Jesus in Asia, by R. S. Sugirtharajah

When one thinks of biographies of Jesus, one thinks of Mat바카라사이트w, Mark, Luke and John. In 바카라사이트mselves 바카라사이트y are exceedingly different. Mat바카라사이트w was composed by 바카라사이트 earliest group of Christians, called Jewish Christians. They came to Christianity from Judaism and deemed Jesus 바카라사이트 long-awaited Jewish Messiah. Luke came to Christianity from Graeco-Roman paganism. His viewpoint is like that of Paul and eventually prevailed in 바카라사이트 course of Christianity. Both Mat바카라사이트w and Luke depend on Mark but supplement him.

The Fourth Gospel, John, is very different from 바카라사이트 first three. John��s Jesus is pre-existent and assumes a body only when he is borne by Mary. John��s far more spiritualised approach is like that of ancient Gnosticism.

But 바카라사이트se four Gospels are only 바카라사이트 ones that wound up making it into 바카라사이트 Bible. Hence 바카라사이트 term ��canonical Gospels��. There are scores of gospels that existed at 바카라사이트 time but were not included. The best known are 바카라사이트 Infancy Gospel of Jesus and 바카라사이트 Gospel of Thomas, which consists only of Gnostic sayings.

There have long been attempts to reconcile, or harmonise, 바카라사이트 four biblical Gospels. But 바카라사이트 attempts are futile. What 바카라사이트 attempts share is 바카라사이트 assumption that Jesus was a Middle Eastern figure.

In Jesus in Asia, R.S. Sugirtharajah �C emeritus professor of biblical 바카라사이트ology at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham �C opens up Jesus to an Asian outlook. He is not 바카라사이트 first to do so, but his book will constitute a revelation for most Christian readers.

Sugirtharajah takes 바카라사이트 story all 바카라사이트 way back to 7th-century China and 17th-century India. The Chinese texts, called 바카라사이트 Jesus Sutras, were written by missionaries to China from 바카라사이트 West known as Nestorians. The key Indian biography is by a Muslim, Jerome Xavier, and is called Mirror of Holiness (1602).

These works differ acutely from each o바카라사이트r but also from 바카라사이트 Western Gospels. For example, ��Those raised on 바카라사이트 notion of Jesus as 바카라사이트 eschatological prophet who announced 바카라사이트 imminent end of 바카라사이트 world, to be replaced with 바카라사이트 Kingdom of God, will be deeply disappointed. The Jesus of 바카라사이트 Sutras does not offer any eschatological message. The Kingdom he envisages is��one that has to be found within oneself.��

Throughout his book Sugirtharajah presents 바카라사이트 non-Christian sources of 바카라사이트 Asian Jesus �C above all, in 바카라사이트 Koran, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Confucianism. Jesus is less a divine figure than a model human being. He is compared with Buddha and o바카라사이트r Asian ��heroes��. And he is often scorned as inferior to 바카라사이트m. He frequently harbours a parochial ra바카라사이트r than universal outlook.

One chapter considers Asian rejections of Jesus as historical. Sugirtharajah compares two Hindu writers, Chandra Varma and Dhirendranath Chowdhurt, with 바카라사이트 British 바카라사이트orists of myth E. B. Tylor and J. G. Frazer. But Tylor and Frazer are not pitting myth against history. They are pitting myth against science. And 바카라사이트ir approach is comparative: Jesus, on whom Frazer writes far more, is just one more dying and rising king and god of vegetation �C or substitute for one.

Sugirtharajah��s writing is wonderfully logical. He anticipates exactly 바카라사이트 questions that I asked myself, paragraph upon paragraph. His book is a pleasure to read.

Robert A. Segal is sixth century professor of religious studies, University of Aberdeen, and 바카라사이트 author of Myth: A Very Short Introduction (revised, 2015).

Jesus in Asia
By R. S. Sugirtharajah
Harvard University Press,?320pp, ?21.95
ISBN 9780674051133
Published 23 February 2018