
What Jesus Meant
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $16.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Garry Wills
-
By:
-
Garry Wills
It is only by dodges and evasions that people misrepresent what Jesus plainly had to say against power, the wealthy, and religion itself. But Wills is just as critical of those who would make Jesus a mere ethical teacher, ignoring or playing down his divinity.
An illuminating analysis for believers and nonbelievers alike, What Jesus Meant is a brilliant addition to our national conversation on religion.
©2006 Garry Wills. Recorded by arrangement with Viking, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. (P)2006 HighBridge CompanyListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"A spiritual workout." (Newsweek)
"Engaging and provocative." (Chicago Tribune)
"Fascinating...like a long, rich conversation with a learned friend...[Wills'] is a kind of devotion...that engages the heart and mind, to the benefit of both." (The New York Times Book Review)
People who viewed this also viewed...

Wills' innovation is to change the terms of the debate from "history" and "faith" to "meaning," which is a brilliant move. What makes this book so powerful is that it actually takes Jesus' words for what they meant (imagine that...). The teachings on non-violence really mean absolute non-violence. The teachings on poverty and against wealth really mean that. Jesus is egalitarian, non-hierarchical, did not come to found a church or a priesthood, and would be saddened by the condition of Christianity today, especially its division and thirst for worldly power. God's love and forgiveness are absolute, and Jesus was an unconditional friend of the outcast, women, and the unclean. He radically changed the codes of cleanness, by shifting their meaning to the heart (not to things like sex, per se), and declared his Father's reign, which was "not of this world." He sent a "Champion" in the Holy Spirit. Later interpretations of atonement theology are a radical misreading of what actually took place. The sections on Judas, who stands for all of us, are moving and well-written.
One objection might be that Wills minimizes the political impact of Jesus' message. A frequent theme is that Jesus did not come "to found a politics," but announce God's "reign," to be fulfilled at the end of time. This idea might rely a little too much on a modern understanding of a separation between religion and politics, which would have been foreign to Jesus' context. The terms of Jesus' message are political, he placed God's reign against the Roman Empire of the time, and he was killed for political reasons. Living out his message as Wills sees it obviously has political implications today. It might be interesting to contrast these assertions with John Howard Yoder's excellent book, The Politics of Jesus. In any case, a minor point of debate. Another might be that the book is pretty hard on the concept of priests, but, as Wills says elsewhere in books like -Why I Am a Catholic-, he's been inspired by priests too. Finally, Augustine comes up a lot as a positive touchstone, but, paradoxically, he helped introduce many of the things Wills most objects to (the fall, atonement theology, sexual purity fixations, hell, war, etc.). There's a tension there. (See his book on Augustine, by the way).
Wills reads the work himself and does an excellent job. A book to share, inspire, and return to.
The best book on Jesus I've read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Author as narrator.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
LOVE All of Wills’ What Jesus, Paul, and Bible Meant books
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you try to read the bible and resolve disputes and contradictions about the text, as I do, Read WHAT JESUS MEANT.
Gary Wills explains how the New Testament came to be. He explains how Jesus lived among "the least of us". The book presents a loving, yet realistic view of Jesus, in the context of modern theology, without lots of footnotes to slow down the narrative. I'm a footnote loving scientist, and when I wanted more in depth details or opposing views, I was easily able to Google that information.
Confused about New Testament Contradictions
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Original theology by Gary Wills
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Wills has several other books written, I suppose, to explain his faith, following the same pattern ("What the Gospels Meant:, What Paul Meant). Each is also beneficial in its own way.
The writing is good and the reading excellent. One may, however, prefer reading the texts in written form or having the hard copy for future reference and study.
A Search for the Historical Jesus
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I'm a non-catholic who values Garry Wills books.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Thought provoking
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Watch out for this one!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.