Jesus: An Unconventional Biography

I found Jacques Duquesne's "Jesus: An Unconventional Biography" not long ago in a second hand book store, and I have to say that it is a real shame that a silly book like Bruce Chilton's "Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography" could have made such a splash, when this thoughtful book is virtually unknown. It will be hard for some to believe that any book about Jesus could be appreciated by everyone from the fundamentalist Christian to the atheist, but I believe this could be the case here. Anyone who takes Jesus of Nazareth seriously as a teacher, force in human history, or as the Messiah I think will appreciate it. Through his powerful and concise prose, his comprehensive familiarity with ancient Jewish life, and his incisive insights into the significance of the Christian story, Duquesne allows readers of his book to gain a vivid sense of what it would be like to walk next to Jesus and his disciples through the dusty towns of Galilee and Judea, and brings a distant, foreign world and the enigmatic figure of Jesus of Nazareth richly to life. I have a large library and read a lot, but this is unique in that respect. This book is that rarest of literary gems, a profound, moving, enlightening, popular yet fairly scholarly book that is still a pleasurable read.

I found a review about "Jesus" from Jacques Duquesne.I have just read "Le Dieu de Jesus", which is kind of a continuation. I am not Christian, that means that I am not sure about any choice. Nevertheless, if I were, I would agree with J. Duquesne about God. The God that he presents is the one that I would like to refer to. He shows us a very different God than the one I used to know, throughtout the Bible studies that I attempted. He seems more "accurate". The picture J. Duquesne gives us about God is wonderfully bright picture. If you have the opportunity to find a translation of that book, go ahead and read it. Great for everyone, christian or not.

Any biography concerning Jesus is bound to cause controversy. Typically, a biography concerning Jesus is presented with a fundamentalist Christian bias or with a blatantly anti-Christian bias. Buying this book in the secular section I fully expected the latter. Books and movements purportedly exposing Jesus as a myth are fairly popular. I was surprised at what I found. As I read through the book I was unable to determine if Duquesne is personally a Christian or not. If Duquesne is a Christian, he definitely is not of the "The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it" mold. Duquesne points out the various historical and theological inconsistencies that are present throughout the Gospels. However, Duquesne writing gives the reader a sense of the wonder and significance of Jesus. He does not write as an atheist out to debunk or mock the Christian faith. Duquesne beautiful prose takes the reader back to that ancient land. Duquesne explains many of the Jewish customs and beliefs that allow a Christian reader to make better historical sense of the Gospels. I found some of the ancient Jewish customs to be quite bizarre. In describing the Wedding at Cana, Duquesne illustrated the Jewish wedding ceremony and associated customs. The Jewish wedding ceremony was a party that lasted for days. The wedding ceremony was a time of much eating and drinking. After the marriage was consummated, the groom would wave the blood stained sheet, proving the bride's virginity to the cheering guests. This is the type of culture education that you will typically not find in your local Bible class. Duquesne does not claim that the miracles were impossible. Duquesne also makes the case that the greatest miracle of all, the resurrection, was possible. Atheists to this day have some troubles explaining the empty tomb. Why would all the apostles be willing to die for claiming they had seen the resurrected Jesus if they knew such a claim was false? This is the sort of question that Duquesne analyzes is a logical, yet sensitive manner. Christian readers may be troubled by Duquesne's illustrating the inconsistencies in the Gospel accounts. Non believers may become uncomfortable with Duquesne's non-repudiation of the miracles and the resurrection. Any book that is able to trouble both camps is a must read. I found this book to be entertaining, enlightening, troubling, comforting and, in a sense, spiritual. I give this book my highest recommendation