The Nazarene

Rating:
Summary: A Spiritual Masterpiece
Review: Being a voracious and discriminating reader who has constantly read and reads books of quality and depth, there have been only rare occasions when a book has awakened and uplifted my soul. In other words, reading such a work went much further than the mere act of reading; I can look back and remember it as an *experience* transcending cognation. My encounter with such a book and author turned out to be a major event in my life, as real as birth, death, marriage, etc. I just now realize in writing this, that it was thirty years ago this month when I first read those words that began on the first page of THE NAZARENE: ". . . our senses are haunted by fragmentary recollections of another life. They drift like torn clouds above the hills and valleys of the mind, and weave themselves into the incidents of our current existence . . ." This novel begins in the old Jewish quarter of Warsaw, just prior to WWII, as Sholem Asch reveals that the truth of Yeshua the Nazarene is also the truth of the TORAH.
Also, there is an additional poignancy if one looks at the date when THE NAZARENE was published: 1939. The "modern" sections of the book took place in the Jewish physical and spiritual environment that soon faced its Passion.
THE NAZARENE is truly a spiritual classic.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing richness of colors
Review: I read the Brazilian-Portuguese edition, translated by Monteiro Lobato, a well known brazilian writer. He has done a great job, too. The book is absolutely beautiful, captivating, magic. It transposes you in time and space. People and facts are presented with such clarity that it's almost if you were there, watching things happening. It provides an important lesson in the end, too.

Rating:
Summary: Christ's Ministry in Living Color!
Review: Just as the reading of Josephus's 'Works' illumined my understanding of, and appreciation for, the Old Testament and the Jewish heritage of my Christian faith, so did reading 'The Nazarene' inform my understanding of 1st century Jewish life, culture, mores and religious practice. Seldom have I felt so utterly absorbed in the world of an author's creation (A possible exception being 'City of Joy'). I'm having a harder time convincing myself Mr. Asch wasn't a first-hand witness to the events he describes than I would convincing myself he was. For 600-odd glorious pages, I was there amidst all the political and spiritual tumult of the times and the confusion and emotional chaos of those grappling with the life and words of Yeshua of Nazareth, both from within and without the Messianic camp. In 'The Nazarene' I didn't read a book, I had a spiritual experience that - once I've had a chance to distill and absorb it - will profoundly affect the way in which I believe and, therefore, live and exercise my faith. I wish there were ten stars.

Rating:
Summary: A magical book
Review: Mr. Asch has written a book of subtlety and magic with "The Nazarene." He deals beautifully with the complexity of the story of Christ, and adds an interesting and spiritually enriching twist on it by using "modern-day" characters narrate the events of the past by having past-life flashbacks. The ending is exquisite. Asch has always been able to capture the hearts of both Judaism and Christianity, displaying them not as enemies but as close cousins. Great great great!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best interpetations of Jesus' life I've read
Review: This book is a long gospel.

It is unbelievably well-written and truly fascinating. The desriptions are vivid and colourful; Sholem Asch is simply great at revealing the mysticism of Judaism. I can only agree that it feels as if he has seen the events with his own eyes; his interpretation is well thought out and and well 'felt out'.

To me this book was a spiritual experience comparable to few others - like the Bible and 'The Glass Bead Game', perhaps.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful story set in the time of Christ
Review: This book paints a picture of the characters in Jerusalem at the time of Christ. It is as if Sholem Asch were one of these characters, masterfully detailing life in Israel while under the rule of Rome, weaving the stories of individuals with the biblical accounts of Jesus and His disciples. Excellent book!