The Last Week

What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem

By: Marcus J. Borg, John Dominic Crossan

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Top Jesus scholars Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan join together to reveal a radical and little-known Jesus. As both authors reacted to and responded to questions about Mel Gibson's blockbuster The Passion of the Christ, they discovered that many Christians are unclear on the details of events during the week leading up to Jesus's crucifixion.

Using the gospel of Mark as their guide, Borg and Crossan present a day-by-day account of Jesus's final week of life. They begin their story on Palm Sunday with two triumphal entries into Jerusalem. The first entry, that of Roman governor Pontius Pilate leading Roman soldiers into the city, symbolized military strength. The second heralded a new kind of moral hero who was praised by the people as he rode in on a humble donkey. The Jesus introduced by Borg and Crossan is this new moral hero, a more dangerous Jesus than the one enshrined in the church's traditional teachings.

The Last Week depicts Jesus giving up his life to protest power without justice and to condemn the rich who lack concern for the poor. In this vein, at the end of the week Jesus marches up Calvary, offering himself as a model for others to do the same when they are confronted by similar issues. Informed, challenged, and inspired, we not only meet the historical Jesus, but meet a new Jesus who engages us and invites us to follow him.

©2006 Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Very Thought-out and Logical

Crossan's books are well constructed, logical, and make their point. I enjoyed this book and the meanings behind the events of Jesus' last 7 days. Lots of scripture quoting which was a bit lost of me, but I am sure those that have Bible in hand would be appreciative. It is always amazing to me, that the story of Jesus always comes down to translation of words and their meanings, and what was going on at the time. I recommend.

very eye opening

this book was part of a bible study leading up to Easter! i learned a lot.

Fantastic review

Where does The Last Week rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the middle. I liked being able to knit on my prayer shawl while listening, but I wished I could highlight and underline. A little too scholarly for a casual listening.

Would you be willing to try another book from Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan ? Why or why not?

I would definitely read other books from Borg and Crossan. Very thorough. Borg & Crossan's review of Jesus's Final Days in Jerusalem is thoroughly scholarly and inspirational. I especially appreciate the fact that they acknowledge the traditional interpretations while offering new perspectives.

Any additional comments?

I love audible books, but I would buy this one for my Kindle next time!

A Great & Startling View of the Last Week of Jesus

Crossan and Borg outdo themselves with this book. A great "read" that gives significant insight into the historical Jesus and the vision which inspired him. A must for anyone serious about embracing the deep tradition that extends back beyond the medieval traditions that still dominate most of Christianity (both protestant and catholic). Pruden does a more than adequate job, although his lack of knowledge in the vocabulary of biblical exegesis shows at times.

An Annual Tradition

I was privileged to listen to Marcus Borg speak at my college nine years ago. I read through this book a few years ago, but get so caught up in holiday preparations that I don’t have time to read this wonderful book during Holy Week, so I downloaded it here in 2019 and faithfully listened to a chapter a day during Holy Week and loved it so much I repeated the experience this year! It’s enlightening, measured, impeccably well-written, sometimes a bit snarky, and so thoroughly researched. I appreciate the contextualization of Jesus’s final days and the hammering out of details.

Read it!

Wonderful

I listen to the last on week to Easter. It was wonderful.
I could not stop listening. It was great

The Last Week

They do an outstanding job walking through Jesus’s last week and connecting the political and personal of the last week!

The community of God. The example of Orthodox art, always showing Jesus being raised from the dead with others, is enlightening.

I liked the clarity of the authors’ expressions of their ideas, including carefully citing their sources, including specific Bible chapters and verses.

MARVELLOUS

I first read this book at the recommendation of a former pastor during the spring of 2010. I had just retired and was caring for my wife during her last days. The word 'blessing' is used to often these days, but this book was truly a blessing during a very difficult time. Now listening to the audio version gave me great comfort and additional insight to the past few years. This may become an annual lead in to Lent for me.

Well Worth the Listening

Any additional comments?

I took a small risk purchasing The Last Week, as I knew nothing of the authors and am not a deeply religious person.
This audiobook is a reflection on the Gospel of Mark, the oldest of the canonical gospels and the one possibly least laden with theology.
The authors offered well-considered insights into Mark that I found at once fascinating and useful. (No spoilers here, though!)
In the end, I was very happy to have purchased this book and invested the time listening to it. Although I didn't agree with all that was said, Borg and Crossan helped me to interesting and important insights regarding the Gospel.