Covers territory other scholars have trod, but nevertheless, a personal, easy-to-read discussion of Jesus’ humanity.
An approachable distillation of modern views about Jesus.
Skeptical about his parents’ Protestant religion from a young age, Miles looks back upon a lifetime of learning and attempts to record his own understanding of who Jesus was and how he came to be the figure most Christians today understand him to be. Though apparently a believer in a higher power, Miles denies the divinity of Jesus and therefore sees the New Testament as a mix of history and myth. He takes an orderly approach to his work, with each chapter focusing on one particular aspect of his views, including the historical concept of Jesus. Miles moves on to discuss the dramatic influence of Paul and how Jesus was perceived by the Gospel writers, thus shaping his identity for generations to come. An exploration of Greek philosophy’s influence upon Christianity follows, as well as a look at literalism and other aspects of Christian thought. Throughout, Miles writes in a casual style, invoking James Bond and Jesus Christ Superstar, comparing the Council of Nicea to a session of Congress, and even at one point asking rhetorically, “Was God getting Alzheimer’s?” Despite his propensity toward what many might see as irreverence, Miles tackles a serious question in this book, namely, whether the historical identity of Jesus was “hijacked,” as he puts it, by the religion of Christianity. Miles asserts, “By the early second century, Jesus was no longer a Jew. He had been kidnapped by the Greeks, who made him a second Christian God.” Sure to be controversial among Christians, this treatise welcomes the dispute and stands its ground.
Covers territory other scholars have trod, but nevertheless, a personal, easy-to-read discussion of Jesus’ humanity.Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-1470136413
Page Count: 240
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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