Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life

 

I saved the best for last. In the last days of 2020, I began reading Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life by Dr. Jonathan Pennington, Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Director of Research Doctoral Studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. This is a book I have wanted to read since the Fall of 1979 when I took Philosophy 101 at a small Christian college in Nashville, TN. I loved the class and the professor, but never knew how to connect my love of philosophy with living. After all, I had the Bible, right? Never mind trying to meld philosophy and theology. This was an error on my part because my philosophy professor was also a systematic theologian and the one who wrote the systematic theology for our denomination. He was also my advisor and would have gladly helped me to understand. Thankfully, Dr. Pennington filled that role.

In Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life, Dr. Pennington explains what philosophy is, what philosophers do, and how that has changed over the centuries. He also shows philosophical ideas of the Bible, and how and why early Christians would have considered Jesus a philosopher. The remainder of the book covers topics of life ancient philosophers would have taught and encouraged their followers to learn and to live out: educating emotions, restoring relationships, happiness, and human flourishing. He then discusses these topics in philosophical light of what the Christian Bible, and specifically Jesus Christ taught.

One of the most helpful aspects of this structure, and the entire book, is to reveal to us where some of our philosophies and practices of life originated and how they pervade our thinking and living without our conscious acknowledgement. More helpful is his explanations of how Christianity, rightly understood, can correct our thinking and practices.

The key theme, and I would argue its most important, throughout the book is living in hope, but not “baptized optimism.” “Hope is a virtue to be cultivated. Hope is a virtue of the will that can teach us to embrace both hardships and joys, because it is more than a mere emotion.” Pennington uses the topics above to express why and how we can cultivate this hope and why it is necessary.

Clearly this is a book for our times. 2020 has tested the best in and of us and in some ways, we have been found wanting. I wish the book had been available earlier in the year, but faith in God’s timing is well placed and as Dr. Pennington explains having faith is to hope.

While this is my last book of 2020 to read, it will go with me into 2021 as I re-read it. He answered my question about how philosophy, theology and living work together, but more importantly specific questions this book raised will be answered more slowly as I examine my own life and cultivate hope.

This is the one book for 2020 that I can recommend heartily and will be giving away to others.


I received an ARC of this book from the publisher.