John Baggett'sSeeing Through the Eyes of Jesus is remarkable in several ways. It distinctively illuminates Jesus' perspective, vision, and circumstance by combining sophisticated scholarly, including anthropological, synthesis with personal and spiritual insight. It is lucid, down to earth, and gripping as a narrative. And it packs a punch! Calm and reasonable in its account and analysis, it builds to a conclusion that has the power to transform any or all of us. "Seeing" would be an excellent book for religious study groups, classes, and for individuals who seek meaning and guidance.
Dr. James Peacock Kenan Professor, Department of Anthropology at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a former President of the American Anthropology Association
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Baggett has a book of quality… I believe it would be a sterling text book for teaching Christology at the college level.
Dr. Geffrey B. Kelly Chair Department of Religion, La Salle University
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John Baggett has written a brilliant and original work. He has blended sound Biblical scholarship, anthropological theory and fresh creative insight to unveil a portrait of Jesus that is historically believable and profoundly relevant for our own times. This is a book that should be read by all who wish to take Jesus seriously while facing and engaging the challenges of our post modern world. I recommend it with unreserved enthusiasm.
Dr. William Jay Peck Bowman Gray Professor of Religion (Emeritus), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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In Part I of this two-part work, John Baggett brings a vital, credible, and fully human historical Jesus to life through a combination of creative insight, solid biblical scholarship as illuminated by contributions from his field of cultural anthropology, and the touch of a skilled biographer. He invites and guides the reader not to look at Jesus as a lifeless dissected specimen under an analytical microscope, but to look with Jesus at God and the world as Jesus saw them, and to see and understand the integrity of Jesus’ teachings and work as the translation of that remarkable vision into concrete action. In the process the pre-resurrection Jesus who springs to life is authenticated by the reader’s intuition as the Jesus the Gospel writers sought to portray, the Jesus whose vision and life had the power, and still has the potential, to transform the lives of those with “eyes to see and ears to hear.” In Part II, Dr. Baggett translates the post-resurrection metaphors used to describe Jesus’ person and work from the sometimes mind-numbing and off-putting concepts and language of the first century into contemporary concepts and language, and demonstrates that “the Jesus of history” and “the Christ of faith” were – and are - one reality, the Ultimate reality for believers then and now.
Michael Miller Distinguished elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
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John Baggett makes an important contribution to contemporary work on Jesus. The author's rich academic and professional experiences are reflected in the book. Sound biblical study, solid theological reflection and faithful application to personal and global concerns make this a valuable tool for personal and group enrichment. As a leader of an older adult Sunday School class in a retirement community, I find many helpful references and images that help bring expanded understanding and fresh perspective to these life long teacher-learners. This is an important book for every pastor and lay interpreter of the Christian life and faith.
Rev. David Hilton Retired Minister and former District Superintendent in the United Methodist Church
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It is the kind of book I wish had been available in my work with serious students and faculty in my campus ministry days. It appeals to educated skeptics and believers….The scholarship is evident in the endnotes and the bibliography. The excellent writing, however, appeals not only to scholars, but to educated persons who value the clarity of Christian thought and belief. It does for our time what C.S. Lewis did in the last century…The book gives evidence of the author’s insights into and competent use of the Bible, history, theology, anthropology, psychology, sociology, first century and contemporary culture, ethics, discipleship, and more… This book is an evangelical tract for our times.
Roger Van Harn Project Editor for Eerdmans Publishing,
