Holy Visions, Sacred Stories

On the one hand, New Testament scholarship has been preoccupied with a search for the "historical Jesus." On the other, twists and turns occurring after the first century brought about "an enforced orthodoxy" that views modern visionaries as heretics. The inconclusive nature of theology pits those who are reluctant to support the miraculous against the witness of the original oral tradition. One result of the confusion over the New Testament record is that contemporary fiction such as The Da Vinci Code has emerged to fill the void. It has been so popular because there is hunger for a better understanding of those events. The author of this book aims to fill the gap. Drawing on the visionary reports of Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) and Judith von Halle (b. 1973), as well as the spiritual research of Rudolf Steiner and Robert Powell, Charles Tidball traces the events of two thousand years ago in Palistine, including scenes in the life of John the Baptizer, Jesus' forty days in the wilderness, healings, the Transfiguration, the raising of Lazarus, the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ, and much more. The author's purpose is to "present these relatively unknown facets of the life of Jesus Christ as stories [so] they can achieve the broader recognition they deserve." The result is that this book breathes new life and meaning into familiar stories, offering the reader a fresh beginning in understanding the profound wisdom contained in the New Testament.