Jesus

Starred review from February 24, 2014
Inviting readers of "deep faith or no faith" to meet the Jesus he loves, Martin weaves stories of his Holy Land pilgrimage, undertaken to explore the Gospels, with scholarship, analysis, and personal reflections. The noted Jesuit, media commentator, and author (The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything) balances faith and reason in the classic Catholic tradition as he ponders the meaning of significant events in Jesus's life. Martin's broad knowledge of current academic work informs his imaginative exploration of possible answers. Dismissing the common "rationalizing tendency" toward the Gospels, he emphasizes that Jesus, at once both human and divine, is "not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived." His commitment to a traditional Christian understanding provides a bracing counterpoint to recent studies of the historical Jesus and non-canonical gospels. Martin communicates a joyful faith in God's healing and the ultimate hope offered by the Resurrection. Throughout, vivid details of his search in blistering heat for holy sites both authentic and dubious anchor this complex, compelling spiritual testimony. "You've met my Jesus," he concludes. "Now meet your own."

April 1, 2014

In this work--part travelog, part biblical commentary, part memoir, part meditation--prolific Jesuit author Martin (culture editor, America magazine; My Life with the Saints) devotes a chapter to each of the towns he visited while on a pilgrimage in the Holy Land, villages in which particular incidents in the life of Jesus took place. He explains and reflects on the relevant Gospel stories as he proceeds. For example, in the chapter "Tabgha," he considers the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and reflects on an incident in his experience when Jesus made small things great, and suggests how this event can help those who feel their efforts are inadequate. The chapters are ordered according to the life of Jesus, and do not correspond to the order of Martin's visit, so the account isn't so much about places as it is about coming to understand Jesus better and fostering a deeper relationship with him. Martin often refers accessibly to the scholarship about a particular biblical passage, with the relevant text provided in full at the end of each section. VERDICT This will appeal to readers (not just Catholics) seeking an introduction to the Gospels that is personal but rooted in serious scholarship.--Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2014
A consideration of Christ, human and divine, from an on-native-ground perspective. Many people have difficulty wrapping their heads around Jesus' humanity, writes Jesuit priest and scholar Martin (Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life, 2011, etc.). "Beyond academic studies," he writes, "I have come to know Jesus in three other ways: prayer, experience, and pilgrimage." All those forms of knowing came into play when the author left New York and headed for the Middle East. "Traveling through the Holy Land," he writes cheerfully, "is like visiting the family home of a good friend. No matter how well you know the person, you'll understand your friend better afterward." Martin guides readers on a tour of the geographical places from Jesus' life, sometimes threatening to be overcome by sentimentality as he realizes that Jesus ate here and walked there ("Jesus was here, I kept thinking. Jesus was here"). The theological and ethical lessons that Martin draws from the biblical landscape are illuminating and unobjectionable even though he allows that some of that geography is suspect--e.g., the Via Dolorosa has become commodified and overly touristy. Still, the author's enthusiasm at realizing that he may have arrived at the very spots where Jesus had his last supper makes for meaningful reading. Better still are his gentle commentaries on scenes in Christ's life: the Sermon on the Mount, for instance, to which he supplies a close reading of the Greek to determine the root meaning of too easily misread terms such as "meek," "poor," "merciful" and "peacemaker"--terms that, properly understood, might make the 1 percent among us a bit uneasy. An intelligent, lively travelogue, well-timed to arrive for the Easter season, and a welcome complement to a direct reading of the Gospels.

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