Book Reviewed: Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels by Geza Vermes

Historical Jesus Jesus the Jew is a highly readable portrait of Jesus Christ who led the life of a Jewish man (Hasid) rather than as a figure detached from Judaism. He was a healer, exorcist, and teacher whose authority comes from personal charisma rather than from an institutional power. Terms like prophet, Messiah, Son of Man, and Son of God are explained in their Jewish historical meanings and not as emerging Christian ideas. This book is not inspired by traditional Jewish attitudes towards 'the founder of Christianity', and it does not depict him as a 'Jewish' Jesus either. The author examines the gospels which in essence are a biography of Jesus: his sayings (parables), his miracles, the resurrection narrative, and the virgin birth. This offers a strong foundation for the Pauline Epistles and other later New Testament books. The author observes that the work of Jesus was distorted by both Christian and Jewish myth alike; according to him, Jesus was neither the Christ of the Church nor the apostate of Jewish faith. There is a significant discussion in this book about the death and resurrection stories of the gospel of Mark, the earliest gospel, and the latter two, Mathew and Luke add more to the resurrection story which become the pillars of Christian theology. The author observes that Jesus’ mission was healing the sick: the physically, mentally, and spiritually diseased, He was not only a healer of his time, but also a dispenser of forgiveness to sinners which comes from charismatic Judaism. The primitive Christianity turned from this alternative of faith in divine mediation to the novel belief in an act of divine impregnation, with as its consequence, the birth of a Son of God is more related to the psychology of a religion that would later become the dominant faith system of human beings. This is an enjoyable book to read; it is a compelling, clearly explained work that is founded on textual and historical evidence. Strongly recommended.

Book Reviewed: The Promise of a Nation: Commemorating 250 Years of Patriotism, Resilience, and Aspirations from the National Collection by Smithsonian Institution

The enduring strength of the United States This book is a commemorative and an educational resource suitable for general readers, and American history enthusiasts. This work emphasizes: Patriotism and civic ideals as how Americans have defined freedom and democracy; the resilience in responses to conflicts, inequality, and social issues; advances in science, technology, and space exploration; cultural evolution through music and activism, and national identity. Each chapter representing each decade from the 1770s to the 2020s with Smithsonian objects and artifacts help bring each decade into life from the perspectives of Smithsonian experts, who bring a wealth of knowledge to the narratives. There are photographs of many objects like; the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1818), one of four monumental paintings by John Trumbull (1756-1843) hanging inside the US Capitol Rotunda. Despite its title, the scene depicts the moment on June 28, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress received a draft of the Declaration of Independence; An unidentified immigrant mother and child in Lewis Hine's photograph Peace on Ellis Island. Madonna (1905) represent the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free; and photograph of Harriet Tubman, portrayed in this rare carte de visite portrait, was born into chattel slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland. Between 1850 and 1860, Tubman made more than a dozen journeys across the Mason-Dixon line guiding many from slavery to freedom through the Underground Railroad

Book Reviewed: The Gospels of Mary: The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene, the Companion of Jesus by Marvin W. Meyer

The sacred smile of Mary This work of Marvin Meyer, a renowned Biblical scholar is about the gospel of Mary Magdalene in which he has provided a new translation of this gospel and her role as beloved disciple of Jesus. However, her prominence in early Christian communities and later church authoritarian structures marginalized her. The author discusses as how the related gnostic gospels such as Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Thomas, the Dialogue of the Savior, and Pistis Sophia supported Mary’s gospel. This book includes selections from canonized gospels, extracanonical history, and gnostic gospels to support the belief that Mary was an undisputed leader of the apostolic team. In early Christian texts, Mary Magdalene emerges as the closest and an insightful disciple of Jesus. Her teachings were focused on inner spiritual knowledge, the soul’s ascent, and the nature of true freedom. The soul’s journey upward through hostile powers requires to overcome fear, ignorance, and internal conflict. This is parallel to the teachings of Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism. The central theme is that salvation comes from inner understanding and not external authority. According to her gospel, there is no such thing as “sin” which sharply contrasts the teachings of the canon, and John the Baptist. Her teachings were revolutionary for those who read synoptic gospels (Mark, Luke, and Matthew) and John. The authors describe Mary’s role as a beloved disciple of Jesus among the Christian gnostic communities. But the latter-day bishops and church leaders marginalized her. The authors discuss the Mary centered gnostic texts like, Gospel of Philip, Gospel of Thomas, the Dialogue of the Savior, and Pistis Sophia. It emerges from this book that the church leaders including the 12 apostles were reluctant to accept a woman's leadership. Peter and Andrew directly challenged Mary’s authority. Mary Magdalene was loyal to Jesus throughout his life; she was present at the crucifixion, and the tomb of Jesus. Some Gospel accounts describe the male disciples running for their lives when Jesus was crucified, but Mary stays at the site of the execution. She becomes the first person to encounter the risen Christ and proclaim the good news of the resurrection. This is pivotal moment in the history of the Christian movement. Mary emerges from the shadows of history in the gospel of Mary and other gnostic scriptures, but early church leaders disliked the relevance of the message which contrasted the canonized gospels. They were building a strong faith for the future, and they were in no mood to accommodate alternative ideas. They made sure almost all gnostic texts including the gospel of Mary were destroyed, and gnostic communities were severely restricted from practicing the gnostic faith. There was no room for the gospel of Mary to grow and evolve into the canonized gospel of the New Testament. What we see from this study is the sacred smile of Mary fast disappearing from the landscape of the ministry of Jesus Christ. This paved the way for establishment of the canonized gospels, Pauline epistles, Acts and Revelation of the New Testament. This book is strongly recommended to readers interested in the gospel of Mary, the early Christian history, the extinct gospels, and the apocrypha. Mary’s rise to become the closest disciple of Jesus and the leader of pack of 13 (including the 12 apostles) is partly inspired by the Jewish women from Tanak (the Old Testament.) Examples include, Deborah, a judge, prophetess, and a military leader; Miriam, a prophetess; Esther, a political strategist; Huldah, a prophetess; Abigail, a diplomatic leader; and Ruth, a covenant leader.

Book Reviewed: Siege of Mithila by Ashok K. Banker

A fictional story about Ramayana This is not a retelling of Valmiki Ramayana. This is a modern epic fantasy, a fictional story in which the story centers on Sita’s early life and rise in Mithila. She is trained in mystical disciplines to be a political and spiritual leader. In a military siege of Mithila by demonic forces of Rāvaṇa. Rama and Lakshmana come to the rescue of Sita. The author treats this as a divine destiny. He invents a fictional conflict that depicts a cosmic struggle between the good (Sita and Rama) and bad (Rāvaṇa). This book is not a reference to any canonical event of Ramayana.

Book Reviewed: Your Data Will Be Used Against You: Policing in the Age of Self-Surveillance by Andrew Guthrie Ferguson

The digital invasion (Two stars) In this book the author focuses on big data, predictive policing, and digital surveillance technologies, and the protections offered by the Fourth Amendment which requires that the government cannot conduct unreasonable searches or seizures, and all warrants must be based on probable cause. Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, who teaches at George Washington University observes that the law enforcement relies on "threat scores," like automated license plate readers, smart phone locations, facial recognition, and video data from cameras owned by the private and public. His main argument is that the lack of transparency in the world of constant digital surveillance infringes upon our "reasonable expectation of privacy." He examines how everyday “smart” tech turns us into digital informants. Smart cars, watches, homes, medical devices, social media, and AI sensors create trails that the Law can access. However, the author ignores to state that the information obtained from privately owned devices is accessed with warrants or as allowed by the respective state laws. During the trial, the defense attorneys can object to evidence obtained from searches that are deemed unconstitutional. The author’ suggestion that a shift from reactive policing to predictive policing (identifying "hot spots" or "persons of interest") will cause racial and socioeconomic biases is unfounded. Because in many actual cases crimes are solved successfully without violating the constitutional rights of the individual, and warrants are issued by the judge after studying the case. The author’s core argument is that the Fourth Amendment is not in pace with technology, and the lawmakers must study this situation. But as a law professor he does not suggest how laws could be written to protect people from unconstitutional searches. The complexity of the technology may be a reason many states are not acting quickly as the author believes. And such laws could become old and unnecessary as technology progresses in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and space exploration. One example is the flaws in hands‑free/texting ban in many states. Because a driver may need to use the phone for the map guidance or GPS which is not necessarily “texting.”

Book Reviewed: The Complete Valmiki Ramayana Bibek Debroy

Ramayana Darshanam; an immortal story of Dharma, Bhakti, and Karma yoga. This is an unabridged English translation of Valmiki Ramayana from its original. This work expresses the beauty of the Sanskrit poetry. The tone and style are direct, in austere prose with minimal embellishment and faithful to structure and dialogue of the Sanskrit epic. This translator avoids theological overlays with the narrative closer to the Sanskrit original. There are many questionable actions of Rama in the story that include Agni pariksha (purity (fidelity) test) for his wife Sita, and killing of his friend Vali in a clandestine fashion both of which are presented without his own observation. This work is based on the Critical Edition (Baroda / Oriental Institute) and reconstructs the text from many manuscripts. This is very readable, and recommended to anyone interested in Hinduism, Ramayana, and ancient Indian history.

Book Reviewed: Portals to a New Reality: Five Pathways to the Future of Physics by Vlatko Vedral

The quantum information is central to physical reality (four stars) This is a speculative manifesto that suggests a new theory shed light on the nature of physical reality with better understanding of spacetime and quantum gravity (bending spacetime at subatomic level). This book debate five “portals” (thought experiments) about his ideas of future theories. He proposes that quantum mechanics is universal, which applies to both microscopic and macroscopic systems. He explores experiments in quantum gravity, quantum effects in living organisms, the superpositions of macroscopic objects, and the quantum nature of time. Some of these are thought experiments but he believes that they are within experimental feasibility. He suggests that quantum information is key to the new physics theory in which consciousness plays a role in quantum physical processes, and the human perception could be altered to experience quantum reality directly in ways that were only imaginable. The theme is that reality is fundamentally informational, and unified with cosmic reality and life. The Vedantic concept of Māyā and perception of material world remains firmly within the scientific framework. The author stretches his imagination a little too far hoping that this will lead to better life. Parts of the book are dense for an average reader interested in cosmic reality.