The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ: From the Visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich

Keeping in mind that visions are seen by mystics in many ways, and that they are not always clear, in sequence, or well translated into words, this is a remarkable document of what this devout Agustinian nun saw for many of the 50 years of her life. Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) stated repeatedly of her visions, which were recorded for this book during a seven week period in 1823 by her friend Clement Brentano, that there were details she could not remember, or "what I have not forgotten I cannot find words to express", and in another, "I saw nothing distinctly". I think this lends credibility to what she did say, in that she did not fabricate to "fill in the holes" of her visions. Another thing to remember is that it must have been as difficult to describe events 1800 years in the past, in ancient Judea, as it would have been to go 200 years into the future; how would she have explained a television or the Los Angeles freeway system ? Sister Emmerich's visions give tremendous insight into the last hours of Jesus, especially the agony at Gethsemane. As Oswald Chambers would point out in his writings, that Gethsemane should be viewed "in light of His earlier wilderness temptation-'...the devil...departed from Him until an opportune time' (Luke 4:13)". Here our Lord confronts Satan in the garden, and he also sees His future Church, "They had weathercocks on their roofs, and their doctrines changed with the wind" (pg.111). Part I is a short biography of Sister Emmerich, of whom much calumny has been spread in recent months by professional hatemongers who crave the media spotlight, because these writings inspired a few scenes in Mel Gibson's film "The Passion", but one should consider the source when listening to them. Part II is the preparation for Passover and The Last Supper, and Part III, which is the bulk of the book, The Passion. There are three final chapters that deal with the Resurrection, and an appendix on Longinus (whose lance pierced the Lord's side), and Abenadar, the centurion who was later known as St. Ctesiphon. Sister Emmerich had many rich descriptions of the central figures connected with the Passion; of Pilate she saw him as a weak, undecided and despicable character, who would do any unjust act "provided it answered his ends"..."his sole desire was to entail no risk upon himself"; she also not only saw into the past, but into other realms, like Satan taunting Judas, and the angels ministering to Jesus, and of corrupt Christians of the "first and all succeeding ages, even to the end of the world". I think these writings illuminate Bible study and one's walk with the Lord, and are of great value, but probably more to Christians already fairly well versed in scripture, otherwise they might create more confusion than clarity.

From Wikipedia about Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich, "Emmerich was beatified on 3 October 2004, by Pope John Paul II. However, the Vatican focused on her own personal piety rather than the religious writings associated to her by Clemens Brentano." A note to the reader is included on page 61 which reads in part "... it can never be sufficiently impressed upon the reader that these writings have no pretensions whatever to add an iota to Sacred Scripture as interpreted by the Church." Given the above statement on page 61, this book offers a very compelling view into the details of Jesus' passion. Many details, some aspects of which are not in scripture, provide remarkable insight into other moments in Jesus' life; for instance, during the preparations for the Last Supper, much coordination needed to take place and an account is given of a visit to the home of Seraphia. It reads, "They also went into Seraphia's house, where they had several arrangements to make. ... She was a woman of about the age of the Blessed Virgin, and had long been connected with the Holy Family; *** for when the Child Jesus remained three days in Jerusalem after the feast, [it was] she who supplied Him with food."*** (*** my emphasis). There are several other similar passages in this book. I found it a FASCINATING read! Prepare to have a deeper understanding, respect and mortification over how much Jesus suffered for ALL of us.

Mystics reveal what really happened at Jesus' passion. Read during Lent

I bought this to read during Lent. I thought 40 days would be more than enough days to read. Wow! Some of the descriptions of Jesus’ passion are so vivid that they emotionally drain you so it is not like a pick up and read book. It is an emotional roller coaster. The first half tells about the nun who had the visions. The remainder are the visions. Wonderful book to read just saying very vivid.

A necessary read for every Catholic or Christian in general. We must meditate more on the Passion of Our Lord and this book takes us there. BUY AN EXTRA TO GIFT OTHERS.

The visions of Sister Emmerich, as transcribed by a local priest in the early 1800's, are deeply moving. I became interested in reading the "Dolorous Passion" when I heard that Mel Gibson had used it as a source for "The Passion". Some observations about the book and the film: The book actually contains far more graphic violence than the film. The brutal treatment of Our Lord's final hours is related in excruciating detail. If anything, Gibson sanitized the story somewhat by skipping over some of the action and not dwelling as much as Emmerich on the attitudes of the bloodthirsty throng. I could find no anti-Semitism in the book. If Emmerich sees anyone as being responsible for Jesus' death, it is Satan himself. Time and time again she describes how Satan takes full possession of the angry mob and Roman soldiers as their blood lust reaches full crescendo. In the film, Pilate (I thought) is portrayed as a somewhat noble character with a deeply troubled conscience. In the book, he is depicted as pathetically weak, duplicitous and cowardly, content to sacrifice innocent blood just to keep himself out of trouble. The timeless quality of Our Lord's sacrifice comes across powerfully in the book. In Gesthemani, Sister Emmerich tells us how all of our sins-past, present, and future-appear before Him, as he takes them all upon Himself for our salvation. With all the meticulous detail of the twelve hours, it is easy to forget that for God, past, present and future are all one: our sins today hurt Him just as much as those committed by those who clamored for his crucifixion. That is a tough concept to get across in a film, and maybe a reason for the charges of anti-Semitism brought against it. On this topic and others, I think the book can help to clarify the message of the movie.

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It is a very good book. I recommend a lot to read this visions, they really will show the teality of what Jesus did and all is described with a lot of details. It will touch your heart and your will lift your soul on what is above. You might have a new good encounter with Him.

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The book is well written and includes great details.

A fantastic book about the detailed passion of Jesus. A classic everyone should read.