Published Works
Publications of Members of the Vicariate
Jesus Today: A Spirituality of Radical Freedom by Albert Nolan
Albert Nolan was born in 1934 in Cape Town a 4th generation South African who rose to international acclaim with the publication of his first book, Jesus Before Christianity, was recently reissued on its 25th anniversary. Jesus Before Christ, translated into nine languages, was described by theologian Harvey Cox as "the most accurate and balanced short reconstruction of the life of the historical Jesus."
In 2003, the South African government awarded him the Order of Luthuli in recognition of "his lifelong dedication to the struggle for democracy, human rights and justice and for challenging the religious dogma including theological justification of apartheid." The award is named after Chief Albert Luthuli, South Africa's first Nobel Peace Prize winner.
In this long-awaited sequel, Nolan describes the modern signs that underlay our spiritual hunger: the crisis of individualism, ecological breakdowns, the global divide between rich and poor, our unprecedented skepticism and a disconnect with our past and our failing efforts to reconnect through fundamentalism and Neo-conservatism.
Besides spiritual hunger we face the crisis of individualism that is ending up in a cultist worship of the ego and the erosion of community. People have fewer friends than they did 20 years ago and this rising disconnect can be seen in the growing prevalence of anger and anxiety. The hunger for spirituality is a hunger for freedom from materials, self-indulgence, postmodernism, oppression, and individualism. It is a freedom from self-sufficiency, independence, and separation that have brought us to the edge of chaos.
When Nolan discusses the contributions of a new science beginning with Einstein a new and more hopeful world paradigm emerges: science as an ally with faith in the discovery of new mysteries of the universe: "Light, for example, is neither a wave nor a particle: it is something beyond our mind and imagination . . . it is a mystery." (P. 36). The world is filled with puzzles yet unsolved and possibly never solved like how the writing out of a tiny strand of DNA instructions would fill a thousand books each 600 pages long or Niels Bohr's quantum leap where particles in orbit may jump from one orbit to another without passing through the space between them--another mystery.
His reflections on mysticism's essentially incommunicable insights into God and reality are particularly good. Christian mystical writing form two paths: Apophatic (Via Negativa) and Kataphatic (Via Positiva). Nolan presents Apophatic mysticism without over complicating it with too much information. Christianity was, after all, a mystical sect that grew out of Judaism as Gnosticism grew out of Christianity. In the Apophatic tradition we can know only what God is not. God is not an object that can be compared to other objects, nor is God a mystery, one mystery among others, but the mystery. This is the language of paradox that, like a Zen kaon, puts into words what cannot be described but must be experienced as Moses experienced a hidden God in the burning bush.
Nolan proceeds to describe the elements of Jesus' spirituality: a way of healing that combines prophecy and mysticism with profound love. And love itself is a mystery since, if one is allowed one descriptor of God, it is Love, a term that belies a galaxy of words but is understood instantly in its experience:
"The way my mother loved was a mighty force. And she loved me so much sometimes it scared me. I knew by the way her eyes were almost backlit with affection when she saw me coming up the stairs and the way her voice was raised an octave when she heard my voice on the other end of a call to her. There was nothing she would not have done for me all my life." -- Dorothea Benton Frank, The Land of Mango Sunsets.
Dr. John Laughlin on Amazon
Jesus Before Christianity by Albert Nolan
Orbis-Maryknoll's 25h anniversary reissue of Nolan's book is both timely and well advised. Jesus Before Christianity is above all a very careful explication of the life of Jesus as it is portrayed in the New Testament. It tends to concentrate on His mission prior to the resurrection and, therefore, weeds out much Christological material, early Church development, and liturgical instruction. It also occasionally references Jesus to Old Testament prophecies where called for. What we have here is a remarkable book of exegetics, interpretation, and commentary on the New Testament in so far as it sheds light on the historical Jesus. Nolan a Roman Catholic priest brings a fresh outlook and vast erudition to his task considering its original publication date. That many a reader is excited by his project is a tribute to his writing and the message he finds in Jesus' life.
He arranges his book in nineteen chapters each of which examines an aspect of Jesus and or his mission. Do I necessarily agree with each of the author's interpretations? No, not always, but at his best, he has an expansive understanding of God's love and compassion that is deeply moving. Written in the 1970's, Nolan is well versed in the literature of the mid Twentieth Century regarding his subject. The bibliography and footnotes are a treasure yielding much to read of further interest. So who is Nolan's Jesus? He reminds one of John Crossan's Jesus but with far greater majesty and simplicity. His portrait of Jesus as the revelation of the one true God is moving. Compassion and love and an unerring sense of the truth distinguish Jesus in this book. Regarding the human aspect of Jesus, little I have read is more insightful or convincing. Liberation theology it may be, but Nolan tries to convince us that Jesus came to liberate mankind and that is all mankind.
While gospel attestations of Jesus' part in the mission to gentiles does not receive the attention it deserves, Nolan's interpretation of Jesus' dealings with the Jewish authorities and His mission to the Jews are deftly handled. Jesus' problems with the scribes and Pharisees are clearly delineated. However, it should be remembered that Josephus numbered the party of the Pharisees at six thousand with the Temple faction even smaller and the Herodians a tiny group. Jesus' problems were with the rich and powerful among the Jews. And, His preaching and pronouncements to them are there and unvarnished. Some impute to Nolan an Anti-Semitic bias. I see this more as a reader response problem motivated by political correctness.
This book is without a doubt one of the best short consideration of the life of Jesus I have ever read. It has stood the test of time remarkably well. Whether you are thrilled by this book as a Christian or merely wish to know more about the historical Jesus, by all means, read this book. It should encourage all readers of it to continue on to more ambitious studies of the matters herein covered and considered.
David Blair on Amazon
God in South Africa: The Challenge of the Gospel by Albert Nolan
albert nolan is a brilliant writer and thinker. his book, Jesus before Christianity is incredibly compelling. He delves deep into the truth of Jesus and his teachings. the extrapolation of the gospel to the horrors of apartheid is intensely insightful and heart-felt. the joy and hope in Albert's messages is highly infectious. i am reading his current book and will write a review of it soon. if you want to be blown away by gospel truth don't be afraid to hit these books with goal-line stance attitude. ye shall be changed....
John Grife on Amazon
The Dominican Friars in Southern Africa: A Social History (1577-1990) (Studies in Christian Mission) by Philippe Denis
Oral History in a Wounded Country: Interactive Interviewing in South Africa by Philippe Denis, Radikobo Ntsimane
The Religious Factor within the Body of Political Symbolism in Malawi, 1964-1994: A Bibliographical Essay by Stanslaus Muyebe, Alexander Muyebe
Study Guide to Sacramental Law: A Narrative Approach by Stanslaus Muyebe
The Catholic Missionaries Within and Beyond the Politics of Exclusivity in Colonial Malawi, 1901-1945 (Studies in the History of Missions) by Stanslaus C. Muyebe