The Life of Christ Paperback – September 9, 2020

I own a few of Fulton Sheen's books, and the man is simply excellent when it comes to writing about spirituality. While some of his books are a little short on substance and are written in a way that touches on brief ideas of spirituality (like the wonderful but short " Way to Happiness: An Inspiring Guide to Peace, Hope and Contentment "), this book is truly his masterpiece. Coming in at over 650 pages (Doublday edition) it is not only full of material, but what is in here is distilled brilliance. Sheen takes the reader on a guided lecture of the life of Jesus Christ, and his style (common in all of his books) is as if he were sitting with you, relaxing with a cup of tea, and having a one-on-one conversation about his topic- only this topic is the entire life of Jesus Christ (no wonder it is such a big book!)."Life of Christ" is broken up into 62 Chapters (yes, you read that right) detailing different parts of Christ's life according to the Gospels. He presents it chronologically, and uses LOTS of Scripture, inserting the actual verses intermittently with his lecture/narrative telling of Christ's life. What is so special about Sheen's work is that he not only retells the actions and events pertaining to Jesus Christ, but he offers his own (and extremely useful) analogies, observations, and insights. He also includes statements that are deeply paradoxical or meant for further pondering. Consider this: "Every other person who ever came into this world came into it to live. [Jesus] came into it to die." Speaking about the Nativity story Sheen posits, "Could it be that the Creator would not find a home in creation?" These little nuggets of thought allow the reader to enter more deeply into the mysteries of Jesus' story itself, and Fulton Sheen definitely has the knack for telling a good story. Of course, this is a story that most people are quite familiar with, and yet he writes in a way that is highly accessible to anyone regardless of how strong their faith is. It does seem, though, that Sheen assumes a minimal belief for those readers going into this work: this might not be the best apologetic regarding people who are critical of Biblical scholarship or who are antagonistic to Christianity in general. His other books might be better, and I'd personally give the nod to Chesterton's  The Everlasting Man  or Lewis'  Mere Christianity  if one is looking to defend the faith in that regard.Still, for the Christian who wants a companion with him or her while delving deeper into the Gospels and seeking the historical and personal Jesus, Sheen's "Life of Christ" is a phenomenal read that blows away 99% of the "modern" Christian books on the market. It focuses on the narrative, and doesn't get bogged down in scholarly or critical details that other books trumpet. While that might sound like a negative, it is clear from his writing that Sheen is a Scripture scholar and one of the top Christian thinkers of the 20th century. "Life of Christ" would make for a wonderful personal devotion for any Christian, whether Catholic or Protestant.***************************************Notes: Because the book was written in 1958, Sheen uses anachronistic references to the Soviet Union through Communism. Some might find it odd or even jarring, but I found it wonderfully insightful (just use a little imagination- history repeats, after all). Also, Chapter Two is almost 60 pages long (the rest of the Chapters are more evenly spaced and digestible)... I would politely exhort the reader not to get stuck here in the beginning, but press on as it only gets better and more well suited to a one-sitting reading!

I love this book and the author is a great writer for those who need to have their faith expanded upon in a detail that was not thought of prior.

Great book. First time I read Fulton Sheen, not the last. Explained the life of Christ in beautiful clarity. Highly recommended.

I started reading "Life of Christ" because I wanted to know more about Jesus, the prophet of my religion. Sheen gave me plenty of that, but evidently from his Catholic based faith. His language is not hard or easy but it is a long book (690 pages), coupling with my not long years in Christianity, he really informs me as I read to my hearts' content.The theme of his writing is that Jesus Christ, by the decree of God the Father, came down to us, mankind, to atone for our sins, through an act of intermediary redemption, by taking up crucifixion on the cross. Everything in the holy land at that time centered and pivoted around Jesus and his activities. As Sheen quotes Luke 19:10:This is what the Son of Man has come for,To search and save what was lost. Location 2236And:He would ever draw men to Himself would be not by His doctrine, not by what he said, but by His Crucifixion. L. 2236I personally look at Sheen as a person who sees eye to eye with me, with the same rhythm concerning God the Father; Jesus, the Son of God; and the Holy Spirit. Sheen sometimes has a beautiful language, and a nice balance to his Christian view as he states what Jesus said:If there are excesses of the flesh, there must be those who will forgo even the legitimate pleasures of the flesh; if there are deordinations in the pursuit of property, there must be some who will voluntarily practice poverty; if there are some who are proud, there must be others who will not even insist upon their own rights, but will make reparation for acts of pride by humility. L. 3656Also the same he states what Jesus said:Obey the law of the Spirit and you will know the new birth. Do not postpone relationship with this law simply because you cannot fathom its mystery intellectually. L. 2134All in all, I enjoyed the book. Sheen was a seasoned Christian and everyone stands the benefit of learning his view, with that calling and beckoning us of Jesus to knowing how great Jesus was and is. And I feel like Jesus was truly saying to me with this quote from Luke 7:50:Thy faith has saved thee; go in peace. L. 3116(Sheen quotes with frequencies mostly from John, then Luke, and some others.)

Good read. A review of the life of Christ with passages from the Bible and New Testament. Explains why and how Jesus established his Church.

To be read by every person; every sinner for the salvation of your soul and for eternal life with and in Him; eternal Love, Glory, Joy and Peace; The Way, The Truth, The Life; God 🙏.

Erst vor Kurzem habe ich Fulton Sheen entdeckt - auf Youtube sind einige seiner TV-Shows zu sehen. Auch Begegnungen mit bereits Verstorbenen können wichtig sein; Die ihm eigentümliche Verbindung aus Tiefe, Empathie und Humor, aber auch Standfestigkeit, ist wohltuend, gerade im Vergleich zum Heute, wo Yoga, Yin und Yogurt den Ton angeben und der Pfarrer schon fast meint, sich entschuldigen zu müssen für die Unzumutbarkeiten, die er laut Job description verbreiten muss. Sein "Life of Christ" wird auf der US-Seite von Amazon von mehr als 500 Lesern gepriesen - viele davon aus anderen Denominationen. Sheen ist es in der Tat gelungen, Christus in den Vordergrund zu stellen, und das mit Erfolg. Es ist nicht meine erste Lektüre zum Thema, aber nie zuvor haben sich vor meinem Leserauge die Puzzelteile derart nahtlos zusammengefügt. Und mit welcher Eindringlichkeit.... Gerne hätte ich dieses Buch schon früher gekannt .... andererseits aber hat ja alles seine Zeit ....

By far the best book I have ever read. The best way to understand the Gospel.Highly recommended for all Catholics.

Here venerable sheen simply bullets great thoughts one after another so that we could get enough to contemplate for a day by reading a paragraph..especially good for preachers..also there are lots of contents in the first chapter that tells about hoe CHRIST is set apart from founders of other religions and is these are very convincing..

I found this book among my late father's effects. I have read it twice over the last couple of years and can only say that it opened up my understanding of the New Testament and some prophesies of the old testament. Although I have been a church attender all my life (over 60yrs) it was like moving from black and white TV to High Definition. The purpose of Christ's life and the explanation of things in the gospels which I have never even noticed were there were truly mindblowing. I use the book on a weekly basis where there are references in it to the relevant Sunday gospel readings. I intend to buy copies for all my grandchildren when they are confirmed because I feel that would be an ideal time for them to become acquainted a book of this inspirational quality.