Jesus: A Study of the Life of Jesus Through the Gospels

Let me make the most important point first: if you are a Christian, Catholic or Protestant, and you want a closer relationship with Jesus, read this book. And, if you are not a Christian, but find the story of Jesus and Jesus' teachings to be thought-provoking, and you want to know more about this Jesus, read this book. You will not be disappointed. This is the first book of Father Martin's that I've read. (I liked it so much, I bought his later work, "Seven Last Words," and look forward to reading it). What I expected was a well-written, pious series of meditations on the life of Jesus. Well, "Jesus: A Pilgrimage" is definitely well written. And the meditations on the life of Jesus are pious, but they are much more than that. Father Martin's reflections on the central events of the Gospels are profoundly practical. Reading this book can, and almost certainly will, make you a better person and a better follower of Jesus, and the book's theological insights are balanced by very practical wisdom on how the Gospels can be applied to the challenges and problems of your daily life. I would characterize this book as proceeding simultaneously on three levels. Although written in clear prose that is accessible to the average layperson, the book's structure is rather complex. On one level, "Jesus: A Pilgrimage" is a vivid account of Father Martin's pilgrimage to the Holy Land. His description of the holy sites he visited is particularly well done. The details and imagery are what one would expect from a good novelist. I could visualize the places he was describing, and in so doing, I could visualize how Jesus experienced these towns, seas, mountains, and great cities. For those of us who probably will never get to visit the Holy Land, Father Martin's book is probably as close as we can get to actually visiting the places that Jesus saw and experienced in His life. On a second level, "Jesus: A Pilgrimage" is also a scholarly work on the life of the historical Jesus. I wasn't expecting the serious scholarship that characterizes this book. Father Martin has read the major works published in recent decades on the historical Jesus, and he uses this scholarship to deepen our encounter with Jesus the man, and Jesus, the Son of God. The footnotes and bibliography in "Jesus: A Pilgrimage" clearly demonstrate that this is a book by a serious scholar. I've already bought a few of the books that Father Martin references, and I hope to read much more about the historical Jesus in coming years. On the third level, "Jesus: A Pilgrimage" contains a series of deeply personal, beautiful, and quite practical meditations on the central events of the life of Jesus. It is this aspect of the book that makes it a classic. Father Martin shares his own experiences and how they deepened his understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, and how we can become better followers of Jesus. As a spiritual advisor, Father Martin is a blessing to those of us who are struggling with the challenges of life: addiction, despair, doubt, inability to forgive, and the dark night of the soul when it feels as if God has abandoned us. If all of this sounds like pretty heavy reading, well, it is in a way. This is not an easy book. One must read slowly and reflect thoughtfully while reading this book. So, you have to do some work as a reader of this book. However, the work is well worth it. But don't be put off. Father Martin also has--hooray!--a sense of humor and a writing style that makes it seem as if he is sitting in your home talking with you. I'm not sure how Father Martin pulls it off, but reading "Jesus: A Pilgrimage," one is aware that this is a scholarly work about the historical Jesus AND a well-written description of the Holy Land AND a collection of wise spiritual insights, but you never feel as if you're being preached at or lectured to. Rather you feel as if you're having a wonderful chat with a good friend. And you feel sad when you've come to the end of it, which I always think is a sign of a truly wonderful book.

I am not generally a fan of books on spirituality. Theology and religious history, yes. Spirituality, no. And yet, Fr. Martin’s books strike a nice balance between the theology and history, and the meaning it has in his life, which he then eases into an examination of the reader’s life. For someone like me, it is the best kind of spiritual writing. In this book, Fr. Martin examines the life of Jesus based on his reading of various gospel stories and a recent pilgrimage visit—his first, actually—to the Holy Land. The chapters basically follow the same general pattern. Fr. Martin and his traveling companion, George, visit a site in the Holy Land from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to the Sea of Galilee. We get a slice of their trip, the meaning it has to Fr. Martin, the connection to the gospels, a bit of theology, and the ways in which this part of Jesus’ life might have a more general spiritual meaning for the reader. Each chapter then finishes with the related gospel passage. It is a nice development. On the other hand, if I’m being honest, Fr. Martin is not always the most effective writer. His decision to order the book by following events in the life of Jesus as opposed to the order of the places he went during his pilgrimage means that the book as a whole has an odd through line. It jumps around. It is better read as individual chapters, like meditations. Also, Fr. Martin’s constant reminders of how hot it was in the Holy Land come across as rather shallow and distracting. Still, Fr. Martin is brilliant at weaving in anecdotes from his own experience to illustrate a point he is trying to make. It is a wonderful way to make the lessons of Jesus meaningful to a modern audience. And he has enough variety and experience in the “real world”—he didn’t become a Jesuit until after he’d worked a corporate job for a number of years—that he can sustain a number of different points. He is passionate and knowledgeable without being preachy. I don’t know if this is the kind of book that will make converts; however, for someone with a Christian background or someone interested in Christianity, this book helps with understanding why Jesus has such a powerful effect on so many. It is the kind of book that can take almost anyone deeper into understanding their faith. That makes it very worthwhile.

I couldn't stop reading; what's next I kept thinking. His passion for seeing this place as Jesus saw it and experienced it was moving, authentic.

Highly recommend for anyone new to the faith or experiencing the Gospels for the first time. An incredible read start to finish, I already can’t wait to reread!

This book has been a great partner for me this Lent, and I recommend it to anyone, including my brother's and sisters of faiths other than Catholic ( or of no particular faith) as it is a good introduction to the Gospels. To be critical, I think that the tendancy of modern Catholic writers to spend considerable time explaining textual and historical criticism is not so necessary- unless you are a religious studies student I worry that it is distracting and confusing. In that vein, while attempting to explain "the synoptic problem"- which really isn't a problem- Fr. Martin does not explain the role of Holy Tradition which delivers to us Apostolic tradition and writing, including eventually The Bible! That is the context which makes things like birth narrative "issues" and other percieved "inconsistencies" of minimal concern- and again perhaps distracting to the casual reader of Christian/Catholic writing. That said, the vehicle of using Fr.'s pilgrimage to explore the Gospel stories is very powerful. I have made a similar pilgrimage...I did not find the same Holy Land sites brought the same experience when I visited, but that is to be expected. Readers for instance should not think that the Church of the Nativity is always as unpleasant as Fr. describes- it was quiet and peaceful and one fo the heights of our visit when we went. More importantly his use of the Ignatian approach to putting ourselves into scripture is a pure joy. I especially loved his use of Merton's "true self v false self" dichotomy in the Lazurus story. (At one point he references Joseph's learning of Mary's "birth" which I found confusing). Other than that, I highly recommend this book/CD ( and a trip to the Holy Land, too!)

This was the first book by Fr. James Martin that I read, and since reading it I have ordered several more of his books! He is an excellent writer, and his joyful spirit and enthusiasm make the reader feel as if they are right there with him. I have never been to the Holy Land, so this book was delightful for me to read. It provided so much insight into what it would be like to embark on a journey to the Holy Land. Also, Fr. Martin is so down to earth in his writing that he will begin to feel like a friend as you turn each page. You will laugh at his humor, as well as the humor of his traveling companion George (also a priest and friend to Fr. Martin). Between the two of them, I found myself laughing out loud many times! You will also vicariously experience the joy of Fr. Martin, as his excitement literally leaps off the pages when he contemplates how he will see the places that Jesus visited! By the time you finish the book, you will feel as if Jesus has become a closer friend to you than you could ever have imagined. Through the words of Fr. Martin, you will also never have a doubt that Jesus experienced all the same dark moments that we experience in our own lives. You begin to somehow "feel" the emotions that Jesus felt before the crucifixion as well, his feelings of abandonment, his loneliness, and the betrayal. In this way, you will never hesitate to talk to Jesus when you are going through these emotions in your own life. At the end of the book, you will almost feel as if Jesus just reached out and gave you a big hug. Truly, the best way I can describe Fr. Martin's writing style is that it's entirely "real". You are no longer just a reader.....you too will be going on this pilgrimage with him!

I began reading this as an audiobook two days before going on retreat--a week in solitude. Little did I know or suspect, but this 'became' my retreat. Listening to Father Martin describe the places he visited, his reactions and responses, his excitement and disappointment, and then to be rewarded with such rich commentary on the Gospel passages related to these places where Jesus preached, performed miracles, and worked so many remarkable healings, was so amazing! Father Martin is a Jesuit. Had I not known this, I could have guessed it. Jesuits more than most know about the The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius , or an application of which can be found in The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living than most of us. It comes from their Founder. Part of the process of making these exercises (a retreat in itself) is not only meditating on Sacred Scripture, but being able to compose (contemplate) a picture of the place and/or setting in our mind, using our imagination (Composition of Place) so that we can envision we are there with Jesus and his disciples, sharing in this in a very unique and unforgettable way. Father Martin does this so well for his reader. He does it for us, allowing us to enter into these mysteries that so many were able to witness back then. He then goes and uses the words of the Gospels connecting his description with the Scripture, while adding his personal and excellent commentary, seeming to solidify what we are then imagining he experienced. Knowing the Greek New Testament--(a place for us to start could be the Analytical Greek New Testament )--he is able to give us the meaning of words, giving us deeper meanings into the text, possible alternatives to what the translators arrived at, and pointing to things that we might have missed by knowing the Bible only in English, or having been so familiar with them that we don't really hear what is being said. I have never been to the Holy Land. I know many people who have. I have listened to them describe their experiences. Yet, I have never walked away with such a picture of the Holy Land--the places where Jesus spent his public ministry, and what happened there--as I have in reading this book. Besides the audio, I also bought the hardcover edition so that I can keep it handy as a ready resource, a quasi-Scriptural Commentary.

We all know the theology that Jesus is fully God and fully human. But, do we really feel it? This book goes a long way toward that end. This book also has two sides; it is at once a travel book and a Bible study. It describes the Holy Land, both today and in Jesus' time. The dual nature of the book helps bring to life both the human Jesus and devine Jesus. And, it brings to life the human side of the people he interacted with. I liked that the book is very clear about which details are substantiated, which details are traditional, and which details are just speculation. The author cites a lot of references, does a good job of summarizing key points from the references; but he does so within the natural flow of the book, without seeming like an academic dissertation. Here is an example that stuck in my mind: In the Gospel story of the paralyzed man who was brought to Jesus, on a mat, through a hole in the roof, why was it important that his sins were forgiven before he was healed physically? The author gives a plausible scenario, from one of his sources. I won't repeat the details here, because he is very clear that the details are likely untrue. But, what is important is that something did happened. The point is people who interacted with Jesus in the Bible did not suddenly appear, interact with Jesus, and then disappear again. They were not fictional characters. They were real people; they had real lives, both before and after the encounters described in the Gospel. They lived, breathed, had hopes, had fears, did good things and did bad things (just like all of us).

Está en inglés, la información viene en español, por este motivo lo devuelvo. Si me lo pueden ofrecer en español, indiquemen como puedo hacer el cambio, si no, me devuelven el importe de 11,69 euros con abono a mi tarjeta de crédito.

È un libro molto bello. Leggendo ti sembra proprio di essere lì sul posto con l'autore. Spunti spirituali molto validi.

It is always very interesting to read books from fr. James Martin

Half way through this book and loving it. Part of each chapter is about his travels to the Holy Land and that in itself is very interesting - I'd happily read an entire book devoted to it because it's very well written and you can picture what he describes. The other side to it is explanations of the events in scripture that happened in or around the places he visits. He's so good at putting the scenes in context and telling his readers about how life was then. It's like he takes the words of the Bible and fills them out so you understand better. Pointing out facts that you'd usually skip over so you stop and linger, and really picture it. I'll be buying more of his books - they're really the ones to read and re-read.

Written in the first person, the narrative is interspersed with experiences of the author's visit to the Holy Land and his personal encounter with Jesus through the Gospels and his life as a Jesuit. Any review would be but a facile representation of the reality that is the book itself. A must read for the sheer joy of the encounter. I have to confess that I am a fan and have read other titles by the same author,which is why I had no hesitation in picking up this title as well.