The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of His Original Teachings

John Davidson has not only written an exceptional book about the Gospel of Jesus, but he has put it in an historical context. Having met him in India, he was one of the people who inspired me to publish my book of poems, Dera Poetry.

In this book a professional scientist writes about religion, specifically, about Jesus. It is a spectacular accomplishment, totally honest in its outlook and impressively comprehensive in its scholarship.I must admit that I am only halfway through its thousand pages. I am not reading it rapidly, but am annotating the margins of each page, in ink! It may take me the rest of my life to finish it (I am 77 and I read it only on Sundays for an hour or two), but already I know that I will never find a more scholarly and insightful work which honestly seeks to discern the true character of Jesus. Perhaps because I share the same scientific temperament as the author, we have a common bond that unconsciously brings us together. Davidson has studied and written exactly as I would like to, provided I could commit myself to devoting the immense amount of time and energy to meticulous scholarship, as he had done.In this book the character of Jesus is incomparably broadened and sharpened by bringing in many sources that were ignored by the political and administrative forces that finally determined the content of the New Testament. There are hundreds of lengthy quotations about Jesus from over three hundred sources that were written in the first five centuries after his death. Furthermore, each quotation is rephrased by the author for further clarification.Here is an example: "Jesus said, 'If the flesh came into being because of the spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty.'" This is quoted by Davidson from the Gospel of Thomas which is rejected by fathers of the Christian Church, for it suggests that the soul may have derived and evolved from its life in the body, rather than vice versa. I find that "twist" fascinating!Frankly, I find it difficult to believe that the historical Jesus actually spoke this thought, but somehow it does not matter. The Bible is a collection of many noble, and some not so noble, thoughts of human beings, but it has been edited for "proper" content by many biased editors with tunnel vision.In this book many insights are given that point toward the existence and the character of the divine in human life. And I find them inspiring! Nowhere else have I found any writing on religion that approaches the dedication and illumination of this book. Page after page I am enthralled by my introduction to many obscure and unknown writers who, in their admiration for Jesus, have put their inspired words into his mouth in much the same way as the New Testament writers have done.It is clear that I cannot praise this book enough. However, it is written for the seeker, not for the believer.

I found this book to be an amazing collection of the words of Jesus. It helped me to hear these words again. It validates my own mystical experiences. Ever since I was a small child, I had this feeling that something was missing in my religious teaching. When I read books like this, I have this feeling that I've known this before. The only problem I had with this book was the second to the last chapter in which the author tried to make a case for vegetarianism by insisting that Jesus was a vegetarian. I had a hard time swallowing the "evidence" for this. My question is, what difference does it make? John Davidson spends 900 pages showing us how the "kingdom is not of this world," and reveals a mystical and spiritual message. Then in the last hundred pages, he tells us that mystics shouldn't eat meat. Well, how spiritual is that? If reality is spiritual, then it shouldn't make a whole lot of difference whether we eat meat or not. If this book is ever revised for re-publication, I would strongly suggest that the chapter on vegetarianism be removed. It is not only out of place, but it detracts from the whole spiritual message. There might be a place for a discussion about vegetarianism in the Old and New Testaments. I know I wouldn't buy it, because I'm interested in the mystical and spiritual, not people's diet preferences. I think that readers of this book would also find *A Course in Miracles* inspiring and mind-changing.

A book for persons who love biblical wisdom but who can't quite make the stories mesh. This book will help you understand your frustration. Well-researched with pointers to many, many original works that almost got squeezed out of history. A tip: Do not give this book as a gift to a fundamentalist whose faith depends on every word of the New Testament being literally true. This book is for those who want to know the parts of the story that aren't in The Book.

I loved this book! Dr. Davidson writes from the heart as well as the intellect. If you really would love to understand the Bible, then this book is for you. I also recommend "12 Secrets for Manifesting your Vision, Inspiration and Purpose"