{"product_id":"the-gospel-in-brief-9780803294325","title":"The Gospel in Brief","description":"\"Are you acquainted with Tolstoy's \u003ci\u003eThe Gospel in Brief\u003c\/i\u003e? At its time, this book virtually kept me alive. . . . If you are not acquainted with it, then you cannot imagine what an effect it can have upon a person.\"--Ludwig Wittgenstein, in a letter to Ludwig von Ficker. \u003ci\u003eThe Gospel in Brief\u003c\/i\u003e is Leo Tolstoy's integration of the four biblical Gospels into a single account of the life of Jesus. Inspired in large measure by Tolstoy's meticulous study of the original Greek versions of the Bible, \u003ci\u003eThe Gospel in Brief\u003c\/i\u003e is a highly original fusion of biblical texts and Tolstoy's own influential religious views. Tolstoy explains that his goal is a solution to \"the problem of life,\" not an answer to theological or historical questions. As a result, he sets aside such issues as Jesus' genealogy and divinity, or whether Jesus in fact walked on water. Instead, he focuses on the words and teachings of Jesus, stripped of what Tolstoy regarded as the Church's distortions and focus on dogma and ritual. The result is a work that emphasizes the individual's spiritual condition in a chaotic and indifferent world. Like Tolstoy's celebrated literary achievements, \u003ci\u003eThe Gospel in Brief\u003c\/i\u003e has the distinct bearing of a classic: in its urgency and directness it is remarkably current, as if it were written only yesterday rather than a century ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bison Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/01\/1997\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780803294325\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 215\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.54lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.02h x 5.54w x 0.45d","brand":"Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, Leo Tolstoy","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36643718463644,"sku":"9780803294325","price":14.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_38db9ab7-1b50-4491-9bf0-32a2c4c978c8.jpg?v=1603857141","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-gospel-in-brief-9780803294325","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}