Has anyone read Talmage's Jesus the Christ? - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

il Padrino Ute · 12-21-2005, 05:54 AM

I've decided that it is something I should read, so I'm going to tackle it.

Any thoughts or suggestions about how to get the most of it from those who've read it would be appreciated.

All-American · 12-21-2005, 06:16 AM

I took a class from Dr. John Hall at BYU, who had some unkind things to say regarding Jesus the Christ. (The book, not the person.) It is heavily dependent on Farrar's "The Life of Christ" and perpetuates quite a few errors that were in that work while giving an LDS perspective on his study. "Jesus the Christ" is now almost 100 years old, and so lacks the benefit of modern research.

Having said that, "Jesus the Christ" is very helpful in allowing the reader to sequence the events of the life of Christ and significantly aids study of the New Testament texts themselves. There's plenty to be learned from it, notwithstanding its weaknesses.

realtall · 12-21-2005, 06:27 AM

I thought that it was astounding, especially as it explains Jesus' parables.

Seems like I heard something about Talmage writing part of it in the SLC Temple Holy of Holies.

Just as an idea, it might be useful to read the 4 gospels first.

fuegote · 12-21-2005, 12:41 PM

To me it was a labor of love. It took my 7 attempts to finally read the whole book, but once I got through it....it's a great read.

JohnnyLingo · 12-21-2005, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Seems like I heard something about Talmage writing part of it in the SLC Temple Holy of Holies.

Not quite. The forward to the current version of Jesus the Christ states that he was given an "office" in the Salt Lake Temple to write in after his initial efforts to write the book were frustrated by frequent interruptions.

Excellent book, by the way. I've read it 4 or 5 times.

[/brag]

Archaea · 12-21-2005, 04:07 PM

and obviously oblivious to errors it perpetuates.

BTW, I suppose I'm the only idiot that also read it in German. It took me several months of companion study to get through it with a dictionary. For some reason, it was supposed to be a big deal to read it, and the standard works in German. The five books of Moses in German are something to behold, especially 3 and 4 Moses, or Leviticus and Numbers.

I'd be interested in knowing what the errors are.

jlm252 · 12-21-2005, 05:06 PM

I read it while in the mission field. It is a good book but it does have VERY flowery language (he used a lot of words I had never heard before) and I am not sure I agreed with everything he said. IT's good though and you won't be sad you read it.

RockyBalboa · 12-21-2005, 05:52 PM

I read it over a 3 month span during my mission.

It felt like I was reading stereo instructions with how slow and deliberate things were.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I read it and will likely read it again one day, but man it felt like a marathon getting through that thing.

SteelBlue · 12-21-2005, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by All-American

I took a class from Dr. John Hall at BYU, who had some unkind things to say regarding Jesus the Christ. (The book, not the person.) It is heavily dependent on Farrar's "The Life of Christ" and perpetuates quite a few errors that were in that work while giving an LDS perspective on his study. "Jesus the Christ" is now almost 100 years old, and so lacks the benefit of modern research.

Do you still have your notes from that class? I'd love to read a little bit about that. And I'm sure you've got nothing better to do than to post your old religion notes on cougarguard. But hey, it's worth a shot.

Surfah · 12-21-2005, 11:09 PM

I read this book in a week. One of the best books I have ever read. It took me a few times to start. But once I committed myself to reading it through it became like a harlequin romance novel in the relief society president's hands to me. I could not put it down. The notes that accompany each chapter demonstrate how much Talmage leaned on Farrar, but that does not detract from the spirit of the biography or Talmage's own interpretation therof. A must read.

12-21-2005, 05:54 AM	#1
il Padrino Ute Board Pinhead Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement of my house, Murray, Utah. Posts: 15,941	Has anyone read Talmage's Jesus the Christ? I've decided that it is something I should read, so I'm going to tackle it. Any thoughts or suggestions about how to get the most of it from those who've read it would be appreciated. __________________ "The beauty of baseball is not having to explain it." - Chuck Shriver "This is now the joke that stupid people laugh at." - Christopher Hitchens on IQ jokes about GWB.

12-21-2005, 12:41 PM	#4
fuegote Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 724	To me it was a labor of love. It took my 7 attempts to finally read the whole book, but once I got through it....it's a great read. __________________ http://www.cavaliersbrigade.com home of the greatest fans in MLS.

12-21-2005, 04:07 PM	#6
Archaea Assistant to the Regional Manager Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Orgasmatron Posts: 24,338	I enjoyed it but haven't compared it to Farrar's and obviously oblivious to errors it perpetuates. BTW, I suppose I'm the only idiot that also read it in German. It took me several months of companion study to get through it with a dictionary. For some reason, it was supposed to be a big deal to read it, and the standard works in German. The five books of Moses in German are something to behold, especially 3 and 4 Moses, or Leviticus and Numbers. I'd be interested in knowing what the errors are. __________________ Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα

12-21-2005, 11:09 PM	#10
Surfah Master Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: F'burg, VA Posts: 3,211	I read this book in a week. One of the best books I have ever read. It took me a few times to start. But once I committed myself to reading it through it became like a harlequin romance novel in the relief society president's hands to me. I could not put it down. The notes that accompany each chapter demonstrate how much Talmage leaned on Farrar, but that does not detract from the spirit of the biography or Talmage's own interpretation therof. A must read. __________________ Ernie Johnson: "Auburn is a pretty good school. To graduate from there I suppose you really need to work hard and put forth maximum effort." Charles Barkley: "20 pts and 10 rebounds will get you through also!"

12-21-2005, 06:16 AM	#2
All-American Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 3,420	I took a class from Dr. John Hall at BYU, who had some unkind things to say regarding Jesus the Christ. (The book, not the person.) It is heavily dependent on Farrar's "The Life of Christ" and perpetuates quite a few errors that were in that work while giving an LDS perspective on his study. "Jesus the Christ" is now almost 100 years old, and so lacks the benefit of modern research. Having said that, "Jesus the Christ" is very helpful in allowing the reader to sequence the events of the life of Christ and significantly aids study of the New Testament texts themselves. There's plenty to be learned from it, notwithstanding its weaknesses.

12-21-2005, 06:27 AM	#3
realtall Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Krum, TX Posts: 891	I thought that it was astounding, especially as it explains Jesus' parables. Seems like I heard something about Talmage writing part of it in the SLC Temple Holy of Holies. Just as an idea, it might be useful to read the 4 gospels first.

12-21-2005, 05:06 PM	#7
jlm252 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 12	I read it while in the mission field. It is a good book but it does have VERY flowery language (he used a lot of words I had never heard before) and I am not sure I agreed with everything he said. IT's good though and you won't be sad you read it.

12-21-2005, 05:52 PM	#8
RockyBalboa Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Salt Lake City Posts: 7,297	I read it over a 3 month span during my mission. It felt like I was reading stereo instructions with how slow and deliberate things were. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I read it and will likely read it again one day, but man it felt like a marathon getting through that thing.