Analysis Of Philip Yancey's 'The Jesus I Never Knew'

The theory of Bildungsroman defines a genre that has been employed in several literature pieces albeit most novels have employed the framework partially. The Bildungsroman literary genre convention dwells on the growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood morally and psychologically. Works that have employed the literary genre can also be referred to as coming of age genres. The novel by Viramontes entitled Under the Feet of Jesus gives an account of the plight of a family that lives as migrants. It has aspects that indicate similarities with the theories of the Bildungsroman. The essay evaluates how and to what extent the events of the novel fit the genre conventions in the Bildungsroman. Furthermore, the essay will delve into the justification behind the choice to use or not to use the genre conventions to enhance the theme of struggle as Estrella and her family experience hardships, focusing on migration and adolescence which characterize the life of the protagonist, Estrella, and her family.

Words are strong; they can build, tear down, or repair; they have a purpose, much like tools in a tool chest. Using a distressed and then confident tone, the author of “Under the Feet of Jesus,” Viramontes, details the progression of Estrella’s character from a confused and hostile girl to an empowered and knowledgeable young lady through the use of repetition, an epiphany in the form of a potent simile and diction. The epiphany that words hold immense power and the key to success in life completely transforms Estrella’s character as she learns to grow stronger from her troubled childhood experience. Viramontes emphasizes how much power we give words when we use them to support or tear down each other and how we should carefully direct that power of words to give a voice to an underprivileged individual whose experience and potential in life would otherwise remain hidden and unknown.

The purpose of the book Simply Jesus, by N.T. Wright, is to take a closer look at getting into the gospels. Many of the readers have been told or taught from the perspective of being behind the gospel. N.T. Wright purpose and the majority of the content of his book is for the reader's view and past learning experiences to be changed or built on the concept that God's people need to be inside of the gospel. Learn inside of the gospel not behind it. In the book Simply Jesus, N.T. Wright states that “We can try to get, not ‘behind’ the gospels, as some sneeringly suggest in the purpose of the historical research,

The foundation of the Christian faith is cradled within truth of the virgin birth, life, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As diverse as the world-wide Christian culture is, the truth in the birth and life of Jesus stands without border and language limitations. Just as each individual life story can be adapted to be relevant for a variety of audiences, the birth story of the Messiah was also. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke are an example of the well-rounded and diverse narration of the birth story of Jesus—Matthew’s narration spoke to the history of the Jewish people and Luke presented to the citizen of Rome.

It is possible to write on the life of Jesus from the information gathered from the bible. I will be dividing my essay into three parts. In the first part of the paper, I will talk about the nature of the gospels, John’s views vs. the Synoptic, discuss if the authors of the gospels are eyewitnesses and how they used written sources. Also I will talk about the Q source. Then I will elaborate on the topic of how Matthew and Luke were similar. Then I will continue on by discussing how the Old Testament uses Moses, Samuel and Elijah to interpret Jesus, and finally whether or not the Sermon on the Mount happened. In the second part of my paper, I will talk about Jesus’s birth and childhood, his miracles, his resurrection, and what Jesus did to cure people, spirits and how they are interpreted to the prophet, magician and the mad man compared to Saul and Elijah. The final part of the paper I will talk about what Jesus talked about as regards to the Kingdom of God vs. the Kingdom of the Romans and what he intended by speaking of the end of the world. I will also speak of the reasons behind the Romans executing him. My sources for this paper will be the New Jerusalem Bible Readers edition as my primary source and lecture notes from Professor Trumbach.

Some scholars argue that evidence of Jesus of Nazareth 's existence can only be found within the writings of the New Testament. They believe that the New Testament is a biased and unreliable source for the existence of Jesus. They therefore claim that Jesus did not exist. The historical existence of Jesus is necessary to demonstrate the truth of Christianity. While Christian scholars do not discount the reliability of the New Testament as a historical document, they are also able to point to other historical documents and consider non-Christian writings which support the existence of Jesus. In this paper I will argue that Jesus the Nazarene was an actual, historical person and that this can be demonstrated through extra-Biblical resources.

Knowledge is a powerful thing. Additionally, knowledge can give a person an advantage in many aspects of life. Knowledge can help an individual get a job, it can help one get ahead in a class and it can help an individual understand what happens around them and why. Moreover, the wiser one is the more successful they can be. In the excerpt from the novel Under the Feet of Jesus, Helena Maria Viramontes describes how and why Estrella began to read and what provoked this change in her development. In order to convey Estrella’s development, Viramontes uses literary devices such as selection of detail, figurative language and tone to describe Estrella’s development from being puzzled and vitriolic to being educated and astute.

One of the many things that puzzle people even today; is how Jesus was portrayed and how he became a part of history throughout the centuries. Fortunately, within the book Jesus Through the Centuries, written by Jaroslav Pelikan, readers are able to get a sense of what societies viewed Jesus as and how he was/is important to many aspects of the world such as; the political, social, and cultural impact he had left. As Pelikan discusses this very topic and theme in his book, we see how there’s a connection between his audience in this book and Jesus’s are closely similar. When he got his motivation to write about Jesus through the Centuries, Jaroslav had an open audience, which was intended for anyone of all ages, races, and beliefs to read

The excerpt from “Under the Feet of Jesus” by Helena María Viramontes illustrates a young girl named Estrella who, in learning to read, transitions from ignorant and flustered to competent and analytical. Viramontes displays this character development by using selection of detail, figurative language such as imagery, and tone that correspond with Estrella’s experiences and situation.

For most people, growing up is easy because the majority of families have plenty of privileges, but they usually are overlooked since many expect more than what they already have. But in the story Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes, Estrella is a girl who is deprived of a steady home because she is constantly moving from farm to farm. While she works arduously in the fields every day in unbearable conditions she attempts to maintain a stable environment for her siblings. By doing so, Estrella learns how to take responsibility in her family because she is beginning to mature out of her childish self. As she matures into an adult, she discovers the ability to associate herself with other adults and how to take risks that

N.T. Wright releases “How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels” with the affirmation that the church has come to emphasis almost exclusively on Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection. Although, the gospels devote the majority of their time on Jesus’ life. Jesus’s life, death, resurrection and rise did not hint the end of the old Israel story, but redirected it further to a worldwide effort of adaptation. Wright addresses several New Testament documented interpreters who present the gospels as simply “the prognosis of early Christian faith, reflecting the disputes and predicaments of the early church,” something Wright calls a “half-truth”. Wright argues that notwithstanding the gospels countless differences, none of

Author of the book, Denis Johnson, generates themes within Jesus’ Son, such as loveless promiscuity, the abuse of drugs and alcohol, and the traumatic effects of neglect. The stories do not follow a specific chronological order but contain interesting situations that the main character goes through in order to develop revealing insights about his life. But the book’s odd structure also interferes our ability to recognize whether those insights are real or merely a fragment of his imagination. Although with the abuse of drugs, some situations are not legitimate, ultimately we can see that his epiphanies are real and

Discuss how the title helped to explain some aspect of Jesus’ character or role and why that would be attractive to the audience of the writer.

The purpose of the paper is to differentiate between Christ of faith and Jesus of history. New Testament biblical scholars from the 19th Century have been preoccupied by the notion of Christ of faith versus Jesus of History. Jesus of history can be described as the quest for historical Jesus, while the Christ of Faith is the Christ of Christian belief either through the Church or historically. Some traditions even went ahead to argue that the Jesus of History could never be found and therefore the Christ of faith is the only way forward for Christians. On the other hand, those who have been promoting the Jesus of History have often assumed that the historical Jesus is much superior as compared to the Christ of Faith. Despite the key differences between Christ of faith and the historical Jesus, both these aspect have an implication for Western Christianity.

Yancey starts out with the image of Jesus. When he was young he had envisioned Jesus to have angelic features such as, young, handsome, and a compassionate face. It wasn’t until he entered into a Christian college, that he was introduced to the real image of Jesus. I had an immediate connection with Yancey. I too had an image of Christ in my head, which consisted of Hollywood portrayals and those in classical paintings. It wasn’t till I engaged myself at a Christian college, that I have now received a new and more accurate picture of Christ. His book, The Jesus I Never Knew, questions the reader with the thought, “How many Christians today are in the same position, not fully understanding