A unified, well-considered Jesus story for the beginning student of Christianity.
The four Christian Gospels distilled into a single tale.
Mebane has edited a version of the New Testament Gospels which tells the story of Jesus as a unified whole. In a work that echoes popular chronological retellings of the Bible, this work rearranges the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—chronologically and thematically, providing a single story of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. In creating this unified gospel, Mebane hopes to aid readers who are troubled by the Bible’s traditional presentation of the life of Jesus. “To many well-intentioned readers,” he explains, “the Gospels seem all tangled up, and it is a genuine struggle to unravel the threads.” The book begins with the birth narrative of Jesus and relies on Scripture to add information about his youth, followed by his baptism by John and his temptation in the desert. Mebane then presents the story of Jesus more thematically—Jesus’ teachings in Galilee, his visits to Jerusalem, expressions of his divine power, etc. Finally, he returns to the chronological story of Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. To further aid the reader, Mebane employs “a modern English update of the American Standard Version” of the Bible. Lengthy quotes by Jesus are in bold, and passages are visually divided to make the text more appealing and easier to follow. Many could argue that the nuances of each of the four Gospels are a necessary part of comprehending the story of Jesus in all its fullness, and indeed, a student of the Scriptures would want to eventually read the Gospels in their original forms. For readers who would like a simpler version of Jesus’ story, however, Mebane’s offering will be useful and helpful.
A unified, well-considered Jesus story for the beginning student of Christianity.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2006
ISBN: 978-0-9759290-4-9
Page Count: 330
Publisher: Wordsmith Associates
Review Posted Online: Dec. 31, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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