Jan A. B. Jongeneel
Pages 453
ISBN-9789380548173
The author Jan
A. B. Jongeneel is Honorary Professor Emeritus of Missiology at Utrecht
University. He published a missiological encyclopedia in two volumes (recently
reprinted in Bangalore) and supervised 41 missiological dissertations. He is
editor of the series MISSION (Zoetermeer) and the series Studies in the
Intercultural History of Christianity (Frankfurt am Main).
In short, this
study pronounces and evaluates the observations and responses to Jesus as the
Messiah in six continents from the beginning of the Common Era until today. Jesus
appears to be present both within and beyond the traditional borders of
Christianity. Individuals and peoples represent him and/or misrepresent him in
their cyclical or linear context.
The main
Contents: Perceptions and Receptions of Jesus Christ – World History, World
Religions, and Worldviews – Messianic Expectations and Beliefs before the Common
Era – Jesus, the Messiah/Christ – From the Birth of Christianity to the Rise of
Islam – From the Rise of Islam to the Discovery of New Worlds – From the
Discovery of New Worlds to the French Revolution – From the French Revolution
to World War I – From World War I to the End of World War II – From the End of
World War II to the Present – Messianic Expectations and Beliefs in the Wake of
Jesus Christ – Presence and Representations of Jesus Christ in World History.
The questions
that frame this inquiry; what impact has Jesus had on the way people understood
history? The method applied throughout this study is to listen to each writer’s
view on Jesus in the light of their historical and religious context. This is
not a confessional study. Rather it is scholarly and scientific examination of
the of the entire range of views and the interpretation of Jesus Christ put
forward over the past 2000 years by people of many cultures, worldviews, and
religious traditions. It is because in the modern attempt of secularization in
all the fields and disciplines includes religious study too. It is fascinating
to see how the people around have responded to “the most outstanding
personality of all time”
The attracting
feature is the work is the presentation of the personality (I and thou
relationship), originality (accepted by father, finality (ultimate solution of
humanity; salvation) and normativity (abolishing law with forgiveness) of Jesus
Christ. It recognizes the basic distinction between cyclical and liner views of
all time and history. It proves that the
Jesus of Nazareth influenced – and continues to influence – the human community
more than anybody else. (p. 359).
A good read, I
strongly I recommend this as a basic reading in every course in missiology and
in the escalating field of world Christian studies. I think this book is
profound in helping the reader to understand the Jesus movement and tradition
as it looks in the world's several historical perspectives!!!
Jesus asked a
question to disciples “what do people say I am?” it is a question that
continues to oblige us for further reflection on the same in our time.
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