Reviews
"Seeking to separate the myth from the man, Renan depicts a very human, somewhat romantic messiah framed in an idyllic pastoral setting Priest's research helps decode Vie de Jsus by highlighting terms, phrases, and intertextual references familiar to the nineteenth-century public One of the great pleasures of Priest's approach is that he introduces us to a Renan we have not yet met in previous studies of the historian Priest digs deep into Vie de Jsus, unafraid of broaching the complicated and sometimes unpleasant details therein, such as Renan's backward views on race and culture Best of all, while the book is an engaging and even enjoyable read, Priest is careful to ground his assertions in fact, avoiding the biographical fantasy for which Renan's own historical writings were often criticized."--Nineteenth-Century French Studies, "Seeking to separate the myth from the man, Renan depicts a very human, somewhat romantic messiah framed in an idyllic pastoral setting Priest's research helps decode Vie de Jsus by highlighting terms, phrases, and intertextual references familiar to the nineteenth-century public One of the great pleasures of Priest's approach is that he introduces us to a Renan we have not yet met in previous studies of the historian Priest digs deep into Vie de Jsus, unafraid of broaching the complicated and sometimes unpleasant details therein, such as Renan's backward views on race and culture Best of all, while the book is an engaging and even enjoyable read, Priest is careful to ground his assertions in fact, avoiding the biographical fantasy for which Renan's own historical writings were often criticized."--Nineteenth-Century French Studies "Priest deals delicately with Renan's emphasis on the gentle, sexually contained, virtually androgynous appeal to both men and women "--The Catholic Historical Review, "Seeking to separate the myth from the man, Renan depicts a very human, somewhat romantic messiah framed in an idyllic pastoral setting Priest's research helps decode Vie de Jsus by highlighting terms, phrases, and intertextual references familiar to the nineteenth-century public One of the great pleasures of Priest's approach is that he introduces us to a Renan we have not yet met in previous studies of the historian Priest digs deep into Vie de Jsus, unafraid of broaching the complicated and sometimes unpleasant details therein, such as Renan's backward views on race and culture Best of all, while the book is an engaging and even enjoyable read, Priest is careful to ground his assertions in fact, avoiding the biographical fantasy for which Renan's own historical writings were often criticized."--Nineteenth-Century French Studies "Priest deals delicately with Renan's emphasis on the gentle, sexually contained, virtually androgynous appeal to both men and women "--The Catholic Historical Review "Robert Priest is scrupulously attentive to his sources, and especially valuable is his research into the regional reception of Vie de Jsus. His book makes us able to see, better than before, 'an important seam of French culture that wished to accommodate both the nation's Christian heritage and the demands of modern criticism rather than set the two forces in opposition to one another') It also enables us better to understand the pre-history of theological modernism in France. Indeed, Priest reminds us of the importance of Vie de Jsus to Alfred Loisy."--H-France, absorbing ... a persuasive and consistently interesting book, which offers an excellent model for anyone writing [about] controversial religious best-sellers, "Seeking to separate the myth from the man, Renan depicts a very human, somewhat romantic messiah framed in an idyllic pastoral setting...Priest's research helps decode Vie de Jsus by highlighting terms, phrases, and intertextual references familiar to the nineteenth-century public...One of the great pleasures of Priest's approach is that he introduces us to a Renan we have not yet met in previous studies of the historian...Priest digs deep into Vie de Jsus, unafraid of broaching the complicated and sometimes unpleasant details therein, such as Renan's backward views on race and culture...Best of all, while the book is an engaging and even enjoyable read, Priest is careful to ground his assertions in fact, avoiding the biographical fantasy for which Renan's own historical writings were often criticized."--Nineteenth-Century French Studies "Priest deals delicately with Renan's emphasis on the gentle, sexually contained, virtually androgynous appeal to both men and women..."--The Catholic Historical Review "Robert Priest is scrupulously attentive to his sources, and especially valuable is his research into the regional reception of Vie de Jsus. His book makes us able to see, better than before, 'an important seam of French culture that wished to accommodate both the nation's Christian heritage and the demands of modern criticism rather than set the two forces in opposition to one another')...It also enables us better to understand the pre-history of theological modernism in France. Indeed, Priest reminds us of the importance of Vie de Jsus to Alfred Loisy."--H-France
