Review: Buddha

Buddha by Karen Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A reconstruction of a man's life who, as the author states at the beginning, has almost nothing verifiable written about his life. Who, in fact, made it a point of stating that his life was not a special one and deserved no special recognition.

Given that, it is impressive what she can tell us about his life.

Some quite unexpected points, such as the alleged misogyny and how he may have been murdered, but at the same time this book made him much more relatable and human.


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Review: The Gospels: A New Translation

The Gospels: A New Translation by Sarah Ruden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The translator in me loved the amount of detail Ruden goes into, not only with her translation, but with her first explanatory chapter and all of the footnotes. However, much of the discussion of the times and the place in history was too detailed for me. Plus, I felt she was threading the needle for some of these points (e.g. Pontius Pilate was Roman, and the Romans had no history/custom of washing their hands to rid themselves of blame. But it seems natural that, as governor of a Jewish area, he'd be familiar with local customs).

Still, a very meticulous work and interesting read.


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Review: The Whole Bible Story: Everything That Happens in the Bible in Plain English

The Whole Bible Story: Everything That Happens in the Bible in Plain English by William H. Marty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had been wanting to re-read the Bible, which I had been putting off for a while, and this was a good stopgap. I found it to be a great summary of pretty much everything in the Bible. 

I was sort of hoping it would include the Epistle of James, since I was wondering how he would summarize that and how he would identify James. But there you go...

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Review: The Books of Jacob

The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An epic dedicated to Jaboc Frank's messianic movement, of which I knew nothing about. It probably would have helped to be more familiar with it, or with Polish history, but as it was this seemed to be a very long novel that delves deep into the old religion Umberto Eco-style, but without the intrigue and excitement you find in his books. 

I was sort of looking forward to diving deep into this book and enjoying it, but I must admit that by the end I was just trying to get through it. 

Still, a lot of interesting information about a time, place and religious movement I was entirely unfamiliar with. 

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Review: The Catholic Church in Korea: Its Origins, 1566-1784

The Catholic Church in Korea: Its Origins, 1566-1784 by Juan Ruiz de Medina
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A rather fascinating look into the origins of the Korean Catholic Church. Of course, pretty much zero percent of the book actually deals with Korea. It discusses how the first Korean converts were Koreans in exile in Japan (several thousand of them apparently), and how they brought the religion back to Korea. And then, several monks in China were trying to go to Korea to convert people, but apparently never made it. From then on, any information re: actual Catholic converts in Korea is pure conjecture. It seems like they existed, and even now several Catholic families date themselves back to the early 1600's apparently. But still, unfortunately we don't really have any concete information about the start of the Catholic church within Korea. 

Also, the fact that the author doesn't seem to speak/read Chinese or Korean seems like a weakness. I can't help wondering if he's missing anything. 

Having said all that, I did find the book to be a very interesting look, and I was rather amazed at how much documentation we have about these monks and priests around East Asia in the 1500s and 1600s. 

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Review: The New Testament: A Translation

The New Testament: A Translation by David Bentley Hart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've always thought the profession of Translator should be more respected when dealing with (a translation of) the Bible. All too many interpretations are taken from commonly accepted faulty translations, and yet very few people are actually qualified to translate ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek from the original/oldest sources. 

Obviously I'm not one of the those people, so I can't really judge the accuracy of Hart's translations, but at least it is something he takes very seriously. His introductory and concluding chapters detail this. In this translation, he endeavors to not only provide an accurate translation (dealing with words like "spirit", "fornication", "eternity", etc.), but also tries to convey the voice of the original text (when it was erudite, when more coarse, when not necessarily written by a native speaker, etc.). 

The result is very interesting indeed. Plus it gave me a chance to revisit the New Testament, which, like it or leave it, is one of the main canonical texts of our age. 

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Review: The Genesis Code

The Genesis Code by John Case
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you can get this at a decent price my recommendation is to read it without reading the blurb and without reading my review either. Not that I have any spoilers, but I think just diving into it is the best bet. 

That's what I did. I had had this book in my library forever (it had been on my Amazon wishlist since 2004), and had no idea what it was about (I thought it might be some biblical analysis). Anyway, it was worth it. 

Ok so, since this was written in 1997, the Davinci Code was definitely copied from this, right? 

I guess in many ways they're completely different, but still. 

Regardless, I'm pretty sure I enjoyed this much more. It did last a bit longer than I would have liked (how many countries did he have to travel to in Europe really?), but I really liked the denouement. 

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Review: Confessions

Confessions by Augustine of Hippo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first part of this book (the first 9 books) is great. The story of his personal journey to Catholicism is intense, personal and relatable. 

Starting at Book X, however, it starts losing me. The whole discussion on memory and thoughts is a tad too philosophical for me, and his discussions on what time is (Book IX) seem more about semantics than anything else. It doesn't really pick up much from there. 

Some of my highlights:

"Grant me, Lord, to know and understand whether a man is first to pray to you for help or to praise you, (Book1)

"Though I liked actors and openly admired them, I should not have wanted their fame and popularity for myself. I would rather have been entirely unknown than known in the way that they were known. I would rather have been hated than loved as they were." (Book IV)

(Re: St. Ambrose) "When he read, his eyes scanned the page and his heart explored the meaning, but his voice was silent and his tongue was still." IOW he didn't read aloud, which was apparently remarkable back then.  (Book VI)

"Your apostle did not forbid me to marry, although he counseled a better state, wishing earnestly that all men should be as he was himself" (Book VIII)

"I had prayed to you for chastity and said 'Give me chastity and continence, but not yet'" (Book VIII)

Book X, Chapter 21: Argument about two men. One might wish to join the army, the other not. But both will want to be happy. ie, the army makes one happy, not the other. 

"But there is a true Mediator, whom in your secret mercy you have shown to men. (...) He is the Mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ" (Book X)

"What else was the presence of darkness but the absence of light?" (Book XII) - I hadn't realized this expression had originated with St. Augustine

" the gift of speaking in strange tongues is a sign given to unbelievers, not believers" (1 Corinthians 14:22, Book XIII)

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Review: Anselmo d'Aosta: La vicenda umana di un grande monaco del medioevo

Anselmo d'Aosta: La vicenda umana di un grande monaco del medioevo by Enzo Marigliani
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I bought this book over 10 years ago (at Diffusione del Libro, in Lido di Camaiore), and for many of those years I had been wondering why I bought it. So I finally decided it was time to bite the bullet and read it, to find out once and for all if the purchase had been worth it.

Well, it turns out it was. Anselmo d'Aosta (known as Anselm of Canterbury in English) was a very interesting person, personally called to England by William the Conqueror to be Archbishop of Canterbury, and a precursor to many other more famous religious thinkers (Abelard, Aquinas, among others). There was also plenty of drama in his life, despite the fact that all he wished to do was to retire to a monastic lifestyle.

I found myself underlining several passages discussing his philosophy on monotheism, how to know God exists, etc.

A good quote concerning teaching younger pupils (translated) “A youth is like a piece of wax. If too hard or too soft, the impression of the seal will not be clear." (p.44)

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Review: Nathan der Weise

Nathan der Weise by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Better than I thought. I feel like a politician or two would benefit from giving this a read.

I really liked Nathan's parable with the father and the three rings as related to the three main religions in the Holy land.

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Review: The Letters of Abélard and Héloïse

The Letters of Abélard and Héloïse by Pierre Abélard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Someone needs to make a movie based on these two. 2 extremely intelligent people falling in love. Taking place in the middle ages in Paris and Northern France. They must hide, escape, have a son while on the run, and then finally return and get married. And that's when the trouble starts, and the husband gets castrated and persecuted and the couple is separated forever, relying on these letters to communicate from thenceforth.

Having said that, Abelard does come across as pretty annoying and condescending in these. I don't doubt his intelligence, but neither does he. I did enjoy the arguments as to why women are stronger than men in the Bible (starting around p. 118).

I wish more were written about the final group of letters. If they really were written by Abelard and Heloise it would really add quite a bit, since the tone and subject matter is so different from the other correspondence.

I also wish I knew what happened to Astrolabe.

4.5 stars

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Review: The Volta Santo of Lucca

The Volta Santo of Lucca by Pietro Lazzarini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A pretty full informational booklet about il Volto Santo, from the legend, to the actual history, to what we really know about its history (and how). It also details famous and holy people who have had to do with the Volto Santo, and general description of how focal it has been to Lucca as a city.

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Review: Light in the Dark Ages: The Friendship of Francis and Clare of Assisi

Light in the Dark Ages: The Friendship of Francis and Clare of Assisi by Jon M. Sweeney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not really about the friendship between Francis and Clare of Assisi, since they hardly ever interacted, other than at the very beginning and for a famous meal together.

However, this was still very interesting. Particularly about how badly (and quickly) Francis's teachings were subverted and altered after his death. In fact, even though he left precise instructions, and said that these directions were not to be changed, they still were completely.

Also interesting how his followers (the spirituals) included Ubertino of Casale, of "Name of the Rose" fame.

I get the impression that he probably came closest to taking the life of Christ (and therefore the Bible) literally, getting rid of all his possessions.

I was also impressed by Clare of Assisi, who probably deserves much more acclaim, being the first female to develop her own "rules" in Catholicism.

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Review: Cross and the Floating Dragon: The Gospel in Ryukyu

Cross and the Floating Dragon: The Gospel in Ryukyu by Edward E. Bollinger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is basically the history of Christianity in Okinawa. I thought it would be the most boring book I had ever read, but it turned out to be a gem, giving me a look into the history of something that touched the lives of millions of people in the island all told. It covers all types of Christianity (Catholicism, COE, Episcopalianism, Methodism, Presbyterianism, Baptists, seventh day Adventists, and others) on the island.

The whole section on Bettelheim was extremely entertaining (and it turns out he has a Wikipedia page too), especially the tactics the locals used to discourage him, and how he kept persevering.

The "Village that lives by the Bible" story was also extremely interesting, including the truth behind it.

After the war, there was a general mentality that "America won the war, so now we must become Christians" (p. 189), which undoubtedly helped the Christian movement (although it had been going very strong before the war as well).

It was also interesting to read about the conflict between ancestral rites and Christianity, and how Catholicism was the most accommodating for this practice.

All in all an interesting and unique look into a subject I otherwise would never have read about.

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Review: The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament

The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament by Bart D. Ehrman
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This is way beyond my pay grade, so I'm not really in any position to give it a rating. It also went into much more detail than I could handle. But I did find many of the concepts fascinating, such as Docetism, and the idea that, since Jesus was divine, he wasn't really human and only ate food to make his apostles relate to him (then debunked in instances when, for example, he asked for some water because he was thirsty on the cross). Or that he had Simon of Cyrene go on the cross in his stead, since he was divine and couldn't die on the cross.


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Review: Paul: A Biography

Paul: A Biography by N.T. Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An excellent biography. This book goes very much into detail about Paul's life, at least as far as we can know from the material available. Wright does an excellent job of tying it all together into a coherent (and very in-depth) narrative.

Interesting to read about how Paul (and all his contemporaries) never said we should be good so we can go to heaven when we die, but rather that the Kingdom of God should come to us on earth as it is in heaven. And apparently they meant this quite literally.

I did feel a tad unprepared for this. He goes into tremendous detail, and I probably would have gotten more out of it had I had more than a cursory knowledge of Paul's writings beforehand.




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Review: Methodism: Empire of the Spirit

Methodism: Empire of the Spirit by David Hempton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This should probably be the second book you read on Methodism. It lacked a basic standard history and overview of the religion, with its beginnings, progress, changes, up to the present day. A book containing those details would be great preparation for this book.

As it stands, this book is full of details you probably can't find anywhere else. It has things like discussions on the parallels and differences between Methodism in the US and in Britain, but in one chapter it compares Kilham to O'Kelly, in another Bunting to Asbury, and then talks about Taylor expanding to 5 continents, and these names mesh together with those of other itinerant preachers and believers, so it's hard to form a coherent outline of the religious movement due to all the details that are given (and in no chronological order).

Here is another telling passage: "As every undergraduate knows, John Wesley had a particular genius for organization..." (p. 128). While I probably could have guessed he was good at organization, since the fact that he founded Methodism was pretty much all I knew about him before reading this book, I doubt that any undergraduate I ask would 'know' this.

In other words, knowing a basic outline of the history of methodism is almost required to get the most out of this book.

Having said that, there are some very interesting tidbits.

Some of my notes:
Wesley actually never left the Church of England, since he thought Methodism didn't veer from it at all. He also was against the American revolution, was against capitalism and against enlightenment rationalism. Given all this it's amazing how it thrived in the US.
Methodists and Baptists were much more popular among oppressed African americans than other religions.
By the 1850s, Methodists had built almost as many churches in the US as there were post offices.

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Review: What Catholics Really Believe--Setting the Record Straight: 52 Answers to Common Misconceptions About the Catholic Faith

What Catholics Really Believe--Setting the Record Straight: 52 Answers to Common Misconceptions About the Catholic Faith by Karl Keating
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've had this book for close to 10 years now, and I finally got around to reading it. All in all it is a quick read (so shame on me for not tackling it earlier). It just basically lists 52 false claims about Catholicism, and refutes them one by one. In doing so, Keating provides an explanation for the Catholic view on many different subjects.

So basically, if you are interested in learning more about Catholicism, this is probably a great place to start. It won't go much into detail, but will probably mention more than a couple points you hadn't considered (I was raised Catholic, and I confess I didn't know quite a few of these points).

Also, it goes without saying that you don't have to be Catholic to read this. In fact, you'll probably get more out of it if you're not. I'm not saying you'll necessarily agree with his points, but it'll be an enlightening read nonetheless.




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Review: Hoofprint of the Ox: Principles of the Chan Buddhist Path as Taught by a Modern Chinese Master

Hoofprint of the Ox: Principles of the Chan Buddhist Path as Taught by a Modern Chinese Master by 聖嚴法師
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up on a visit to Fagushan Nongchan Temple (法鼓山農禪寺) in Taipei, looking for an overview of Chan (Zen) Buddhism. The introduction is basically Sheng-yen's biography. The first chapter seemed to be an overview of Chan Buddhism that got way too technical for me, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The second chapter starts dealing with meditation, and then the other aspect of Chan Buddhism.

This is probably an excellent book if you are ready to set out and are serious about getting into Zen Buddhism. If you're just mildly interested and want to read more about it (like I was) this may be a bit much. Certain things were just too dense for me. For example, here's a sentence taken at random:

"The fourth station of mindfulness of dharmas entails taking a microscopic look at the continuum of psycho-physical experience from which concepts of self, mind and body are produced, using its constituent dharmas as the frame of reference".

It's not as bad as it may sound there, since the terminology is all explained beforehand, but it still ain't easy.

Having said that, it basically details all the aspects, history and beliefs of Chan Buddhism. The title is explained in the final chapter.


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A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by Karen Armstrong

A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by Karen Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is actually an extremely good book, and probably very necessary if you want to understand religious beliefs, especially Christianity, Islam and Judaism. I found it quite heavy at times, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Also interesting to see that what I thought were current trends in religion were actually quite different when put into historical context.

Some things I found especially interesting:
- how the emphasis on literal interpretation that came about during the reformation led to unavoidable discrepancies and contradictions, and this led to people to start to become bona fide atheists (p. 291)
- Christianity used to be a religion of revolution, now it is a religion of the status quo (p. 20)
- how Christianity is a religion of loss and failure, while Islam has always been more a religion of triumph, and the differences caused by this
- the thorough chronological history of the three Abrahamic religions and how they tie into each other

I saw other readers complain that it was boring, which it really was at certain points. I don't really blame the author, but a good editor should have been able to cut down certain parts, or make them more palatable. Having said that, it's worth trudging through these to get to the good points.





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