Richard John Neuhaus chose a daunting project in Death on a Friday Afternoon: the book is a wide-ranging meditation on Jesus' seven last words spoken from the Cross on Good Friday. (These "words" are actually Jesus' seven final statements, taken from the four gospels; they include "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," and "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") Neuhaus has a powerful rhetorical style, which disposes him occasionally to make questionable, grandiose claims, such as, "If what Christians say about Good Friday is true, then it is, quite simply, the truth about everything." Yet Neuhaus also has a great respect for the mysteries of Christianity and is capable of open, honest grappling with the toughest questions of the faith: "[W]hat does it mean to say Christ died for our sins? Why was it necessary? Or was it? And which sins in particular?" Despite its occasional overreaching, Death on a Friday Afternoon is an elegant, mature, and compassionate exploration of the hardest, darkest questions in Christianity. --Michael Joseph Gross


From Beliefnet
Polemics are not entirely absent, but the volume provokes more thoughtful meditation than verbal combat. In its seven chapters, Neuhaus reflects on the seven short statements that the writers of the Four Gospels record Jesus as speaking from the cross (for example, "I thirst," "into your hands I commend my spirit").Here we meet not Neuhaus the neoconservative who happens to be a Roman Catholic priest, but Neuhaus the Roman Catholic priest who happens to dabble in high-brow politics. Nevertheless, "Death on a Friday Afternoon" is carried off at the same high level as his other work. Neuhaus underscores classical Christian themes but does so with a nearly Chestertonian touch. Like the G.K. Chesterton of "Orthodoxy" (a classic defense of classical Christianity), Neuhaus employs aphorisms, paradoxes, and unexpected conjunctions to recommend the beauty, as well as the truth, of the Good Friday events. The first chapter, on Christ's saying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," is a particularly effective exposition of the need for divine forgiveness. (Mark Noll, www.Beliefnet.com, March 2000)


Philip Zaleski, author of The Recollected Heart and editor of Gifts of the Spirit
"A masterful achievement."


Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University
"A book for all seasons of the year and for every stage of one's journey through life."


Book Description
In the tradition of C. S. Lewis and Thomas Merton, this profoundly moving and enlightening journey through the meanings of Good Friday is destined to become a classic. Numerous writers and composers have been captivated by the suggestiveness of Jesus' Seven Last Words. But Richard John Neuhaus's sustained exploration of these utterances is something altogether different. Through them he plumbs the depths of human experience and sets forth the central narrative of Western civilization-the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ-in a way that engages the attention of believers, unbelievers, and those who are not sure what they believe. Death on a Friday Afternoon is an invitation to the reader into a spiritual and intellectual exploration of the dark side of human experience with the promise of light and life on the far side of darkness.


About the Author
Richard John Neuhaus is president of the Institute on Religion and Public Life and the editor in chief of First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life. He is the author of numerous books, including The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Numerous writers and composers have been captivated by the suggestiveness of Jesus' Seven Last Words. But Richard John Neuhaus's sustained exploration of these utterances is something altogether different. Through them he plumbs the depths of human experience and sets forth the central narrative of Western civilization—the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ—in a way that engages the attention of believers, unbelievers, and those who are not sure what they believe. Death on a Friday Afternoon is an invitation to the reader into a spiritual and intellectual exploration of the dark side of human experience with the promise of light and life on the far side of darkness.

About the Author:Richard John Neuhaus is president of the Institute on Religion and Public Life and the editor in chief of First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life. He is the author of numerous books, including The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

A book for all seasons of the year and for every stage of one's journey through life. — (Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University)