Let me say right off the bat that I disagree fundamentally with one assertion of Borg in this book: I believe Jesus was very much an eschatologically orientated and motivated figure in distinction to Borg who regards such beliefs as "taken for granted" and "in need of reexamination". But that is just a difference in our interpretation of the Jesus traditions. Virtually everything else Marcus Borg writes in this study of the historical Jesus I regard as highly suggestive and very persuasive. It is one of the best books i have read which enables the modern reader to site Jesus in his first century Jewish environment. This, as Borg writes very lucidly, was a matter of resistance to Rome, Jewish holiness and purity and a matter of politics in the widest sense of that word. Things I find particularly useful in this study are Borg's concentration on compassion as Jesus' form of holiness, his existence as a "spirit person" and his discussion of the multiform existence of first century Judaism. Put simply, this book is a substantial attempt to ascertain what was behind the teaching and activity of Jesus in its political, social and cultural contexts which doesn't forget the necessary "religious" aspects to studying Jesus. That Borg is a member of the Jesus Seminar, those trashers of previous consensus and arch-publicists, might put some people off this book - but it shouldn't. Borg is the sensible face of that group and his conclusions are significantly different at several points. This book deserves to be read, mused upon and weighed due to its insight and judicious handling of the first century situation in which we find Jesus. Conclusions come and go but this study by Borg sets out an argument which most readers of the historical Jesus will need to address sooner or later.

This book was one to which I was looking for great amounts of information and comparative studies between the sayings of Jesus and the Buddha. What I received was a beatiful little book with one verse or set of verses from the Christian scripture on one page and a verse from a sutra on the opposite page......that's it!!! No scholarly discussion, no commentary, no historical information.....nothing else but the two "versions" of the same saying. This reads more like a Hazelton daily meditation book than an academic comparison between the sayings of [perhaps] two of the greatest, most influential, and well known prophets of recorded history (the other being Muhammad). This is a cute little book to keep in the bathroom or on your bed-side table. It is NOT an academic or scholarly comparison of the Parellal Sayings of Jesus and the Buddha. 1 star for cuteness, 1 star for context, no stars for scholarship.

Located on this book's pages are some amazingly similar sayings that will leave you hungry to learn more about both Buddhism and Christianity. Edited by Marcus Borg, in the preface he states that "If the Buddha and Jesus were to meet, neither would try to convert the other-not because they would regard such an effort as hopeless, but because they would recognize each other." I believe after reading this book that you will feel the same way!

Striking similarities start with the book's very first set of sayings... "Do to others as you would have them do to you", attributed to Jesus and "Consider others as yourself", attributed to Buddha. Throughout the book the parallels are amazing up to and including the very last set... "Then Jesus cried again with a load voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split", and "At the Blessed Lord's final passing there was a great earthquake, terrible and hair-raising, accompanied by thunder".

The book begins with some discussion about why these two great religious figures may have such similar stories and sayings, but I would have liked to see the author expand on that more. The book is basically just side by side comparisons of similar quotes and concepts and it is up to the reader to form his own conclusions as to why they are so much alike.

All in all this is a worthwhile and easy read... a definate recommend to anyone interested in religion or philosophy.

It's a shame that such a wonderful little book has an average rating due to the Phoenix-types who need "more words and less white." If you are turned-off by Christianity because of the Bible's "excess food and unnecessary baggage," this book really gets to the point. You may even discover that universal truth, which most Christians seem to think that the Bible has cornered the market on, is much more eloquently described outside the narrow little world of scripture-based "scholarly discussion" and "commentary."