The Greatest Prayer

September 20, 2010
No prayer is better known in the Christian world than the Lord's Prayer, taught by Jesus to His disciples as they listened to Him preach about the Kingdom of God. Crossan, co-founder of The Jesus Seminar and acclaimed author of many works on the life and mission of Jesus Christ, writes to answer the question, "How can we who live today hear the words of the Lord's Prayer in ways that reflect the concerns of His immediate hearers and impact our lives 2,000 years later?" Delving deeply into the story of the Jewish nation in Jesus' time, Crossan shows how Jesus, couched in the words of this prayer, advises His followers to reject violent methods of resisting their Roman captors, and instead work for the coming of the Kingdom of God, the only way to achieve true freedom. The theme of nonviolence permeates this book and becomes the foundation for Crossan's understanding, not only of the Lord's Prayer, but also of a variety of extra-biblical sources he references to support his thesis. A fine effort by a fine scholar.

Starred review from October 1, 2010

No historian of the life of Jesus or the world of early Christianity is better known than Crossan (religious studies, emeritus, DePaul Univ.; Who Killed Jesus?). His new, relatively brief book is nevertheless a full and loving exposition--a point by point explication--of Christianity's best-known and most-recited prayer. For Crossan, the Lord's Prayer reflects the dual nature of the New Testament's vision of God as a God of love, as well as a God of justice. VERDICT Crossan's pastoral intent is more straightforward here than in some of his other works; scholars will appreciate the richness of his readings, while nonscholarly readers will be grateful for the directness and clarity of his approach.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2010
Noted biblical scholar Crossan takes a fresh look at the Lords Prayer, also called the Our Father and the Abba Prayer. Prayed by Christians of all denominations and doctrinal persuasions, yet mentioning none of the issues that divide them, it is certainly Christianitys official prayer and surely its greatest. Crossan takes key words from the prayer (Father, name, kingdom, will, bread, debt, and temptation), examines their meaning in a biblical context, and concludes that it is a revolutionary manifesto, proclaiming nonviolence and distributive justice. This seemingly radical exegesis will be as welcome to some as it is disconcerting to others. Even if one disagrees with the authors conclusions, it will be difficult to dislike his book, as one of Crossans gifts is his ability to challenge his readers in a gentle, respectful, and nonconfrontational manner.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)