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50 Years Later: Stalag Luft III Diary
Daniel C. McKee
Manufacturer: Smithfield Press
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 0941037975 |
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Here you will learn of the inventive ways prisoners dealt with the boredom and uncertainty, of a young POWs dreams and fears, and of the harrowing final days of the war when the captives were marched from place to place with the sound of advancing guns getting ever louder.
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Andrei Sakharov (1921–1989), a brilliant physicist and the principal designer of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, later became a human rights activist and—as a result—a source of profound irritation to the Kremlin. This book publishes for the first time ever KGB files on Sakharov that became available during Boris Yeltsin’s presidency. The documents reveal the untold story of KGB surveillance of Sakharov from 1968 until his death in 1989 and of the regime’s efforts to intimidate and silence him. The disturbing archival materials show the KGB to have had a profound lack of understanding of the spiritual and moral nature of the human rights movement and of Sakharov’s role as one of its leading figures.
Customer Reviews:
"Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible .......2005-10-01
does not give rise to revolt but to submission." Simone Weil's statement provides a fairly accurate overview of the low level of public dissent seen in the Soviet Union through much of its existence. The inexorable and seemingly invincible oppression took root during Stalin's reign and remained in place in one form or another through the beginning of Gorbachev's glasnost campaign. Yet dissent was not silenced entirely. Throughout the Soviet era a small band of individuals, mostly acting individually or in very loose coalitions, did not submit. It is clear that dissidents such as A.I. Solzhenitsyn, Anatoly Scharansky, and Roy Medvedev caused the Soviet regime no small amount of concern. But as set out in "The KGB File of Andrei Sakharov" no one caused more aggravation to the Soviet authorities than Andrei Sakharov.
The editors Joshua Rubenstein and Alexander Gribanov have done an excellent job of putting the files in perspective. The book begins with a brief political biography by Rubenstein of the life of Sakharov and on the history of dissent in the USSR. Rubenstein, a director at Amnesty International has been involved in Soviet affairs for years and his deep knowledge of the subject matter shows through. The biographical introduction is concise but provides sufficient background information for the documents that follow. (I recommend Richard Lourie's "Sakharov a Biography" and Sakharov's "Memoirs" but Rubenstein's introduction is sufficient.)
Sakharov was the Soviet scientist primarily responsible for the development of the Soviet's H-bomb. He was a hero of the Soviet Union and had almost unlimited, direct access to the Soviet leadership. But Sakharov grew distant from the regime. He refused membership in the Communist Party and began to take up the cause of fellow scientists who had been unfairly dismissed. As Sakharov dissent evolved the regime grew increasingly intolerant of Sakharov's actions. Sakharov went from focusing on small issues to issues of internal democracy and global peace. It is clear that if Sakharov did not possess a vast array of nuclear secrets he would have been subject to the exile in the same manner as Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. At the same time, Sakharov was awarded the Nobel Peace Price. The Soviet authorities treated the award as part of a capitalist conspiracy to discredit it. Eventually, the authorities exiled Sakharov and his wife to the closed city of Gorky. There he was harassed and harried on a daily basis by the KGB and its agents.
The Sakharov files are sorted into five sections. They follow the trajectory of Sakharov's involvement in the dissident movement, through his exile to Gorky, and his return from internal exile and untimely death. Most of the files consist of memos and status reports from the KGB to the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Most of the reports were written by Yuri Andropov in his capacity as Chairman of the KGB.
The documents are chilling on many levels. The writing is banal at best. One expects dull bureaucratic prose from low level bureaucrats but I expected more from the Chairman of the KGB. Andropov did have various insights along the way but it almost seems accidental. Second, we see evidence of the type of cheap bullying that one see in B-gangster movies from the 1950s. In one memo Andropov notes that Sakharov takes walks in the woods and notes that "during these excursions, unexpected occurrences, accidents, etc. can happen and . . . [it would be wise] to speak to Sakharov and point out to him the undesirability of doing things that might jeopardize his health."
Despite all the cheap threats, the intimidation, and the deprivation, Sakharov won his fight. Shortly after Gorbachev came to power Sakharov and Bonner returned to Moscow. At the time of his death Sakharov had emerged as the leading opposition figure in the fight over the new Soviet constitution that eventually ended the Communist Party's monopoly on political power. The Soviet Union died shortly after Sakharov did.
It is easy in the west to minimize the impact dissidents such as Andrei Sakharov had on the Soviet regime. However, as Rubenstein points out in his Introduction, former Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Dobrynin acknowledged that the dissidents "caused considerable damage not only at home, but also to our relations with the rest of the world." When asked how this was possible another dissident, Andrei Amalrik made the point eloquently: "In an unfree country they behaved like free men, thereby changing the moral atmosphere and the nation's governing traditions."
Andrei Sakharov walked free in an unfree land and in so doing confound the Soviet authorities. Rubenstein and Gribanov's "The KGB Files of Andrei Sakharov" is an excellent place to examine Sakharov's life as seen through the eyes of those who tried unsuccessfully to have him revert to submission.
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The World of Andrei Sakharov: A Russian Physicist's Path to Freedom
Gennady Gorelik , and
Antonina W. Bouis
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Hardcover
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Sakharov: A Biography
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Memoirs
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Edward Teller: The Real Dr. Strangelove
ASIN: 019515620X |
Book Description
How did Andrei Sakharov, a theoretical physicist and the acknowledged father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, become a human rights activist and the first Russian to win the Nobel Peace Prize? In his later years, Sakharov noted in his diary that he was "simply a man with an unusual fate." To understand this deceptively straightforward statement by an extraordinary man, The World of Andrei Sakharov, the first authoritative study of Andrei Sakharov as a scientist as well as a public figure, relies on previously inaccessible documents, recently declassified archives, and personal accounts by Sakharov's friends and colleagues to examine the real context of Sakharov's life. In the course of doing so, Gennady Gorelik answers a fascinating question, whether the Soviet hydrogen bomb was really fathered by Sakharov, or whether it was based on stolen American secrets. Gorelik concludes that while espionage did initiate the Soviet effort, the Russian hydrogen bomb was invented independently. Gorelik also elucidates the reasons that brought about the seemingly sudden transformation of the top-secret physicist into a public figure in 1968, when Sakharov's famous essay "Progress, Peaceful Coexistence, and Intellectual Freedom" was distributed in samizdat in the USSR and smuggled out to the West. Recently declassified documents show that Sakharov's metamorphosis was caused by professional concerns, particularly regarding the development of an anti-ballistic missile defense. An insider's view of how the upper echelons of the Soviet regime functioned had led Sakharov to the conclusion that the goals of peace, progress, and human rights were inextricably linked. His free thinking and free feeling were manifested in his hope that scientific thought and religious perception would find a profound synthesis in the future.
Book Description
City Baby, the ultimate guide to raising your baby in the Big Apple, is back in a brand-spanking new edition, completely revised and updated! Weinberg and Ashton introduce parents to New York baby culture, with top-notch advice, insider tips, and up-to-date information on local hospitals and doctors, class offerings for parents and children, and a rundown of the city's best stores for maternity clothes, baby outfits, toys, books, and more.
Customer Reviews:
NYC Parent = Mother for these authors.......2006-10-03
As is typical of most books for "parents" they seem to think that that the only type of parent is a mother. So if you're looking for a book for NYC Mothers - feel free to get this yellow pages for shopping.
Oh wait there was one comment for fathers. In the "Top ten Things to Do with Your Family on the Weekend"- number 9- "Form a 'daddy' playgroup-dads get to bond with other dads and babies, and you get some time off." Hmm, not only was there no information about 'daddy playgroups' but how is this a good thing to "do with your family" (and again, the authors clearly assume the only one who would read this book is a woman)?
A great resource.......2006-02-02
City Baby is a great resource for city moms. All of my friends told me to get it when I got pregnant, and it has been my bible ever since. I love it!
Best Baby Gift.......2006-01-26
I asked my younger friends at the gym what to get for a baby shower of an employee in my organization and was led to City Baby, a handbook full of kid-smart suggestions.
Thumbing through it,I could see why it was recommended. Easy to read, peer to peer in style, funny at times and overall so practical, it really fills the need for a busy city mom who needs fast, well weighed out and practical info on what to do, what to buy,and how to get around with a young child in NYC.
I got a gold star thank you from my expecting colleague who loved the bathroom map of where to change a diaper when you're on the go and the interview questions for a prospective nanny.She said Pam Weinberg and Kelly Ashton treat you like you're one of their friends they want to help out. Made me look very savvy.
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Simple, savory food is alive and well in Maria Tisdall's Convent Cook, a collection of 90-plus easy recipes that are instant family pleasers. Tisdall is a professional cook who found an appreciative audience for her talents among the Benedictine sisters of New Jersey's Saint Walburga monastery. As convent chef, Tisdall introduced the sisters to the gastronomic delights of couscous, balsamic vinegar, and other "modern" ingredients, featured in dishes like Roast Pork Loin with Olives and Capers and Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Summer Vegetables. The sisters' gain is ours, too; not meant to wow diners with evolved dish making, the book scores instead with polished home cooking everyone can love.
Organized by the calendar, and thus by seasons, Tisdall presents monthly menus plus sketches of convent life. "Around the convent," she writes of the year's beginning, "January marks a time of transition [from] the Feast of the Epiphany ... regarded as the end of the holiday period to the return to teaching" and other essential convent responsibilities. Tisdall's January menu, which includes Spinach and Bacon Salad, Roast Beef with Herbed Rub, Pearl Onions with Orange Glaze, and the Dreamiest Cheesecake Ever, is thus fortifying food "meant to stave off the gloominess of January's long, dark afternoons." By contrast, Tisdall's June menu offers Penne with Grilled Chicken in a Pink Tomato Sauce and Chiffon Cake with Mocha Frosting--more relaxed fare that often benefits from "the flowering of the convent vegetable garden." Other menus are equally direct and attractive. Color-photo-illustrated throughout, and with a section on pantry basics, the book celebrates a purposeful community and the delicious dishes that give it, and Tisdall's readers, constant dining pleasure. --Arthur Boehm
Book Description
One of the best places to eat in New Jersey happens to be at a convent, of all places. Yes, the Benedictine sisters at Saint Walburga are eating in style, thanks to their very own convent cook, Maria Tisdall. Before Maria blessed them with her presence, these nuns lived on the plainest of plain foods—rice, potatoes, absolutely nothing fancy. But with Maria in the kitchen, they've started exploring the wonders of pesto, the gastronomic possibilities of couscous, and the joys of balsamic vinegar. Maria has opened the nuns to a whole new world of cooking, in the process developing a repertoire of recipes easily adaptable to home cooks entrusted with nourishing their families. In THE CONVENT COOK, you'll hear about the rhythm of life in a convent, be introduced to a wonderful cast of characters, and, best of all, be treated to Maria's sumptuous, angelic, and wholesome cooking.
Customer Reviews:
A brotherýs new best friend.......2003-01-23
I got this book for Christmas from my sister and now I'm a believer. After moving into my own place after college a couple of years ago I have struggled to find new things to cook, the days of raman noodle must pass. The only problem being that most of my attempts at cooking have come out looking more like my childhood mud pies then the pictures on the box. Now that I have made one or two of these simple meals for friends and a very impressed girlfriend I wonder why other cook books aren't so simply written. In the end I have to say get this book.
A user friendly cook book........2002-06-16
Quite a few cook books that I have purchased in the past, have been impossible for me to use, as my skills as a cook, are only basic, and their recipes difficult to follow. This book however is user friendly, with delicious results. I am sure these nuns must have considered her a "god send".
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Giordano Bruno and the Philosophy of the Ass
Nuccio Ordine
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0300058527 |
Book Description
In this highly original study, Nuccio Ordine uses the figure of the ass as a lens through which to focus on the thought and writings of the great Renaissance humanist philosopher Giordano Bruno. Widely acclaimed when it was first published in Italian in 1987, Ordine`s book is now available in English for the first time, bringing his intriguing insights to a new readership.
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Brilliant Stained Glass Mosaics combines two popular crafts into one exciting new art form. While most traditional opaque mosaics can be attractive and fun, they lack the creativity and excitement provided by the addition of stained glass. Glass-on-glass mosaic projects come to life because they can be illuminated by candlelight, incandescent or natural light.
This book illustrates simple mosaic techniques that can be used to create stunning, sophisticated designs for both home and garden décor. There are 12 glass mosaic projects in all, including windows, vases, candleholders, picture frames, light fixtures and more!
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A Day in the Life of a Park Ranger (The Kids' Career Library)
Liza N. Burby
Manufacturer: PowerKids Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0823953009 |
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In this sequel to the wildly successful Hey Ranger: True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America's National Parks, former ranger Jim Burnett casts his net globally in search of the most outrageous and humorous stories of man in his eternal quest to experience the natural world. Told in Burnett's classic, folksy, conversational style, Hey Ranger 2 will not disappoint as the follow-on to what has become a campground classic.
Customer Reviews:
A fun book.......2007-09-04
Having enjoyed Mr. Burnett's first book, I was eager to read his sequel. This book was also fun to read. A good vacation book that as each chapter is short and can stand alone.
It's hard to believe that people come to our National Parks so ill-prepared. It taught me a lot of what not to do!
This is a book that is great for the whole family - I shared it with my 85 year old mother and she is still laughing.
Sorry Ranger!.......2007-08-25
I had high expectations for this book but I had to put it down after a couple of chapters. There were too many instances where Mr. Burnett tried way too hard to make a story funny that really wasn't funny. The book is basically about stupid people asking stupid questions and doing stupid things. My advice is to just tell the stories and let the reader decide if it's funny, sad, ironic, etc. Also, there are way too many cliche's. I really hate reading books with cliche's. They should be stricken from every piece of literature ever written!
Anyway, there are some funny stories but the writing is just not really worth wading through.
Entertaining and informative.......2007-07-18
This sequel to the author's first Hey Ranger book is a lot of fun to read, and if you pay attention to the reasons the characters in this book had a misadventure, there's some good information to be gained as well. I enjoy his folksy, conversational style and the occasional acronyms he invents to describe some of the situations in the book. The short chapters make this a good book for travel reading.
A real disappointment........2007-07-01
I would first like to thank and congratulate Mr. Burnett for his hard work serving our parks. I didn't read the first one and I didn't know what I expected from this one, but I was very disappointed. The book seemed to lack solid substance. Most chapters seemed to drag on by the addition of filler text that made it simply boring to read. For example, there were several pages dedicated to the "humorous" events of trying to scare a snake out of a canoe. Or an in-depth analysis of how people were confused over his mailing address when he lived in one area but his mail was delivered to some other area. As time went on in reading the book, I simply had to start skimming the pages rather than reading them until I found something that was potentially interesting. Unfortunately, this isn't a book that I would even give to another family member to read.
Delightful!.......2007-05-24
This book is like a fresh breathe of air. It's witty,funny and relaxing to read. I found myself laughing out loud several times. A real break from the stress of life.
Book Description
Trish Kuffner, author of the popular "Busy Book" series including The Children's Busy Book, The Preschooler's Busy Book, The Toddler's Busy Book and The Arts and Crafts Busy Book, has created an all-new book of 365 games and activities for children ages 3 to 6. The Wiggle & Giggle Busy Book offers daily suggestions for physical activities as an alternative to watching TV and playing videogames. With activities divided into chapters on outdoor, indoor, water, rhythm/music and holiday activities plus an introductory chapter describing stages of development in children, this helpful, easy-to-use book will keep kids happily and productively occupied for hours.
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Life and work of Jiang Tiefeng, "Father of the Yunnan School" of modern Chinese art. First Edition, 1998. Signed in Chinese style by artist Jiang with large brush lettering on front free endpaper. 126 page hardcover book of the highest quality manufacture. Profusely illustrated with color reproductions
of Jiang's painting, serigraphy and sculpture. Dust jacket depicts Jiang's art. Black boards feature a large mint-colored Chinese character emblazoned on front board.
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Jiang: Father of the Yunnan School
Manufacturer: Fingerhut Group Pub
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 9998649056 |
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"Fascinating . . . lucidly written and carefully documented, it is a valuable addition to the library of anyone seeking to understand the origins of Christian faith."-Chicago Tribune
Finally back in print, this special 40th anniversary edition of Dr. Schonfield's international multimillion-copy bestseller is set to rock the establishment view of the life of Jesus all over again.
There is probably no other figure in modern Jewish historical research who is more controversial or famous than Hugh J. Schonfield, who once said: "The scholars deplore that I have spilled the beans to the public. Several of them have said to me, 'You ought to have kept this just among ourselves, you know.'"
What he did to "spill the beans" was present historical evidence suggesting that Jesus was a mortal man, a young genius who believed himself to be the Messiah and deliberately and brilliantly planned his entire ministry according to the Old Testament prophecies-even to the extent of plotting his own arrest, crucifixion and resurrection.
Since Schonfield's death in 1988, his popularity and the interest in his prodigious work, which included over 40 books, has drawn increasing attention, particularly outside Judaism. In fact, it is probably fair to say that his contribution to the Gentile understanding of Jewish aspirations among those within the Christian cultural framework has been without parallel. In true Christian tradition, he has also been the cause of much contention.
In the wake of resurgent interest in religious history spurred by Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, this 40th anniversary edition of The Passover Plot is set to engage a completely new generation of readers searching for truth.
Born in London in 1901,
Dr. Hugh J. Schonfield was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his services toward international humanity.
Customer Reviews:
Very informative book........2007-10-21
I never pictured myself reading about about Jesus, however curiousity made me read this without putting it down. This book gives a different spin on this story, and I appreciate knowing more about the man without (what I consider) the exagerated additions. It is much easier for me to understand how people (including Jesus) believed who he was, and the series of events that led him through his life. It is a great read, for those who believe and for those who do not.
Fantastic, fictional swoon plot.......2007-10-17
The best fiction is based, as much as possible, in truth. Schonfield succeeded in writing an entertaining work of fiction in The Passover Plot, but unfortunately that was not his intent. This now-deceased (1988), esteemed Dead Sea Scrolls scholar sets out to prove his take on the swoon theory. To do so, he must deny Jesus' deity, death, and resurrection. The swoon theory makes the rounds every now and then, and here Schonfield attempts to build a case in the face of strong evidence to the contrary.
Schonfield is clear with regard to his beliefs concerning Jesus and the New Testament (the Gospels in particular), unlike many current authors. In the Introduction (1996 mm ed.), he tells the reader Jesus is not divine (11, 12), nor the incarnate Son of God, but was used as a crutch by the fledgling church, which needed the human embodiment of a deity (13). Schonfield claims Jesus himself would see his deification as blasphemous, but offers only conjecture of Jesus' own interpretation of the prophecies. Regarding the New Testament gospel accounts, Schonfield states they are inconsistent, late, and contain many inaccuracies. Yet he uses his own translation of the New Testament (The Original New Testament) mixed with more widely accepted translations to support his theory.
Schonfield asserts Jesus came to believe he was "the expected Messiah of Israel" (14, 16) after immersing himself in the Old Testament traditions. Jesus then plotted and schemed to fulfill the messianic prophecies, persuaded this was "imposed upon him through the demands of the Old Testament." (51) Counter to the major theme of John's gospel, Schonfield states Jesus was not and did not believe himself to be divine. However, Schonfield uses this gospel liberally in support of his assertions throughout the book. He believes the gospels themselves are corrupted legends and traditions written after A.D. 100 by a Gentile offshoot of Jesus' original Jewish followers after Josephus' works were published. We therefore have no access to the "inside story" of Jesus (218). If the gospels are so corrupt, why use them as support?
Schonfield's belief that the gospels post date 100 A.D. is misplaced. The number of attested manuscripts far exceeds any other ancient work; they exhibit remarkable internal consistency and historical reliability. Even reputable liberal scholars now admit that the whole of the New Testament was written before A.D. 70. Josephus' writings are part of the support for the A.D. 70 date. But Schonfield uses them to claim they were written after A.D. 100. In this regard, the weight of scholarly evidence is not in Schonfield's favor.
An underlying current in this book implies religion is not rational because it requires faith (57). One sees this clearly on page 58, on which the author states there was no virgin birth and Jesus was not God. But no basis is given for this claim. Rather, the old modernist position "all religion or matters of faith is myth" is employed in a reverse "God-of-the-Gaps" argument. Yet by the author's claim, Jesus was a deeply religious man convinced by his Jewish faith that he was the Messiah. This is circular reasoning. Further, Jesus had such faith in the prophecies and scriptures of his religion that he put his life on the line to fulfill them. Following this flawed line of reasoning, Schonfield picks and chooses from both Old and New Testaments to support his position. He discounts the Gospels as untrue, but turns around and quotes one (usually John) out of context to support his assertions. The overall effect is scattered.
Last is the "Plot" itself. Jesus was able to plot his way to crucifixion and "resurrection" in the form of a risky plan. He was to be secretly revived after his "death," then assume his rightful place as Messiah. In chapter 12 Schonfield describes the sequence of events surrounding the crucifixion. According to Schonfield, Jesus carefully orchestrated every event with the help of a few assistants. Jesus never intended to actually die on the cross. With exquisite timing he intended to be there no more than three or four hours. He planned to be drugged into unconsciousness briefly while someone ran to a waiting Joseph of Arimathea, who would then run to beg a supposedly agreeable Pilate to allow Jesus' body to be removed from the cross. Joseph would then run back with word of Pilate's approval to the waiting man, who would then return to Golgotha, be believed by the Roman soldiers who would promptly remove the unconscious Jesus from the cross before he suffocated to death. This theory breaks down because the process of crucifixion Jesus endured would have led to his suffocation even if everything went perfectly. The distances involved are too great, and Jesus' physical condition on the cross too deteriorated for survival. By being drugged unconscious, Jesus would suffocate quickly because he wouldn't be able to push himself up to take a breath. The unanticipated wrinkle in Jesus' plan was a Roman soldier with a spear, which he used to pierce the pericardium sac surrounding Jesus' heart, thus ensuring death prior to removal from the cross.
When Schonfield wrote this book, many were seeking a "true Jesus" as an antidote to a church they felt had not succeeded in keeping up with the shifts in cultural moods. The Passover Plot attempts to bridge the gap between old traditionalism and new post modern seekers whose questions the church was slow to answer. In the end, this book raises more questions than it answers.
An interesting read........2007-09-27
I found this book to be very interesting, a subject that has always needed answered. A book for all to read. well written, and not an easy read!! well detailed and very informative..
Worth Reading.......2007-05-31
This book caused quite a stir when it first came out but I'm glad I read it and I'm glad it came back in print so I read it again. I don't agree with the main idea of the book, that Jesus was resuscitated for awhile and that somehow the empty tomb and the musings of John, the beloved disciple, convinced the other disciples that Jesus was resurrected. I hardly think the disciples would have been that stupid and naive. As a Christian, I believe the resurrection was a miracle. What else could explain the fervor that followed the crucifixion?
The real value of this book is that it gives us an honest and authentic glimpse of the mindset of a first century Jewish messianic leader from a Jewish scholar who is an expert in the field. The book explains what motivated Jesus and clearly defines what he believed himself to be and the mission he was to carry out. No other book has done this. Schonfield goes right to the Hebrew Bible and gives us a laundry list of messianic prophecies, particularly from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and the Psalms. These prophecies didn't just motivate Jesus, he actually read himself into these prophecies and set a course with his own life to fulfill them.
Schonfield explains why first century Palestine was open to the type of messianic fervour that spawned Christianity. He explains how the Son of Man prophecy of Daniel was expected to be fulfill in that time period. It refutes alot of the modern "Left Behind" garbage as well as the ridiculous flower child "Jesus Christ Superstar" nonsense in which Jesus is portrayed as a confused airhead who is trying to find his identity. Schonfield makes it very clear that no single individual in history knew exactly who he was and what his mission in life was.
We don't need The Dead Sea Scrolls to define Jesus nor do we need to buy into the Jesus went to India or was trained in Egypt new age lunacy. The Hebrew Bible expounded by a scholar of Jewish messianism and not by false evangelical prophets is all we need to really try to understand the mindset of Jesus. These were the same books he read.
Excellent Exposition -- Off-the-Mark Analysis.......2006-09-29
Dr. Schonfield, a very learned scholar, did what numberless people before and after him have done: He attempted to find the "real Jesus" hidden in the Gospels. As a seeker-after-truth, I read this book when it first came out. I found the book to be educational, entertaining, and enlightening on a number of subjects. Unfortunately, it wasn't very enlightening on the main question it sought to answer: What really happened on the first Easter?
Schonfield posits a complex conspiracy theory in which Jesus, with the unwitting assistance of his enemies, would fake his death and resurrection to advance his theological ends. Despite skepticism about the traditional Easter account, my assessment was that if your choice was limited to either the traditional account or the Schonfield account, you'd have to go with the traditional account.
Schonfield's analysis, however, does something that most post-modern New Testament scholarship does not. It credits the Biblical account of Jesus' life. Most post-modern Christian scholarship takes as its point of departure the presupposition that the Gospels are an amalgam of much falsehood and little truth.
It is ironic that cutting-edge Christian scholarship presupposes the falsity of the basic Gospel narrative while non-Christian scholars like Dr. Schonfield and Haim Cohn (The Trial and Death of Jesus) credit the basic account.
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Traditional Christian belief, firmly based on the divinity of Jesus, has been challenged by the discoveries of the twentieth-century world. Dr. Schonfield, in his revolutionary, humanistic approach to the life of Jesus, provides a theory entirely tenable in this scientific age. Jesus, he maintains, sincerely believed himself to be the Messiah if Israel foretold by the prophets, and deliberately plotted his actions-which were to culminate in the events of the Passion Week with his crusifixion and subsequent resurrection-to bear out the Messianic prophesies.
Customer Reviews:
Historical What-ifs.......2004-02-26
In 1971, I was a public high school senior who had dropped out of the Catholic School system after ten years of Catholic indoctrination and an excellent high school education under the Sistine Jesuits. I took an English elective entitled, "The Bible as Literature." Our first reading was "The Passover Plot."
I found the book to be highly interesting in its presentation of the historical facts of the time (history has always been my passion), and its subjective interpretation of the life of Jesus. Keep in mind that my background had been the religous indoctrination of the Catholic Church, which had been the preeminet spiritual and temporal leader of Europe until Martin Luther happened along. Also, keep in mind that Protestants are considered to be heretics of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
Anyway, my take on the whole matter is quite simple. I am sure most of us remember the old school game where you wisper a message in someones ear and have that person pass it to ten people. At the end of the line you ask the last person to reveal the message, and your original message has been totally twisted around. The same with history. Here we are two thousand years later after Jesus' presumable death at the
"brutal" hands of the Romans whose empire is also dead, and, more importantly, still waiting for his "SECOND COMING" as Christian believers, and no one can really say with sound accuracy if he lived or if he was just a myth.
The bottom line really is quite simple. Regardless of his existence, a religion was started, and our modern world is now caught up in the grips of a terrorist inspired JIHAD. The crusades revisited. Jews against Moslems, and Moslems against Christians---an age old story. Yet, all three religions claim to be descended from Abraham, but are killing each other against the precept of "Thou shallt not kill thy neighbor." The more lethal the weapon, the better.
Oh, and now we have a movie, "The Passion," which is exploiting the violent side of our souls in order to get a message out or is it the old Hollywood story--to make a bigger buck and be the all-time money grosser.
When will we as so-called educated, enlightened humans ever learn that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Sorry, if this was not an exact review of the book, and more like a polemical takeoff of my feelings on the book...but,...
In conclusion, the book does make an interesting read for someone who is open-minded enough to accept or reject the authors precepts. It should be read along with other books on the subject. Like the Constitution and the Bible, it is a matter of one's own interpretation. For historical research, I give it four stars, and for his "subjective" analysis and conclusion, I give the book three stars.
4 stars because it took some real testicular fortitude to.......2003-12-30
write this book in 1965, and to try and provide the thesis with scholarly support. Schonfield does exactly that. I'm not sure I can buy into all of what he is saying, but there certainly exists an aura of plausibility. Indeed, if one reads the Koran and some of the Indian texts that exist, Schonfield's book isn't so revolutionary. Specifically, Indians to this day claim that Jesus is buried in their country. Is it true? who knows, but we do know that contemporaneous writings from immediately after the crucifixtion refer to Jesus in India. Who knows, maybe it is all bunk. I think one thing is for certain--that Gospels as published today, don't match up with their original Greek manuscripts. I suspect that perhaps the truth is somewhere in between the Gospels and Schonfield's view.
Once It Was a Bombshell.......2003-12-26
When _The Passover Plot_ first came out back around 1965, it hit like a bombshell. Right away Schonfield tells his readers that the book is "the outcome of an endeavor which has extended over 40 years to discover who the 'man' (quotes mine) really was. However, rather than publishing this in a scholarly book, Schonfield aims his writing toward the general public in a commercial enterprise. What this means is that the author gets to make unsubstantiated assertions and does not have to field points of view contrary to his own.
So for Schonfield, Jesus became a Galilean who was caught up by his times. There was a great deal of messianic expectancy in Galilee and the Scriptures were reinterpreted to pertain to current events. One can find this same technique in the Dead Sea Scroll pesharim. For the pious in Israel, Rome was the archenemy,
the Fourth Kingdom foretold by Daniel 7. Jesus came to believe that he was the Messiah endowed with the spirit of wisdom. According to the Scriptures, he would die on the cross and then be resurrected. This would save Israel from the Romans.
With meticulous detail Jesus plans his own execution and resurrection. Yes, there would be torture, but that was predicted by Scripture. But crucifixion was not always fatal. Josephus records an interesting story about some who were saved after being crucified. Jesus planned to stay on the cross for only a few hours. He would try to appear dead. The vinegar on the sponge was supposed to be a drug. Then he would try to get into the hands of some close, trusted friends who would resuscitate him. The plan would have worked had not Jesus been thrust in the side with a lance. For a short period of time on Saturday night Jesus regained consciousness and then succumbed.
I have a few objections to Schonfield's book. For the moment I will grant that he was writing as a historian and not as a theologian. Among other things, this allows him to not consider anything which might be known as miraculous.
My first objection is that Schonfield has to account for the formation of the early church. He does this by quickly sketching in a few post-resurrectional stories. The angel at the tomb is really the young man who gave Jesus the vinegar at the cross. The man encountered by Mary in the garden is a Jesus imperson-ator as are the man encountered by the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
All of this was supposed to have been planned by Jesus at least some of which was planned on Saturday night when Jesus regained consciousness for a short period of time. Proposing these posthumous manipulation of events stretches credulity. Moreover the whole theory proposes that there were the Twelve Disciples and then there was an inner circle closer to Jesus. One would think that later traditions would know something more about them than an obscure comment.
My second objection is that Schonfield writes that the Romans were the enemy of the pious of Israel. But on page 143 Jesus manipulates the situation so that the Chief Priests were forced to move against him. Then on page 145 the Chief Priests have bring "strong pressure" on Pilate so they pack his courtyard with their own henchmen. This sounds like Jesus had another opponent than Rome.
Now I will get back to the idea that Schonfield was writing as a historian rather than a theologian. Schonfield is a Jewish Nazorean. He starts out his book with a question that he asked of his "Christian friends" if it would not be enough if they believed in One God and believed in Jesus as his messianic messenger. On page 141 he points out that early Nazoreans knew nothing of Trinitarianism. He concludes Part 1 of his book with a short homily about "the young Jew, there was the Man." So on the contrary, Schonfield permeates his book with his theology.
This book should never have made the explosion that it did.
Apparently it's not supposed to be a fictional book.......2003-06-19
In this book Hugh Schonfield delivers a theory that portrays Jesus as a deceiver who bent the rules in order to fulfill prophecy. According to Schonfield's story, Jesus planned His own resurrection, which was apparently foiled when He was accidentally pierced on the cross by a soldier. However, the disciples--what would a dead Jesus look like anyway? Schonfield asks--wanted so badly to believe in the resurrection that they mistakenly thought they saw Jesus and began what we today call Christianity.
Pity the poor Christians today, Schonfield seems to be saying. Here they are, believing in a nonhistorical fairy tale. If his story is correct, then the Christian is truly the most pitied of all people, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:1ff. But if he is wrong, there is a terrible price to pay. Yet I believe that history shows the swoon theory, the wrong tomb theory, or even the spiritual resurrection theory as much more likely possibilities than what Schonfield has to offer.
In effect, Schonfield is calling into question the integrity of both Jesus and his disciples. Was Jesus really a deceiver? Was He looking for popularity? If so, then why did He not accept the accolades of the people that He received on Palm Sunday and just become their political ruler? Certainly it could have ended no more tragically than what really took place. Jesus' popularity would have given Him an edge in trying to overthrow the Roman government in the Judean region, and perhaps He could have been more successful than the many other "messiahs" who, for the most part, were all unsuccessful and eventually lost their lives. But to claim that Jesus was in this for the power or because He Himself was under dillusional thoughts is not very historical at all.
Another problem with Schonfield's theory is that there were many events not under Jesus' control for this theory to take place. Here is a man whose very birth was predicted in scripture (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2). What He would say on the cross and other circumstances of His death were also very clearly predicted (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53). His life fulfilled these things. Despite His death and the "plot" wallowing in shambles, everything is supposed to work out just right? Are we to believe that Thomas really touches Jesus, but this really wasn't Jesus? (John 20:26ff) So why does Thomas take the gospel message to India and die a martyr's death? To make everything work, Thomas and the other disciples must have been complete dolts, which is the only possible way it would have worked. With Jesus out of the picture, there is no way in the world this could have fooled so many different people, including the more than 500 who saw Jesus at one time (1 Cor. 15:1-7).
All in all, I believe that a person will have to own a lot of faith in order to believe The Passover Plot. If the author was not serious about his research, it would almost be a fun theory. But Schonfield shows how far off a person can get by reading into history and creating one's own "what if" theory. To me, believing in the many eyewitness accounts of Jesus' resurrection appearances, the evidence of the power of changed lives because of this resurrection, and a tomb where no body could be found is a much better risk of faith than believing anything Schonfield has to offer. Unless you're curious to see how Schonfield explains his theory, I just don't recommend this book.
Likely Fiction ... But More Believable Than the Gospels.......2002-11-20
An interesting analysis of the Passion story, this book is most valuable for the background information it gives about the state of the world where and when Jesus lived. The faked death by crucifixion notion seems a trifle far-fetched, but not nearly so outlandish as the story in the Gospels of the return from death and the invention of the notion of the Second Coming to cover up the historical fact that the Romans crushed the Jewish Messiah like a grape, and he did not save his people. Anything that pokes a few more holes in fundamentalism is worth the price of admission.
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The Passover Plot
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H0FEN6 |
Average customer rating:
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THE PASSOVER PLOT
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HVYCM4 |
Average customer rating:
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The Passover Plot
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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ASIN: 0552077607 |
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