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Title: Jesus in Egypt : Discovering the Secrets of Christ's Childhood Years by PAUL PERRY ISBN: 0-345-45145-7 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.9 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Jesus in Egypt : Discovering the Secrets of Christ's Childho
Comment: In a journey to Egypt recounted in this book, Perry (Closer to the Light) traces the steps of the Holy Family in a combination of spiritual pilgrimage, historical detective story, and adventure tale. Inspired by the silence of the infancy narratives in the canonical four gospels about details of Jesus' childhood, Perry trains his journalistic eye on apocryphal writings about the sojourn of the Holy Family in Egypt. He traces details supplied by noncanonical writings such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of James, and the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew to seek a record of what Jesus may have actually done in Egypt. Heavy use is also made of traditions maintained by the Christian Coptic Church in Egypt. Despite an easily readable style that is accessible to the general public, the book's intent is not entirely clear: Is this a spiritual pilgrimage or a historical examination of the veracity of scriptural texts? Or is it more an investigation of the archaeological record of surviving oral traditions not recorded in canonical Scripture? A little of each, it is not recommended
Rating: 5
Summary: On the trail of the Holy Family in Egypt
Comment: Author Paul Perry went on a sort of pilgrimage and journalistic quest to find the path of the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph) through Egypt. When Jesus was a baby, Herod commanded that all male infants under the age of two were to be killed, a Draconian plan to find the prophesied King of Kings. Joseph is directed in a dream to take his family to safety in Egypt, and we learn little else that he went, taking Mary and Jesus, and subsequently returned.
What happened during the time the family dwelt Egypt is not part of the official Gospels. There are the secret "Infancy Gospels"-- and some of the books of Apocrypha that deal with Jesus' childhood--not officially Biblical truth. What Perry finds out is that the process of creating and transmitting oral legends, some of which were written into the Apocrypha, is still a process going on today. Visit any town along the path the Holy Family took through Egypt and those who are Christians are still telling those legends--and creating them.
This process amazes the author. Among the Coptic Christians, truth seems to be a matter of possibilities --and impossibilities. If a bishop has a dream about what happened to Jesus as an infant in Egypt, this becomes a new legend.
Some of the legends told by the locals sound more like Semitic tales of wisdom or riddles such as Solomon would have faced. Other tales are of miracles that remind one of the wedding of Cana or tell of the raising of the dead. The fact that Jesus didn't start his ministry until Cana and until he was well into adulthood is irrelevant to these legends. Which gives insight into how legends are formed and passed on. And also insight into why officially, some books of scriptural writing are included the Gospel and others were rejected.
But Perry isn't really writing about Biblical truth; he is writing about people and their sacred traditions. And at the end, he finds a holy family of his own; he takes care of a pair of widows in a truly Christian manner. This story is about his quest and about the culture of the people in Egypt. It's beautifully written, and of interest to anyone who loves travel, legends, and meeting people in a culture different than ours. Highly recommended.
Rating: 5
Summary: An Awe-Inspiring Spiritual Journey in the Steps of Jesus
Comment: When I decided to read this book, all I could remember about Jesus' life in Egypt was summed up by Matthew 2:13: "Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." It turns out that this is only one of two passages in the New Testament that refer to Jesus spending time in Egypt. The other is when Joseph is called to return to Palestine.
According to the New Testament, Herod feared Jesus after meeting the three magi and decided to kill all of the young children to avoid having a challenger for his throne.
Fascinated by that story, author Paul Perry found himself in Egypt working on another project. He decided to visit all of the sites where Jesus is supposed to have passed. In doing so, he sought to bring both his perspective as a Western journalist and as a believer. Over the course of two trips, he was able to follow this ambition. Jesus in Egypt is the story of his travels and what he learned. There are many unexpected aspects to the story.
First, if you are like me, you don't know much about Coptic Christians and their lives in Egypt. This book will tell you much. A major source of inspiration for these Christians comes from the heritage of Jesus' travels in Egypt. Although they comprise only about 5 percent of the Egyptian population, they feel especially blessed by these historical sites. You will meet many of them, both clergy and laity, as they describe their faith. As Egyptians, they experience their religion differently than many people do in the United States . . . drawing great strength from oral traditions that may date as far back as the time of Jesus.
Second, the Bible is almost silent about Jesus as a child. What was He like? What did He experience? The various sources (texts that were excluded from the Bible, oral tradition, visions and dreams) reveal wondrous tales that many will find inspirational. Water was drawn from the sand. Wells rose mysteriously to the top. Idols were toppled all around. Spiders and trees dropped down to hide the Holy Family. Dangerous animals left the Holy Family alone.
Third, many of these sites have large impacts on the believers today. In one location, an apparition of the Virgin Mary is shown photographed amid mysterious lights on the domed church of Zeitoun. Other sightings of the Virgin have been seen in recent years and have had profound impact on those who have viewed Her. In addition, many miracles have followed in some of the sites . . . often from drinking the water in wells that are attributed to the hand of Jesus.
Fourth, Mr. Perry asked those he met what they thought about Jesus in Egypt. When is a dream a dream, and when is it a message from God? Without archeological evidence, how can we know what the Holy Family did? When is a medical miracle a miracle, and when is it a reaction to a placebo? Can oral traditions be trusted? How? In the course of thinking about these answers, you will probably (like me) find yourself finding new pathways to increasing your faith. That's a wonderful gift!
Fifth, Mr. Perry describes the effects of faith on the Egyptian people. Theirs often seems to be a purer, deeper and more powerful faith than we usually observe in the United States. Simple aspects of experiencing faith can bring them enormous joy, even amid great poverty and problems. Learning about those dimensions made me interested in deepening my faith.
Sixth, Mr. Perry describes contemporary relations between Muslim and Christian Egyptians that is far more peaceful than one would imagine from our rhetoric about fundamentalist terror threatening non-Muslims from all sides. As an American, he found himself welcome almost everywhere . . . even though the security police felt like he needed an armed escort when he went into the areas where the deepest Muslim fundamentalists live. He also found himself learning to trust Egyptians of all faiths as people of good will.
I won't reveal more about the book because it would spoil nice surprises for you, but there is a remarkable ending experience that Mr. Perry had which underscores the whole message of following the steps of Jesus to find Him.
Interestingly, the day before I found this book, I found myself praying that I could find ways to more closely follow the path of Jesus. Perhaps the book is the literal answer to that prayer. I tend to believe that to be true.
May God bless you!
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Title: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Jean-Yves Leloup, Joseph Rowe, Jacob Needleman ISBN: 0892819111 Publisher: Inner Traditions Intl Ltd Pub. Date: 30 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Discoveries: Coptic Egypt : Christians of the Nile by Christian Cannuyer ISBN: 0810929791 Publisher: Harry N. Abrams Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Coptic Saints and Pilgrimages by Otto F. A. Meinardus ISBN: 9774246926 Publisher: Amer Univ in Cairo Pr Pub. Date: August, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Magdalene's Lost Legacy: Symbolic Numbers and the Sacred Union in Christianity by Margaret Starbird ISBN: 1591430127 Publisher: Inner Traditions Intl Ltd Pub. Date: 05 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Infancy Gospels of James and Thomas: With Introduction, Notes, and Original Text Featuring the New Scholars Version Translation (Scholars Bible, Vol 2) by Ronald F. Hock ISBN: 094434447X Publisher: Polebridge Press Pub. Date: July, 1996 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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