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The Sayings of Jesus: The Logia of Yeshua
Jesus was a street preacher who taught through story and aphorism. Antedating the Gospels, these 105 sayings were recorded by his followers during and shortly after his lifetime. Through the immediacy of direct quotation, Guy Davenport and Benjamin Urrutia’s bold translation shakes our preconceptions, reintroducing us to the West’s greatest teacher, whose powerful words ring anew.
- GenresReligionChristianity
112 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 20, 2013
This is a wonderful little book, given to me by my friend Robert Hannon. Benjamin Urrutia began a new translation from the early "Sayings Gospels," collections of Jesus' sayings which were in circulation well before the more narrative gospels in the Bible we have today were written. At a certain point in his work, Urrutia made the fortuitous decision to ask Guy Davenport for his opinion, and was so taken with Davenport's suggestions that he invited him to collaborate.
The book is a tiny marvel--lean, scholarly translations of early versions of Jesus' words, all-the-more intriguing, powerful, sometimes tartling because they are presented almost, as the translators say, as Zen koans or Sufi anecdotes, stripped of embellishment and without commentary. The collection of the sayings are preceded by brief, meaningful introductions by both translators and equally brief but enlightening notes on some of the reasoning behind their translations and the reasons for their inclusion of the few sayings beyond those accepted by consensus among most scholars.
The book is a tiny marvel--lean, scholarly translations of early versions of Jesus' words, all-the-more intriguing, powerful, sometimes tartling because they are presented almost, as the translators say, as Zen koans or Sufi anecdotes, stripped of embellishment and without commentary. The collection of the sayings are preceded by brief, meaningful introductions by both translators and equally brief but enlightening notes on some of the reasoning behind their translations and the reasons for their inclusion of the few sayings beyond those accepted by consensus among most scholars.
December 16, 2014
I came across this slim book a few months back when I became interested in Guy Davenport. After reading The Death of Picasso, I purchased this and let it sit on my book shelf. Taking it down this afternoon and reading it, I feel that it will be revisited often. It recontextualizes familiar Biblical parables and quotations that recast Jesus as a teacher or philosopher rather than the centerpiece of the world's largest religion. Challenging, but entirely easy to read. I would recommend this to anyone who has some background in Biblical studies, or Bible reading from regular church attendance. It is disruptive, but also edifying.
January 9, 2015
Nice humanistic sentiments only slightly different from the canonical versions, as far as I could tell, though anal scholars with an iconoclastic bent might sniff out more differences. I personally did not quite see the point of the book, other than to isolate certain of Jesus' sayings and so shine more light on them, without the baggage of later institutional accretions. As much as I like the humanistic Jesus, I still prefer an admixture of mysticism in my Jesus, as represented in the equally non-canonical Gospel of Thomas.
November 17, 2013
The great Guy Davenport has taken the sayings of Jesus from various sources, translated them, collated them in whatever way he wanted, and collected them in this short volume. What emerges is a wonderfully wise book of spiritual teachings that seem to transcend any religion, certainly the religion that Christianity has become. I'd read this before, but really loved it this time.
Two samples:
"If our father's country were the sky, birds would belong there more than you. If it were the sea, the fish. But our father's realm is inside you! You will understand this when you know yourselves for what you are, the children of the creator of all things."
"Look, I'm always with you, until the end of time. Lift up a stone, you'll find me there; split wood, I'm there."
Two samples:
"If our father's country were the sky, birds would belong there more than you. If it were the sea, the fish. But our father's realm is inside you! You will understand this when you know yourselves for what you are, the children of the creator of all things."
"Look, I'm always with you, until the end of time. Lift up a stone, you'll find me there; split wood, I'm there."
June 22, 2022
It’s a fascinating read if you want to approach Jesus as a teacher and a thinker rather than the messiah (which, as a Jew, is easy for me to do). I’m not sure I agree with all the translation arguments (especially one that argues that a saying from The Gospel of Thomas is so radical it must therefore be true), but it still makes for a good baseline in understanding Jesus’ teachings separate from the religion that followed.
December 6, 2019
A fresh look at the sayings of Jesus
A short but enjoyable read, drawing from an eclectic mix of scholarship and tradition regarding the sayings of Jesus of Nazareth.
A short but enjoyable read, drawing from an eclectic mix of scholarship and tradition regarding the sayings of Jesus of Nazareth.
March 19, 2022
“The light of the body is the eye. When your eye is flawless, your whole body is full of light. But if your eye is imperfect, your whole body will be full of darkness.” -Yeshua
February 14, 2022
A noble attempt at extracting ‘what Jesus really said’ from the obfuscations of dogma and theology, but the translations are super mediocre. A title as grand as “The Logia of Yeshua,” and the sayings read like a shucksy Bible-camp Jesus bro.
December 11, 2021
A readable book that gives very convincing presentation of the sayings of Jesus. Must read for anyone who is going to seriously tackle this topisc.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews