Jesus Our Brother: The Humanity of the Lord

Much of what has been written about Jesus after New Testament times has taken little account of the vulnerable Jesus who died on a cross. And yet the astounding truth at the heart of Christianity is that in the human Jesus we meet God.

The life of Jesus of Nazareth is the key to the meaning of Christianity. In Jesus Our Brother noted Scripture scholar Wilfrid J. Harrington offers an insightful and moving portrayal of the authentic humanity of Jesus of Nazareth that highlights Jesus' characteristically human traits and sets them in their proper context: his call to mission; how he would have seen himself and been regarded by others; his concerns; his priorities; the reaction of others to his person and to his vision. What emerges is not the dour nineteenth-century German “Jesus of history,” nor the therapeutic “nice guy” Jesus beloved of our current age, but a Palestinian Jew from an obscure Galilean village who lived under the oppressive yoke of the Roman occupation; a man who displayed marked concern for the vulnerable, the despised, the outcast, and even sinners; an unfailingly compassionate and loving, prayerful, and religious man whose unshakable faith in his God enabled him to withstand severe trials and temptations; but a man not afraid to challenge the religious establishment when called for, and who could become exasperated with opponents and disciples alike. This Jesus is an appealing and a challenging figure, an uncomfortable person to have around, and Harrington's portrayal of him is based on sound penetrating biblical scholarship as well as on a deep understanding of and empathy with the human condition