Jesus the Christ

by Walter Kasper, V. Green (Translator)

A rich and insightful overview of the Christian belief in Jesus, his life, his teaching and the meaning of Jesus today.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Religion

300 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Walter Kasper (born 5 March 1933) is a German Roman Catholic Cardinal and theologian. He is President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, having served as its president from 2001 to 2010.

Reviews

[Mark]

Jesus is one of the most remarkable figures in history. Knowing him is such a worthwhile reading. Moreover I appreciated the novel of Dan Brown entitled¨Da Vinci Code¨. He is an interesting author, but for me Walter Kasper is just truthful to his words, to his opinions and to his extrapolations with regard to the life of Jesus, the Christ. Of course it is not proper to compare Dan Brown and Walter Kasper; for they have different perspectives and of preoccupations. Nonetheless, I would say that knowing Jesus through Walter Kasper is much better than knowing Jesus through the work of Dan Brown.

[Michael Joosten]

A solid foundation for studying Christology.

[Liam Holden]

This book has lowk imperiled the state of my immortal soul.

This is modern philosophy masquerading as theology.

W. Kasper takes a lot of sideswipes at liberation theology for what he considers its excessive concern with the world, but his Christology is so abstract that even when he proves (formally speaking) that it isn't technically abstract, it's still abstract. His Christology might be valid on its own terms, but it doesn't strike me as particularly true.

Also the English edition is riddled with typos and printing errors.

Unfortunately these complaints will not suffice for my oral exam tomorrow.

[M.]

Good recapitulation of the basics of the implication of a solid Christology, mostly with reference to rightly interpreting Scripture. Pretty pleasant and solid read, considering things the trad community thought about Kasper, this is not the mess that could've been.

[Olga Ivkova]

The book presents a challenge. I do not know what level of mind one has to reach to comprehend it. Still, it provides a great overview of Jesus’ narrative milestones, namely His birth, teaching, death, and resurrection.

[Peter]

A good intro Philosophical thinking and Chistology

[Thomas Zwilling]

Bit of a slog, but some worthwhile insights.

[Vyacheslav Okun sj]

Analyzing the problems related to the modern Christology and the person of Jesus Christ, Kasper tries to resolve those problems and give Christology historically determined, universally responsible role.
The book is for all those who are looking for the more profound understanding of Jesus Christ, his personality and mission.
Though the language of Kasper is very theological and sometimes difficult to understand.

[Frank]

This is a scholorary work and so is not an easy read. There is some good information in it but in many cases it is just arguing over words and such. I found my retention was very low. It was just too hard for me to read.