eviscerating the false promises of libertarianism, exposing the brutal injustices of the nation’s penitentiaries, and documenting the wide-ranging pathologies that flow from a tax system favoring the ultrawealthy.
An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9780593728727
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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