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Posted June 13, 2006
Book: The Gospel According to Jesus: A New Translation and Guide To His Essential Teaching for Believers and Unbelievers Author: Stephen Mitchell HarperCollins Publishers. New York. 1991. Pp.310
At the center of the book is a new translation, from the Greek, of what might be called the Essential Gospel. Gospel means “good news.” While the Gospels according to Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John are to a large extent teachings about Jesus, Mr. Mitchell has compiled a Gospel that is the teaching of Jesus: what he proclaimed about the presence of God: good news as old as the universe. Following the example of Thomas Jefferson’s The Jefferson Bible, and using the best of modern scholarship, Mr. Mitchell has retained only the authentic sayings and doings of Jesus, and has omitted the passages added by the early church. Gone is the “Jesus” who preaches hellfire and damnation, in contrast to the authentic Jesus’ teaching about God’s absolute forgiveness and love. Gone are the passages which call Jesus the sone of God, in contrast to Jesus’ teaching that all people can become sons (or daughters) of God, as they become like God — generous, compassionate, impartial, serene. What is left is an immensely provocative and moving image of Jesus as a real person and as a great spiritual teacher, an image that will challenge and delight readers of any religion, or of no religion. The Essential Gospel is preceded by a long meditation on Jesus’ life and teachings, and is followed by Mr. Michell’s detailed commentary on the text, which draws on his own Judeo-Zen background and on illuminating parallels from the Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Sufi, and Jewish traditions. An Excerpt from the Book: Fulfilling the Law “You have it heard that it was said, You shall not perjure yourselves. But I tell you, don’t take any oaths at all. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’: “The mature person values sincerity above all things,” as Confucius’ grandson Tzu-ssu (482-403 B.C.E.) tells us in his wonderful treatise The Central Harmony: “Confucius said, “Sincerity is the way of heaven; arriving at sincerity is the way of man. The sincere person does the right thing without trying, understands the truth without thinking, and acts always in keeping with the Tao.” Sincerity is the fulfillment of our own nature, and to arrive at it we need only follow our true self. Sincerity is the beginning and end of existence; without it, nothing can endure. Therefore the mature person values sincerity above all things. Sincerity is not only the fulfillment of our own being; it is also the quality through which all beings are fulfilled. When we fulfill our own being, we become truly human; when we fulfill all beings, we arrive at true understanding. These qualities — humanity and understanding — are inherent in our nature, and by means of them we unite the inner and the outer. Thus, when we act with sincerity, everything we do is right. Table of Contents: Baptism He begins to teach The first disciples At Capernaum First healings He heals a leper The Kingdom of God The Kingdom of God [2] The Kingdom of God [3] The inner light [1] With the wicked The twelve He heals a paralytic The Beatitudes The Inner Light [2] Fulfilling the Law Charity Prayer The Inner Light [3] Trust Providence You receive exactly what you give The narrow gate Hearing and doing Jesus’ family [1] Accusations of sorcery Jesus’ family [2] Two hearings Rejection in Nazareth The Syrophoenician woman He heals a deaf man, a blind man An Exorcism You must become like children [1] Forgiveness The Good Samaritan The lost sheep and the lost coin The Prodigal Son You must become like children [2] The rich man Let the dead bury their dead First days in Jerusalem The tax to Caesar The greatest commandment The woman caught in adultery Gethsemane The arrest Peter’s denial The trial before Pilate The crucifixion Appendixes Appendix 1: On Jesus Appendix 2: On Healing Appendix 3: On miracles |
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