The Gospel of Jesus

by Daniel L. Johnson Narrated by Garrison Keillor

Overview

America's favorite storyteller reads the world's greatest story.
Garrison Keillor and Dan Johnson both grew up in the bosom of fundamentalism. Their shared love of the Bible and its stories led to this collaboration, which blends details from all the gospels into a single book-length story. Keillor narrates the biography of this amazing man, Jesus, from the slum of Nazareth in the province of Galilee, who confounded dignitaries, healed the sick, and taught those who would listen. He claimed to be God, and that through his death God would graciously forgive the offenses of all who accept this. His story is the foundation from which Christianity has developed, stumbled, and evolved. Centuries ago, early Christians listened as the Bible was read to them. This new recording continues that tradition with a conversational translation performed by America's favorite storyteller.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

It's hard to imagine a more perfect match than Garrison Keillor reading the New Testament's Gospels. The CD box boasts, "America's favorite storyteller reads the world's greatest story," and for once a product exceeds its own hype. Keillor's instantly recognizable baritone glides its way through the familiar life of Jesus, from humble beginnings in Bethlehem to an exultantly rendered resurrection in Jerusalem. Johnson's "harmonization" creates a single narrative from all four Gospel strands, blending Mark's immediacy, Matthew's concerns for law and tradition, Luke's passion for the poor, and John's mysticism into a coherent story that is rich in pathos and meaning. While traditionalists will scoff at Johnson's decision to use Tyndale House's New Living Translation, Keillor sails right through that workmanlike version's clunkier moments and adds folksy transitions between pericopes to make the recounting more seamless. (The audio employs the King James Version for those times when the Old Testament is quoted.) Listeners will invariably discover that upon hearing the New Testament read aloud-as it was intended to be-they will encounter familiar stories in fresh ways and less familiar stories for what feels like the first time. They couldn't hope to have a more gifted and companionable guide than Keillor. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

FEB/MAR 07 - AudioFile

The repetition in the four Synoptic Gospels is edited out in this production to create a coherent story of Jesus’s time on earth. Sentences are also “cleaned up” for flow, revealing a narrative more beautiful and moving than any previous condensation or abstract. Best of all, the sonorous Garrison Keillor was recruited to work his usual magic on the English language, and he doesn’t disappoint. His impeccable diction is only the beginning—near perfect phrasing expresses his artist’s sensibilities and deep appreciation of one of the greatest stories in any language or culture. Even better, the production is packaged in a sensible retail pak with a detailed table of contents and a subject index that will further satisfy what’s sure to be a huge range of listeners. T.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170040414
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	02/06/2006
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos