5 comments about Taming the Tiger from the Depths of Hell to the Heights of Glory: The Remarkable True Story of a Kung Fu World Champion.

1. I tried to read this book with an open mind, but I'd only gotten a few pages in before my BS detector redlined.
   
   The fact that this has received any positive reviews, let alone christian book awards, simply blows my mind. No one involved in the production of this book appears to have applied any critical thinking to reviewing this book. Did the editor fact check any of the authors claims? Including things that should be easy to verify (such as winning a World Kung Fu championship three times).
   
   It just reads like total BS. Petting wild tigers in the jungle, Kumitai death matches, winning world titles for non-existant Kungfu organisations who also sponsor basketball players? Much of what the author claims as personal experience seems to be thinly veiled borrowings from martial arts and action movies.
   
   You would need a massive suspension of disbelief to enjoy this book.



2. "Taming the Tiger" is an incredible biography of a very interesting man, Tony Anthony. As you begin reading this book, you won't want to put it down. Right from the start, Tony captivates you with a suspenseful situation that leads the reader into exciting episodes of heart pounding action. Tony's ability to provide the reader with visual imagery is second to none, placing the reader there with him during his amazing account of his life events. Worthy of being made into a Hollywood action movie, Tony's life story will leave you in awe.
   "Taming the Tiger" is a very enjoyable read from start to finish, and worth every penny. I would encourage you to do yourself a favor and purchase this book. It will not only entertain you, it will empower you with optimism for the future.



3. This really is an amazing account of an extraordinary life. Its not 'preachy', it just tells how Tony Anthony went from Kung Fu champion, to international bodyguard, to being an inmate in prison in Cyprus, to becoming a Christian and having his entire life transformed.
   And its not one of those 'happy ending/everyone goes off into the sunset' books either. We see him in his life as a Christian and the battles he faces - especially in jail.
   
   Whether you're a Christian or not this is an amazing book and well worth reading.



4. one of the most amazing books i have read to-date. the whole book was great but for the life changing events god put tony's way in is awsome. this book is a must read for christian or non-christian. it just shows that through the grace of god anyone can have freedom, everlasting life.
   it's made me think whats more important in life.



5. I am a Christian and I usually do not read Christian books as to be honest they aren't my cup of tea! Also, I don't read that many books and when I do they take me months! This book I read in 4 days, during lunchtimes in work! If you are a Christian it will astound and amaze you how God can change and improve people's lives, especially people you think can never change. If you aren't a Christian at the very least it's an incredible read, and hopefully you'll find much more within it too.
   Enjoy!

1 comments about Meetings With Paul: An Atheist Discovers His Guardian Angel.

1. Are angels, creatures usually viewed as part of Christian belief, really linked to the religion? "Meetings with Paul: An Atheist Discovers His Guardian Angel" is author Philip H. Kraph's explanation of his encounters with a spiritual force whom he calls his Guardian Angel Paul. Paul grants Phillip, a vocal atheist, sage advice about the world around him - advice that is surprisingly free of religious bent. "Meetings with Paul" is an enlightening account that reveals how spirituality does not absolutely necessitate belief in God.

4 comments about The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur: The Woman Whose Goodness Changed Her Husband from Atheist to Priest.

1. I am halway throught brousing the main sections of the book. It is easy to dip in and out of the various sections, because the heart of the matter is simple but profound - staying close to the heart of Jesus- forgivness, repentence, salvation. Easy to read because it is down to earth yet mystical because as with all truth that is about the ultimate reality - GOD, it expands outward to infinity, beyond simple logic. Just as Jesus can both be our judge and our savior, thus forgivness and justice, redemption and conversion exist together in a unity. An amazing story of how an ordinary woman becomes extraordinary while following the message of Jesus of how to live our lives by seeking truth, in her case studying as much as she can in order to be READY when it comes time to witness truth to those who need the intelectual approach, by following the way - in terms of ministering to those in need, and by living the LIFE, forgiving her atheist husband and seeking every opportunity to BE a Christian to him. very very inspiring.
   
   I especially like the organization of the book, which follows the author's own approach. So the subject is approached as a journal, as a series of tasks to do, and other goal oriented processes.
   
   recommend very highly. appeals to the both the mystic and the modern mind, in my humble opinion.



2. There are many excellent books written about Catholic Christian spirituality by saints who were priests, monks or religious sisters. "The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur" is unique because it is the spiritual diary writings of a married woman. There are many married women today seeking holiness in their lives as wives and mothers. This is a book for them! They will find profound and useful spiritual direction in the words of Elisabeth Leseur, whose love for God gave her a steadfast, faithful and fruitful love for her husband. I can't recommend this book highly enough to women who are seeking holiness in their vocation of marriage.



3. The joy and hope that many evidently find in atheism is a puzzle to believers. For such, the In Memoriam written by Elisabeth Leseur's husband is worth the price of this book. He was a militant atheist for most of their 25-year marriage, while she grew in her faith and from love for him kept her prayers for him secret. Both were highly educated; Felix had lost his faith in studying medicine, was later a journalist and an insurance executive. They were childless, due probably to Elisabeth's many health problems. However, she was able to travel and to entertain until stricken with cancer and dying at the age of 53. The Elisabeth Leseurs of the world are usually unsung. But this diary, rescued by her sister from the burnpile, converted her husband Felix not only to Christianity but to the priesthood. It is a true love story.



4. 'My Spirit Rejoices'& 'Light in the Darkness'
   or 'The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur' - Sophia Institute Press

   It is not often that one finds a book of such vital import that it changes one's life. But the journal kept by Elisabeth Leseur is surely one of the most compelling books I have read in many years. It ranks with the great works of the Carmelite Saints: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and St. Therese of Lisieux.

   For many years now I have kept Elisabeth as my companion during Lent; a great Spiritual Director in an age of darkness. She holds the light of Eternal Truth and points out the way with calm assurance.

   Elisabeth experienced an extreme degree of spiritual isolation owing to the timbre of her times in Paris high society. Her husband was aggressively atheist, as were many of his friends and associates. She kept the love of God deep in her heart, and it was to the Heart of Jesus to whom she turned for daily solace.

   At Elisabeth's death her husband, Felix, found her secret journal; and as he read the pages of the journal, his heart turning to remorse, the last vestige of his hatred for the Catholic Church was swept away in the tide of his beloved wife's counsel. Reconciling to the Church, Felix Leseur entered a seminary and became a Catholic priest. Elisabeth's cause for Canonization is now open at the Vatican.

5 comments about Love Worth Finding: The Life of Adrian Rogers And His Philosophy of Preaching.

1. Joyce Rogers graciously shares a tender tribute to her dearly beloved husband, Adrian Rogers, in Love Worth Finding: The Life of Adrian Rogers And His Philosophy of Preaching.
   Dr. Adrian P. Rogers has been a sterling example of a man of God. He was a tremendous encouragement for me to become an expositor of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. He often explained that our life as believers is to be lived for the glory of God. As we remember the life and ministry of Adrian Pierce Rogers, may we simply express, to God be the glory, great things He has done!
   I treasure my copy of this historic volume autographed by both Dr. and Mrs. Rogers at the 2005 Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. I highly recommend it!
   
   Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor, teacher, mentor, writer, author of Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice



2. As a pastor, I have always admired Dr. Rogers as a great preacher and as a man of God. This book is a labor of love prepared by his wife beginning before and concluding after Dr. Rogers' death.
   
   We see Adrian as a bratty middle school boy who comes forward at a revival and gives his life to Christ. He goes to Bible college and marries his grade school sweetheart and begins his ministry at a student pastorate in Texas. He moves to Florida for his next church, and then suddenly and without much warning, he is courted by the mighty Bellview Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He goes there to fill the pulpit for a Sunday, and before he knows it, the congregation has voted to make him their next pastor. Adrian accepted the call and tearfully says goodbye to his Florida parish.
   
   His 32 year ministry at Bellview saw the church grow from a membership of 8000 to a membership of 29000. He also oversaw the new church building process, and served two terms as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. It was largely because of his leadership that the theological direction of the SBC switched from the left to the right.
   
   The last portion of the book consists of praises and words of encouragement about Dr. Rogers from colleagues and friends. There is also a very helpful section where Rogers describes his preaching philosophy and his commitment to the expository teaching of God's word.
   
   This is a very good biography, although I think that it is of special interest for preachers, Baptists and admirers of Dr. Rogers. The book is well worth reading.



3. This is a complete biography of Pastor Rogers. It covers every thing that one would want to know about him. I based my Masters church history thesis on this work and aced it. It is interesting and divotional. I would recommend it to Baptists and other denominations of Christian alike.



4. The last section of this book features answers to questions that were posed to Dr. Rogers regarding preaching, pastoring and the ministry. You will find an eye opening look at how he prepared his sermons and his overall philosophy of ministry. A great tool for young preachers, or old preachers who want to go deeper.



5. LOVE WORTH FINDING: THE LIFE OF ADRIAN ROGERS & HIS PHILOSOPHY OF PREACHING by Joyce Rogers (his wife) is a pretty interesting book, but it is a little light on details. What is there is interesting, but it seems like many more details and anecdotes need to be added to be a comparable biography to other good bio books I have read.
   
   Adrian and his wife have been a pair since the 4th grade! Adrian was a rowdy kid, tamed by the disciplines of discipleship to Christ. He played high school football, but was called to preach. He attended liberal Christian schooling and gritted his teeth to finish, since so many professors taught a doubting view of the Bible, and such. Adrian and Joyce got married, had three kids, and went from small pastoring jobs to bigger ones, until he finally got invited to Bellevue Baptist Church where he stayed and grew for 32 years. All the while, Adrian toyed with radio preaching. He made a name for himself, and Bellevue grew by leaps and bounds. He was named president of the Southern Baptist Convention three times.
   
   The most in-depth chapter covers the Southern Baptist Convention. This is the longest chapter, and the most like other good biography books that I have read, filled with lots of details and behind the scenes information.
   
   The rest of the chapters about the life of Adrian Rogers have some good information, but it seems like many more little scenes from his life, and others in his life, should have been included. Most chapters are pretty short. For instance, when talking about their children, there aren't enough details or funny stories about growing up. They seem to be born, have a couple of anecdotes mentioned, then they are next heard from already grown-up and with kids of their own.
   
   The weakest chapter is a long one, containing short comments about Adrian from people who have known him. This reads like a chapter full of book cover blurbs! Lots of praise for Adrian, but little new insights. These would have fit in much better if they had all been sprinkled into the biography chapters, instead of all collected in a single chapter, perhaps.
   
   The best chapters are a Q&A section asking Adrian questions about being a preacher. He has some interesting responses.
   
   There is a 16 page b/w section of lots of photos.
   
   I like listening to the late Adrian Rogers on the radio. He passed away and has been in Heaven since 2005, but his LOVE WORTH FINDING radio show continues on with replays of his many great sermons! This is similar to James Vernon McGee's radio shows, still going strong some two decades after his death!
   
   This book is better than the more recent ADRIANISMS, which is a haphazardous collection of little sayings culled from his radio sermons and such, but they are not even sure which ones were original to Adrian, and which were borrowed or public domain sayings.
   
   LOVE WORTH FINDING: THE LIFE OF ADRIAN ROGERS & HIS PHILOSOPHY OF PREACHING is a good way to learn a quick overview of the life story of Adrian Rogers, but I hope they go back and beef up most of the chapters, considerably, before they go into a second printing, in the future.
   
   If you like listening to Adrian's LOVE WORTH FINDING radio shows, then you will find it interesting to learn about his life's story, in this book. You will learn the main landmarks of his life's journey, but not too many more details.

5 comments about The Autobiography of Charles G. Finney.

1. "This is a story of what one man did to Bring people to Christ-- a man whose efforts were directly responsible for the conversion of perhaps not less than 500,000 souls, heard by millions." this in a time before electronics ,TV, etc. Charles G. Finney an autobiography is the story of the the Second Great Awakening 1825-1845. A (USA)spiritual revival with the first Great Awakening 1740-1750. AS George Whitefield was the primary traveling Evangelist in the First Awakening (though many people were and must be involved for revivals of this magnitude) Finney was the D.L. Moody, the Billy Sunday, The Billy Graham of his day. The Holy Spirit used him to have a major impact in turning our nation back to God and His paths. This book will encourage you to pray, share the gospel and to practice yielding to the Spirit and the Word of God. It is an American book of acts of the Holy Spirit through a yielded man in his own time. This is a great look at our spiritual heritage. Evangelist John R. Rice is said to read this book once a year to remind him to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Finney was a well known abolitionist of his day though that is not in this book. His reputation as a man after God's own heart was undiminished all his days. [[ASIN:1556610629 Lectures on Revival, is probably the most important book on Revival apart from the Bible ever written] God bless you as you read this book. (The quote is from fly leaf of my 1908 copy ) Note: Finney was not a be reconverted over and over preacher. He did believe it was possible for a person to choose to forsake Christ the same way you choose Christ not that you accidentally sin your salvation away. I believe this to be wrong doctrinally but Finney's Auto Biography does not reflect this nor was it a doctrine he taught in his early years. This book will encourage you to attempt great things for God. The works of Finney have all recently been republished and are available on DVD as well as print.



2. This is probably the greatest Christian biography in print. What a man of prayer and holiness! There are some on the Web who attack Finney - and I don't agree with some of his theology - some of it is pretty much incomprehensible - but on the subjects of prayer, holiness, revival, faith, preaching, sin, sanctification, salvation, the Holy Spirit, soul-winning, zeal, and committment - he is without peer. A conservative estimate is - that without TV, radio, magazines, mailings, PA's, microphones - etc... That over 500,000 people were converted under his preaching - and over 80% were Christians until they died. The figure in modern evangelism is about 5% stay "saved" or in church for over 1 year. Finney's sermon, "Moral Insanity", is considered by several Christian leaders to be the greatest statement of truth, outside of the Bible. Every preacher in America should be made to memorize Finney's, "How to Preach So As To Convert Nobody", before being hired. This is his amazing life and ministry in his own words. This book is life-changing material. Please read it prayerfully. I have over 15,000 Christian books in my personal library - and this is one of the top 10.



3. After reading "Finney's Systematic Theology," I read this book. Of course, I could not stop there, and later read the entire autobiography. This book is a great beginning to learning more about and being inspired by Finney and his prayer life! Beginning in 1980, I published 16 books of Charles Finney's writing, and only "Principles of Prayer" remains in print, so I am happy this autobiography is still available!
   
   I believe those of you who enjoy Finney and Andrew Murray will also enjoy "Prayer Steps to Serenity," which teaches truths that I learned from studying Finney and Murray for many years. The book follows a 12 Steps and Serenity Prayer format. It is available through Amazon, with ISBN 0595313043. If you know of anyone who is looking for a 12 Step devotional that will help them walk in the power of the Holy Spirit according to the scriptures, you can heartily recommend this book to them. "Prayer Steps to Serenity" was not published by Bethany House, and it is a larger than a trade paperback (a 9 inch by 6 inch paperback) that includes devotional readings, prayers to encourage you to keep on praying as the Holy Spirit leads, a personal Journey Guide (or workbook), and a Group Journey Guide for prayer and support groups. "Prayer Steps to Serenity" is also supported by two websites that offer a lot of free guides and resources for those seeking more information about Christian recovery and starting Serenity Groups. Go to PrayerSteps.org or SerenityGroups.org for more information, or to write me about Finney.
   
   Thank you for reading!
   L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.



4. This is one of the books I continue to recommend after all this time. It is the portrait of a life that seemed successful but remained directionless until entered the Truth. A powerful conversion led to Finney's preaching ministry to more people that we can fathom without the benefit of modern mass media.



5. If you ever wanted revival in your own life or ministry, this book is the most clear representation I have ever seen in print anywhere. It is a riveting book that has kept me up at night for hours until I could read no more. Many people talk about revival and many people desire it, but until it is seen personally, it is difficult to comprehend. This book comes about as close to really "seeing" revival as possible. Once you see that as Finney uses the same techniques over and over and gets the same results, you come to the realization that maybe we can do it, too. These are not some mystical "techniques", but good old-fashioned bible techniques like prayer, fasting, faith, humility, etc. You must read the book. Don't criticize his theology until you have read his work. As one preacher told me, "They criticize his theology, but they can't match his power!" See for yourself. Then, after you get inspired about doing this in your own life, then read "Lectures on Revivals" by Finney to see how to incorporate it in your own life, and then "Systematic Theology" by Finney to understand the theology behind it.

5 comments about Brother Tariq: The Doublespeak of Tariq Ramadan.

1. Admittedly, I haven't read the book. The "Product description", however, tells me enough to gather where the author comes from. The terms used, "modern Islamic radicalism" and "anti-Semitic and anti-Christian values of fundamentalist Islam" and the "battlefield of Western civilisation", make me cringe. Has Tariq Ramadan commit a crime? If yes, then report him to the authorities, instead of spewing your propaganda.
   When a Muslim blows up a car or himself, it is called Islamic fundementalism. When a Christian or Jewish leader send fighter jets and bombers to attack unarmed civilians and murder them it is called, "in defence of democracy. When Muslims express their religion it is regarded as an attack on Christianity or Judaism. When these groupings practise their religions, it is never frowned upon.
   Muslims are constantly under attacked by the western media and leaders, and called the bogeyman. Barack Obama was branded a Muslim in order to scare American voters from supporting him.
   Why don't you just practise your religion and let Muslims pratice their religion?



2. There are people in this world that are so convinced they see something when nothing exists, and they will go to any length to try to convince you that what they see is actually there. Similar to the way a 85 lb teenager purges herself after eating because she sees on obese person in the mirror, this pathetic excuse for journalism makes me inclined to write a book of my own, given that anybody can make money these days, just so long as they purport to "expose" a Muslim or the religion of Islam as something other than peaceful.



3. While Fourest's book is written (or perhaps translated) like a grocery list, this book exposes Ramadan as the wolf he is. He is the typical race and religion baiter, using the openness of the West as the tool by which he hopes to destroy it. We might write Ramadam off as a comic character if he was acting for personal wealth - and that may indeed be one of his motivations - but his main motivation is to promote his fringe and violent ideology and promote his political movement. Why the spineless Europeans allow this man to live and do his work among them is beyond me.



4. This book is horrible.
   
   Fourest searched long and hard to force isolated statements made by Ramadan to conform to her emotional, irrational, and biased Islamophobic thesis: Ramadan is "radical" cloaked in a moderate's clothing.
   
   She struggled to muddle Arabic to English translations of statements made by Ramadan to Muslims, strip them of their context, and cram them down our throats as a guilty child would trying to misplace "blame" elsewhere.
   
   It is a sad state of affairs when publishing houses are so desperate for books such as these, which amount to the literary and intellectual equivalent of tabloid journalism.
   
   I would have much rather spent my time watching Fox News for 8 hours straight... well, maybe not.



5. Tariq Ramadan is always shown to be the good face of 'moderate European Islam' and he is trotted out, or rather trots himself out, everytime there is some question about the ability of Europe to swallow and assimilate its millions of Muslim immigrants. A passionate defender of Muslims he pretends that Islamism is but a tiny minority and that Islam and European civilization can go hand in hand. But despite having been born in moderate and tolerant Switzerland he learned none of the nuetrality of that country. Instead as this book shows he speaks with two mouths: one to Europeans and Westerners and another to his fellow Muslims in Arabic
   
   In fact Ramadan is a practitioner of 'Taqieh', the Muslim Shiite idea that is defined as "to hide the truth is the ultimate art of a Moslem" according to Interruptions. This book does the reader of the service of translating what he says in Arabic and showing that it does not jive with what he says in English and what is often quoted in English language media.
   
   A fascinating expose that will surely startle anyone familiar with this influential individual.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman

2 comments about Rebecca's Revival: Creating Black Christianity in the Atlantic World.

1. This was a great book overall. It was factual history that has been obscured and hidden for 400 years. We have been fed the stories of the "great white hope" who came to "save" the slaves from their heathenish African ways. This book clearly counters that claim by asserting that it was through the African slaves themselves that Christianity spread in the caribbean. It is well documented and purely factual. Anytime the author made a statement of opinion that wasn't quite factual he said "maybe", or "perhaps". Overall, it was an excellent book. It was somewhat of a difficult read, but it never hurts to expand your vocabulary!



2. This is a much needed study on the history of black evangelical Christianity in the black diaspora. As a black African evangelical Christian woman with ancestral ties to both Europe and the Caribbean, I have been informed, intrigued, amused, puzzled, saddened, challenged and overall inspired by the story of Rebecca Protten's life. The author has done a remarkably thorough job. Thank you!

2 comments about ¡Corre Nicky!, ¡Corre!.

1. I enjoyed this book very much. The book presents important issues that face America today; issues like drugs, prostitution & gangs. I am a great fan of his style of presenting the facts and the way his life was transformed to the christianity. I recommend this book to young and adults.



2. The book made and big impression on me. Because of it was his own story and it was a hart lift he was living on the street.

2 comments about Jesus Loves Me This I Know: The Story Behind the World's Most Cherished Children's Hymn.

1. 
   This is a charming book, and although small, it is filled with a full account of the wonderful story of what is perhaps the best-known hymn in the English language, "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know."
   
   Robert J. Morgan recounts the tale of Anna B Warner and her sister Susan, from their life of privilege in Manhattan to reduced circumstances, living in the shadow of the ramparts of the U S Military Academy at West Point. From their island home on the Hudson they offered hospitality and Bible Study to cadets, and a sense of home as well.
   
   They wrote for a living, and the text of the hymn appeared in a novel which the sisters co-authored, called "Say and Seal". Soon thereafter, people were eager to be able to sing them; thus, William Bradbury wrote the tune to go with it that we know and can sing by heart. And in case we think that the theology is too simplistic, all we need remember is that the most celebrated theologian of the 20th Century, Dr. Karl Barth, considered the hymn the greatest theological discovery he ever made.
   
   This is a good book to read and to give. Christian educators and pastors will especially relish the text and the accompanying archival photographs. The story of the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington is an added bonus.



2. Few of us remember that this "children's song" has its roots with young men preparing for their military careers. When I took a trip to that academy and saw the links of that chain that once went across the river, protecting our country from foreign invasion, it pictured to me the chains of love that Jesus holds us with, not only in the young and innocent parts of our life, but also in our later life....no man can pluck us out of his loving hands...for Jesus loves me this I KNOW!

5 comments about James the Brother of Jesus: The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

1. I know the title of my brief review sounds crazy, but it can mean two things. Either pick up this book in a library or peruse it in a B&N while you are drinking a latte, before you invest good money in in purchasing it.
   Eisenman has made a reputation of writing off-beat material that goes squarely against all academic trends, whether they be conservative or liberal! His ideas on the Dead Sea Scrolls, which feed into this book as well, have been either panned or simply ignored by sensible Scrolls scholars. The book is SO long and tedious and based on so many esoteric and exotic views that it is hard to know where to start. If you are one who buys into either the "conspiracy" view of history or you like the Ehrman/Pagels reinterpretation of early Christin history, you will be fascinated by many of Eisenman's ideas.
   OK, but you say that your public or college library does not have this volume and you are too ethical to do the B&N thing I suggested. Well, try this. Read the Excursus on Eisenman's book in John Painter's sober and scholarly work titled "Just James: The Brother of Jesus in History and Tradition," pages 277-288. If you still think it is worth buying, go ahead. Eisenman is fascinating and creative, even if his ideas are screwy at times.
   Oh, by the way, he identifies James with the "Righteous Teacher" in the DSS.



2. This was a challenging read, to say the least. It is almost as though the author believes that his sheer breadth of scholarship and mastery over fine details are enough to convince the reader. So he overlooks the absurdity of his central argument - that the Dead Sea Scrolls were compiled by Christian scribes. According to Dr. Eisenman, Jesus is not mentioned or alluded to anywhere in any of the scrolls, even by pseudonym. Yet he is certain they were written by followers of James, Jesus' brother. How the followers of a religion centered on Jesus did not actually mention him in their literature is baffling. Much more feasible is the notion that the Dead Sea Scrolls were the product of a sect that was more Baptist-oriented than anything else, decidely anti-Jesus.



3. Many of Eisenman's ideas are anticipated by Hyam Maccoby's Revolution In Judea and Paul The Mythmaker. In particular, the appendix of Revolution In Judea presents the idea that the several New Testament characters named James are actually one and the same historical person. And Maccoby is sooooo much more readable than Eisenman.



4. Concede that Eisenman is dead wrong in his dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Concede that they predate New Testament times by at least one hundred years. Concede that Paul is not the "Lying Spouter" of the Scrolls, and that Jesus' brother James is not the Scrolls "Teacher of Righteousness." Concede that this book is tedious, overlong, repetitive and often incomprehensible. Has the sting in its tail been drawn? Not at all. What remains is a revolutionary understanding of the social, political and religious context which gave birth to the New Testament literature and from which Christianity came. Christianity is peculiarly dependent upon historical claims it makes in regard to events in Palestine in the first half of the first century C.E. "James, the Brother of Jesus" shakes those foundational claims to their very roots. The book convincingly demonstrates a radical disjunction between the Pauline Christianity we have inherited and the ministry and legacy of Jesus as embodied in the Jerusalem Church. Is that important? In his book "Why Study the Past" Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, says, "The New Testament sets out to show that Jesus' story is the key to all other stories of God's dealings with his people, despite the discontinuities, the newness of what has happened through him. It also has to display a unity within the life of Jesus and the life of the early Church." In Eisenman's book that unity between Jesus and the life of the early Church is demolished. I would like to add "once and for all" but that would be overly sanguine.



5. I found Robert Eisenman's book "James the Brother of Jesus" to be a very lengthy and redundant work that makes big assumptions but proves very little. It is a study that raises many questions (over and over and over), but never does the author (in this reviewer's opinion) really satisfactorily prove any of his claims.
   
   The narrative is a bear to get through. I try to completely read every book that I begin to read. Very rarely in my life have I put down a book and simply stopped reading to the end. I had to put this dull and lethargic work down several times out of sheer boredom and the author's tendency to repeat himself ad nauseum. When Eisenman feels he has a point to make, he insists on beating it into your brain again and again.
   
   But that's about this author does in this thick book: he merely makes bold assumptions and then repeats the assumption numerous times. He never cross-examines himself, or states a question, but actually claims things which I have never heard anywhere else before in any other study of early Christianity before this.
   
   I gave this book a chance because it was published by Penguin (whom I usually respect quite a lot for the books they publish). But this time Penguin miss the mark and back a hack writer who really doesn't prove anything and tries to discredit orthodox belief that's been established for well over two-thousand years.
   
   Is the true story of James the actual cover-up that Eisenman claims that it is? I doubt it. We have no real way of knowing just who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls and when and for what purpose. Using the Dead Sea Scrolls as evidence is dangerous to any argument. We simply don't know enough about the Dead Sea Scrolls to use them for or against any proclamation.
   
   I found the author's insistence that St Paul and the early diaspora Jews as being "pro Roman" and antisemitic as being a bit belligerent and intolerant. The author attempts to discredit the Christian faith and I found that distasteful and arrogant on his part. It's a free country and he is allowed the freedom of speech and the press, but we are also free to call him out in return. I found the author's entire thesis as being very much based on agenda, rather than merely a detached observation which began its life as a mere questioning.
   
   There is no proof that the Righteous Teacher of the Dead Sea Scrolls is in fact the same James named in the writings of the New Testament and other early Christian texts. The author makes this claim many times, and I assume his strategy is that repetition will make the wary reader start to release all thoughts of skepticism and just start to assume that the allegation must be true. It's mere conjecture, not proof.
   
   Other than the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are highly dubious writings that are very inconclusive, even today, there hasn't been any recent archeological discoveries that would back any of the arguments made in Eisenman's book. We simply don't know any more about the true identity of the so-named "James" than Eisenman does, or the authors of the early Church histories seem to.
   
   I doubt this was an overwrite. More likely, the numbers of Jewish converts probably was never that numerous after Jesus' Crucifixion. The heavily Hellenized overtones of Jesus' thoughts and beliefs is most likely the explanation why there were so many diaspora Jews and gentile early Christian converts as opposed to purely Jewish ones in Palestine. Thus, it seems most probable that, like St Paul's and St Peter's travels according to Christian legend, Christian belief and conversion soon centered in the Mediterranean world of Alexander the Great and his successors rather than in the middle east. I doubt James was "written out" as much as the absence of mention of him and his role would indicate what it seems to indicate: and that is that whomever "James" truly was historically, he probably wasn't that important or significant a personage. The dominance of the Church in Rome was neither a political nor a racial plot, but most likely just a natural progression as tradition holds to this day.
   
   Read Eisenman's book with an open mind, but always keep in mind that the author never fully backs his claims and most are unfounded. I cannot disprove his theories any more than he is able to prove them. They shall remain what they are: questions to ponder and little more.