The Life of Jesus by Ernest Renan
In The Life of Jesus, Ernest Renan offers a profound and controversial historical and theological analysis of the life of Jesus Christ, weaving together a narrative that is both scholarly and accessible. Renan employs a critical literary style that combines history, biography, and exegesis, reflecting the 19th-century Enlightenment's emphasis on reason and secular inquiry. He explores Jesus not only as a religious figure but also as a man shaped by the cultural and political milieu of first-century Palestine, raising questions about divinity and humanity that echo throughout modern theological discourse. Ernest Renan, a French philosopher and historian, was influenced by his background in theology and his commitment to the principles of the Enlightenment. His early ambitions to become a priest were abandoned in favor of a more critical approach to religion, fostering his belief in the necessity of reconciling faith with reason. This tension between devotion and rational analysis permeates his work, providing a unique lens through which readers can understand Jesus's teachings and their impact on Western thought. Recommended for scholars and casual readers alike, The Life of Jesus invites readers to engage with the complexities of faith, history, and the human condition. Renan's ability to blend narrative with rigorous scholarship, while addressing universal themes of morality and existence, makes this work a seminal contribution to both religious studies and the broader interpretation of historical figures.
ERNEST RENAN was born in Trü¾Ž–”¼guier, Brittany, on February 27, 1823. Following the death of his father five years later, Renan was left in the care of his older sister, Henriette, who saw to her brother's education and became his confidante and chief supporter until her death in 1861. Renan attended various Catholic seminaries, and even took minor orders; but in 1845, he promptly abandoned his priestly vocation as well as his Catholic faith. Thereafter, Renan would reject the claims of orthodox religion. While still in the seminary, Renan displayed unusual brilliance in linguistics; in 1848, he won the Volney Prize for his Essay on the Semitic Languages. After receiving his doctoral degree, Renan was appointed professor of Hebrew at the College de France in 1862. But he used the occasion of his inaugural lecture to denounce Christ's divinity, and was promptly dismissed. Renan's teaching post was later restored to him, however. Renan wrote extensively on early Christianity: his most famous work is The Life of Jesus, published in 1863. A profound analysis of the New Testament and other ancient accounts of Jesus' life, it depicts Christ as a simple teacher who became increasingly fanatical and deluded by his self-proclaimed Messianic purpose. The Resurrection, long cherished as the central mystery of Christianity, began his-torically as nothing more, Renan argues, than a rumor propagated by Christ's followers to keep the memory of their crucified leader alive. The Life of Jesus, while de-nounced by orthodox Christians, gained wide attention: more than 60,000 copies were sold within the first year of publication. The Life of Jesus was but one in a series of works collectively titled The History of the Origins of Christianity (1863-1881), whose main purpose was to show that the Christian religion was an outgrowth of human processes, not a divine purpose. Renan continued to publish and to teach at the Collü¾Ž†”¼ge de France; he later became administrator of the Collü¾Ž†”¼ge, and in 1878 was elected to the French Academy. Ernest Renan died in Paris on October 2, 1892. Renan's other published works include: The Apostles (1866), The Christian Church (1879), and Marcus Aurelius and the End of the Ancient World (1880).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9788027343478 |
| ISBN 10 | 802734347X |
| Title | The Life of Jesus |
| Author | Ernest Renan |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | E-Artnow |
| Year published | 2022-07-03 |
| Number of pages | 184 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |