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0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 A winner for our men's group! Feb 03, 2009
Garry Wills, "What the Gospels Meant", a perfect choice for the non-theologian who wants an up to date, clear introduction to the four gospels. Wills takes them one at a time, and puts each in its context. Our men's study group (local Episcopal Church) is finding the material informative and challenging, as we read the Biblical text of each gospel alongside this excellent book.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 What are the Gospels? Jan 17, 2009
Professor Wills concentrates on two aspects of the Gospels -- what they meant to early readers, and what they are. Personally, although he brings a lot of really brilliant research to bear on these two questions, I don't think he answers either of them to the reader's complete satisfaction. What he does do -- and does brilliantly -- is provide a fresh, insightful translation of each Gospel. I wish this book had been published before I published my own translations of Mark's Gospel and John's Gospel in respectively More Bible Wisdom for Modern Times: Selections from the Early New Testament and Essential Bible Wisdom: GOOD NEWS by John, the Beloved Disciple, and John, the Elder. I would certainly have made a few changes in the light of Wills' admirable research. Alas, what is disappointing, however, is that Wills has not taken a further step, but has accepted the traditional arrangement (in John's case, the disarrangement) of the Gospels. He fails to restore John's beautiful Foreword and moving Afterword. Nor does he re-translate the many Gospel quotations from Scripture by referring back to what all the New Testament authors actually quoted from the Greek Septuagint. This neglect leads him to magnify Hebraic influence on all the Gospel writers. In fact John, the Elder, who edited the Beloved Disciple's Gospel, took great pains to either delete or alter all such influences in John's Gospel so that the Disciple's work finally emerges as a Greek view of Jesus. In fact, in the Elder's version of the Gospel (which is the version printed in all Bibles), Jesus is no longer a Jew. He is a Greek!
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Insightful, Historically-based Look at Scripture Authors and Style Jan 10, 2009
Garry Wills starts "What the Gospels Meant" with Jesus explaining what the Sacred History of the Jews meant. Wills begins yet summarizes his book with Luke's familiar story of Jesus meeting two men on their way to Emmaus. Jesus explains to them how His life and death had to fulfill the Sacred Writings, before they came to know Him in the Eucharist ("the breaking of the bread.")
Wills' book successfully provides insight into time's most beloved stories (Jesus' miracles and parables) without outshining their sources or interpreted meanings to each life. In theologian Raymond Brown's quote from Wills' epilogue, he says each evangelist's work forms "three sides of a diamond" showing sides of Christ's life and mission. Together, they comment and fulfill Jewish Sacred Writings (the Christian "Old Testament", through which salvation would come from the Jewish Messiah.
(Wills correctly points out Jesus telling Nazareth's Temple assembly, "This passage is fulfilled in your hearing." as a key Gospel story having a "force and economy...hard to overstate."
Willis' approach draws from ancient political history and tradition, as well as familiarity with Catholic thinkers from Brown to G.K. Chesterton to Augustine. He deepens and widens lessons in parables and teachings like the sower and seed (a parable of encouragement from Mark's Gospel during early local church dissension), the Good Samaritan and Prodigal Son (Luke's emphasizing Jesus as reconciler and healer), Matthew's telling of Jesus' Beatitudes and Lord's Prayer (part of five discourses forming a "greatest hits" of early Church teaching in Antioch) and John's recalling Jesus' last discourse before His crucifixion, death, and resurrection. (Some of Wills' most convincing arguments for each evangelist's style stem from their retelling the Easter story.)
Wills repeats an image from "What Jesus Meant" (Lazarus' rising depicted from Martin Scorcese's "Last Temptation of Christ" shows John's foreshadow of Jesus' Passion.) His comment on Mary's "virginal conception" and Jesus' relationship with his brothers continues his controversy streak going back at least to "Papal Sin."
But while the "Good News" stands good enough without commentary, Wills places his formidable strengths as theologian, historian, and writer (with choice personal anecdotes) so readers more deeply appreciate each evangelist's timeline, choices, and divine inspiration. An enriching read, recommended for any faith or Biblical scholarship library.
Well written, good ideas, relies on "could have been" too much Nov 30, 2008
This is the first book by Wills that I have read and it seems from other reviews that this might be better if it had followed some of his other books.
Overall I found the book to have some interesting ideas and was very easy to read in format and flow. Wills takes each gospel one at a time, covers the basic topics of each and shows what each means when seen by a different audience. He is well organized, logical in his layout and keeps the structure easy to follow. His ideas add a unique interpretation to each of the narratives based on the context of each audience.
Two points that I which would have been covered:
1. How did he come up with each of the audiences?
I saw no real historical data to show that these groups existed. It could be that they are well known to his circle and I am expected to understand this, but references for those of us who are not familiar would have been helpful. Without that knowledge it becomes an 'if' it was written for these people 'then' this is how it would be seen.
2. I was disappointed in the fact that he seemed to gloss over the sermon on the mount.
Here is what is considered some of the world's greatest writings and I was expecting much more insight. A tribute to his writing is that after reading his background for the gospel audience I was seeing unique ways to view many of the stories and was reading on to see if he agreed with my ideas.
What the Gospels meant to 1st and 2nd century people Nov 26, 2008
Wills gives a patient, scholarly exploration of what the Gospels meant to contemporary Jews and Christians. At each turn of the story he explores the meanings people of that time drew, from associations they made with the whole Hebrew Bible. And being a Greek scholar, Wills does his own translations of the New Testament, often giving the lines fresh force. Among the Beatitudes, Wills translates "Happy those who yield", and explains "Jesus praises those who could be aggressive but refuse to be".
Wills' writing is more careful than dramatic. He's devout and scrupulous at the same time. With deepest respect for the Gospel writers', he shows how variant copies of the text sometimes tried to correct its message. Some copyists deleted the lines "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do", because they assumed it wrong to promote forgiveness for such terrible deeds.
Basically, the book focuses on how Hebrew heritage informed the Gospel accounts. It neglects other influences, such as how Greek culture influenced the probably Greek authors of Luke and John.
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