Reviews

Jesus: A Pilgrimage by James Martin

snickies's review against another edition

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3.0

3 1/2 stars. It took me a while to get into it, but I quite liked it in the end.

gjmaupin's review against another edition

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2.0

Not my bag.

teaghang's review against another edition

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4.0

My favorite book I've read by Fr. Martin. Does a very good job of diving into New Testament scholarship while still remaining accessible and affirming the doctrines of the Church. I only have two complaints: first, that it tries to do just a bit too much, causing it to drag a bit. Second, that Fr. Martin tries too often to get into the mind of Jesus, particularly during the Passion. As tempting as it may be to try, we cannot know the mind of God.

elysahenegar's review against another edition

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4.0

"What I want most for you is to meet Jesus," writes author James Martin, and what resonates throughout the pages of this wonderful travel-contemplative is the intimacy of relationship Martin himself feels with Christ, an intimacy that always translates into a deep desire for others to know Him as well. I felt as though I accompanied Martin and his friend George on their Holy Land adventure, toured ancient sites, met colorful people, and shared in their inspiring experiences as I read. This book offers a glimpse of Jesus in his real fully human and fully divine presence as well as any book could, and the author's easy style is conversational and engaging on every page. I truly enjoyed this adventure.

drbobcornwall's review against another edition

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5.0

Who is Jesus? There are many who offer answers from [a:Marcus Borg|7937454|Marcus Borg|https://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-d9f6a4a5badfda0f69e70cc94d962125.png] to [a:Reza Aslan|14210|Reza Aslan|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1375702579p2/14210.jpg], Bart Ehrman to Bill O'Reilly. One could even turn to Dan Brown -- though I wouldn't. In the course of my studies and my ministry, I've read quite a few books about Jesus. Some I've enjoyed, others not so much. This I can say -- I thoroughly enjoyed Jesus: A Pilgrimage!

James Martin is a Jesuit priest, author, journalist, commentator on matters of church and culture. He even holds his own on Colbert! In this book Martin offers us a Roman Catholic infused portrait of Jesus that weaves in biblical scholarship -- mainstream Catholics such as Luke Timothy Johnson -- and personal narrative. When he decided to take up the task of writing about the life of Jesus, he was encouraged to visit the Holy Land. Although he'd never had much of an inkling of going there (I can relate), he decided that it would be worth doing. Thus, as he takes us on a journey through thee life of Jesus we visit the sites venerated as being places that Jesus was encountered two millennia ago. We are drawn into the story, able to envision where Jesus walked and where he died. We learn about the dividing wall that separates Palestinian territory and Israel.

What marks this book is the spiritual dimension. Martin is on piligrimage, so he doesn't just visit sites as a tourist might. He goes to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to pray. He recognizes that many of the sites likely don't correspond to the life of Jesus, but many of these sites have been venerated since at least the fourth century, so they take us to what we might call a thin place.

I heartily recommend the book. It's well written, readable, understandable, spiritually relevant and rooted in rich biblical scholarship. Indeed, it brings both the Jesus of History and the Christ of Faith together for our spiritual benefit.

lilsleepie's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

cradlow's review

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hopeful inspiring reflective

5.0

pagesofpins's review against another edition

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4.0

Torn between four and five stars. A Jesuit priest describes the places in the Holy Land he visits, their corresponding scriptures, and what lessons he takes away from each.

blessedbookworm's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was amazing. Father Martin mad the Holy Land come alive. His insights were wonderful and I felt closer to Jesus reading this book. was my first book by Father and I will definitely read more of his writings. Thank you for your insight

library_bookwyrm's review against another edition

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5.0

I decided to read Jesus: A Pilgrimage as my Advent study, since I was having trouble finding just the right kind of study and this book had the perfect number of chapters - from December 1 to December 25, I was going to read a chapter a day.

Of course, I fell a bit behind, because kids and travel and holiday season stuff - but the book was simply awesome. It was a perfect mix of the author's experiences on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the historical context of various gospel stories, and devotional insights. I really wish I could find a series of studies for every day devotions that kept that balance!

This was the second book by Fr. Martin that I'd read, and I've been impressed both times - he's a wonderful author. This book was a very good choice for an Advent study, although it might "fit" better at Lent/Easter - and is, in fact, a good choice at any time of the year, for someone who wants to meditate not on the Historical Jesus or the Christ of Faith but the individual who was both.