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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 232.901
EAN num: 9780385484770
ISBN number: 0385484771
Label: Image
Manufacturer: Image
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 192
Printing Date: September 14, 1999
Publishing house: Image
Release Date: September 14, 1999
Sale Popularity Level: 212739
Studio: Image
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There are countless paths to follow when seeking spiritual guidance, but thousands of years of religion and theology cannot replace the premier example that Jesus himself set. In A Portrait of Jesus, bestselling writer Joseph Girzone recaptures the truth of Jesus that is presented in the Gospels and gives a compelling vision of the person Jesus' contemporaries must have known. In his most powerful work yet, Girzone seeks to personify Christ in the minds of readers by asking some simple questions: 'What did people see in Jesus as he walked down the street? How did he approach others and what would these people take away from meeting him? What do his actions tell us about how we can live our lives today?' It is Girzone's empowering and loving understanding of the heart of Christianity that will make A Portrait of Jesus a groundbreaking classic in the tradition of his bestselling books, Joshua and Never Alone.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Rated by buyers 
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I purchased this for a friend because I knew that she'd appreciate it. This book gives us a profound view of Jesus based on what the Bible doesn't say. Father Girzone looks at Jesus in the Bible and expands our understanding. Anyone wanting to know Jesus on a more personal level should read this book.
Rated by buyers 
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Unfortunately this book has several problems. First of all, there are several misquoted Scripture references, wrong book or chapter, etc. Then, he paraphrased Scriptures (according to Girzone's interpretation) which are completely in error, changing meaning, etc. He often simply failed to give the Scripture reference at all.
As to the writing, the book is extremely repetitious in a monologue, not a story. And then he introduced Catholic Church beliefs that get into areas that are not at all helpful in his area of painting a portrait of Jesus and make the book hard to follow.
Rated by buyers -
While studying the life of Jesus, few Christians look at the life of Jesus from a psychological perspective. We know why Jesus came to Earth and we understand why he did many of the things that he did. Looking at the big picture of the life of Jesus and the way he did things, we are able to see a new perspective on His life. Joseph Girzone does a beautiful job of capturing that in this book.
The stories in the Bible are just a small sample of the life of Jesus. Yet we know that the divine plan limited the stories to what are in the Gospels for a good reason. For example, Girzone notes the time Jesus spends in the Gospels speaking out against the high priests and Pharisees. Why? They were more based in enforcing rules and laws that St. Paul called unbearable. There are more important things than following laws. The compassion that Jesus shows to sinners is more important than casting out and punishing sinners. Jesus never turned any person away because of their sins. If we are judged according to the law, we all fail. By our humble attempts at living a Christian life and giving our life to God, we live a more pleasing life than the Pharisees.
This is just a small sample of the portrait painted in this book by Girzone. This is a book that gave me a new perspective on the life of Jesus that I would highly recommend.
Rated by buyers 
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I'm a conservative evangelical Christian, but I was raised in a very Roman Catholic area of the country. Therefore, I've been familiar with Joseph Girzone for years. He gives Catholicism a good name and I highly respect him. I've always been a fan of his most well known work - the book Joshua. And thought I'd read this book entitled A Portrait of Jesus.
Girzone is accurate in stating that we study theology and scripture, but fail to "study" Jesus. Many seminaries and Christian universities have all kinds of classes about the Bible, theology and scripture - but what about a class simply about Jesus? It is lacking! Simply by closely looking at the life of Jesus in the Gospels, there is so much we can learn about Him! This is the approach Girzone takes in this book.
Jesus' activities, routines, approaches (etc) if closely examined reveal much about who Jesus was as a person. For example - Jesus was frequently a guest in people's homes, attended dinner parties, weddings, and other social events. Jesus was a casual, easy-going guy. He mixed mostly with the everyday, working people. And he frequently mixed with those considered the "sinners" in his Jewish culture. We modern day evangelical Christians would NEVER go to some of the places Jesus went or mix with some of the people Jesus mixed with (That would be too "worldly"! Gasp!) Hmmm... where are our priorities? Are we putting people very first or last? Are we more concerned with our reputation and appearance than with loving people and showing them the way to the Savior? Many Christians yesterday (of all denominations) have become like the pharisees - more concerned with outward appearances than our inward spiritual life. Jesus put people very first and was more concerned with the inside than the outside. Jesus met people "where they were" on their spiritual path. He didn't expect more than they could give at the stage they were at spiritually...He was patient with them. These are some of the many excellent points in this book!
However, I do have a few mild criticisms: Although I am all for Christian unity, Girzone takes ecumenicalism too far. He also mentions several distinct Roman Catholic doctrines which I do not agree with. (One instance: He gives the example of how Mary asked Jesus to help when they ran out of wine at a wedding - as a good example of Mary being a mediator. And how we can ask Mary yesterday to mediate for us. This, in my opinion, is a "grasping at straws",really desperate endeavor to find something in the Bible that indicates Mary can mediate for us. It is simply not there. But numerous scriptures do clearly proclaim Jesus Christ as the only mediator for mankind.)
The book is also repetitive at times. For instance, two different parts in the book give a very similar (some parts almost word for word!) spiel about how Catholic Priests should be permitted to get married and have families. It seems one of these should have been edited out! Several other places in the book seemed repetitive as well.
But, overall, this was a worthwhile book! Depending on your background, this book will probably give you a refreshing new look at Jesus. Perhaps a Jesus you never knew until now. Is "your" Jesus a casual, friendly savior?
Rated by buyers -
My wife and I had discovered Girzone's books during a period of questioning, finding considerable refreshment in his candid and insightful way to look at service to God. Then, we heard he was going to speak at a local retreat. Sometimes I an somewhat apprehensive in learning more about someone, as they might not turn out to be the genuine article they seem to be. But, I was not disappointed: Joseph Girzone is a quiet but outgoing gentleman, with a twinkle in his eye, who was able to hold us spellbound with his insight into the personality of Jesus. Girzone is able to look beyond the dogma in scripture and discern the major character traits in his subject (Jesus). This talk, given several years ago, was in essence the content of this book: A Portrait of Jesus. The major theme of this book, which is an extension of his earlier books, is that Jesus was a joyful person, who would have been not only charismatic but fun to be around. Girzone is able to bring out the humanity in the Son of God. In my opinion this approach has more evangelical power than any hellfire and brimstone sermon. Girzone's thinking is cross-cultural and non-denominational. Non-Catholics, indeed non-Christians, of a spiritual bent will find themselves drawn to Girzone's straight-forward views of Jesus.
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