The Existential Jesus

This book really caught me off guard. I am not a fan of existentialism, and at first picked up the book expecting to be annoyed. I am glad I still am able to be pleasantly surprised. This book takes a deep look at who Jesus is in the Gospel of Mark, a Gospel that, in many ways, is bare bones. This bare bones, however, as the author shows, betrays a masterful portrait of the mysterious humanity of Jesus. This he highlights with comparisons to John's Gospel, which he sees as being in many ways the antithesis and perfect, masterful compliment to Mark. I really enjoyed the different perspective this author takes, and one can tell he has really striven and wrestled with the text, whether he is a "believer" or not. I am a Christian, and yet find his, perhaps unconventional, insights most welcome and engaging. I think you will too, even if you do not agree with all he says.

Tho the author states that he is a non-believer, nonetheless, I highly recommend this work to any Christian who is interested in a wider understanding of the human Jesus. Carroll paints a real living man in a surreal world of death by crucifixion. Happily he skips all the current new age fantasy Jesus. Here one encounters the man Jesus. No new scholarship here or claims of historical revelation. Carroll's work is well worth the read.