{"id":1344,"date":"2025-09-11T13:50:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T13:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/?p=1344"},"modified":"2025-10-09T15:04:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T15:04:19","slug":"the-wisdom-jesus-transforming-heart-and-mind-a-new-perspective-on-christ-and-his-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/the-wisdom-jesus-transforming-heart-and-mind-a-new-perspective-on-christ-and-his-message\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind \u2013 a New Perspective on Christ and His Message"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Cynthia Bourgeault<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

–<\/p>\n\n\n

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Buy Book<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It is refreshing to read of Jesus in his Near Eastern context emerging \u201cas a sophisticated, fully attuned, and even cosmopolitan teacher, working in a genre that is recognized by his audience but teaching it so much more powerfully and boldly that he pulls people right with a start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cynthia Bourgeault offers a guide to transformation and contemplative practice though a fresh understanding of Jesus\u2019 living on one of the \u201cSilk Road\u201d routes and in the suspiciously Hellenistic culture of the Sea of Galilee crossroads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She leads the reader through \u201cJesus as a Recognition Event\u201d and his life in a dynamic cultural milieu, applying relatively recent understandings from the Nag Hammadi Codex, Syriac studies and the Dead Sea Scrolls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrating Jim Marion\u2019s Putting on the Mind of Christ<\/em>, Bourgeault explores how Jesus points toward a new way of seeing reality.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She then moves to \u201cThe Path of Metanioa\u201d and a compelling chapter titled, \u201cKenosis: The Path of Self-Emptying Love.\u201d(At this point, it should be noted, some will find Bourgeault\u2019s ease with the Gospel of Thomas and eastern mysticism problematic.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bourgeault is fairly passionate in her four chapters with insights on \u201cThe Mysteries of Jesus\u201d that are loaded theologically. The last portion of the book focuses on contemplative practices, and those who are interested will find that she provides very practical guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A committed study group will find plenty to discuss in The Wisdom Jesus<\/em>. It serves well for the individual as a devotional read and for considering more of what might be considered \u201cthe mind of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some non-Christian skeptics who read the book might be led to consider Jesus\u2019 invitation to \u201cCome and see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sample of Bourgeault\u2019s passion is in her reflections on the Incarnation: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt its mystical best, Christianity reverberates with the warmth of this assurance: with the conviction that creation is good, that God is for us, and that what ultimately gets worked out in the sacred mystery of Jesus\u2019s passage through the human realm is a profound testament to love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review by Tom Prevost, retired minister and mission administrator in Chattanooga, Tenn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Cynthia Bourgeault – It is refreshing to read of Jesus in his Near Eastern context emerging \u201cas a sophisticated, fully attuned, and even cosmopolitan teacher, working in a genre …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookschallenging"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1344"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1578,"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1344\/revisions\/1578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesusworldview.org\/resource-library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}