The Eternal Galilean

Rating:
Summary: A great book that will challenge any reader.
Review: In this delightful book, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen attempts to accomplish one goal: to show that Jesus of Nazareth is the Word become flesh, that He is the personification of Truth, and that this Truth is perserved and proclaimed in the Catholic Church. The outline of his book is the life of Christ, but this book is not a retelling of Christ's life; rather, Sheen uses the events of Christ's life as a stepping stone to enter into beautiful, yet challenging reflections on the situation of the modern world. For example, in Chapter Two, Sheen sees the shepherds and wise men who visited the Divine Babe as symbols of those who are able to approach Christ: those who are truly simple, because they know that they know nothing, and those who are truly wise, because they know that they don't know everything. Thus, those of the modern world that are not simple enought or learned enough, i.e., those who think that they know something, will never find Christ. Consequently, this method allows Sheen to enter into deep meditations that will challenge every reader.

If any one is wondering why I gave the book only four stars and not five, it is simply because, at certain times, the book is dated. Sheen wrote the book in 1934, and the reader needs to keep this in mind, because Sheen will enter into a polemic against one intellectual trend or another that was prevelant during the first half of the 1900's (e.g., Liberal Protestantism). Of course, the book can't help but being dated, and it doesn't take away from the overall quality of Sheen's work. Thus, the four star rating must be taken with a grain of salt, because other than this "historical fact," the book is wonderfully profound. Sheen not only accomplishes his goal, but the reader will walk away from the book with a deep sense that the Eternal Galilean is eteranlly present in His Church.