The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved

Reverend Elkan V. Kemp
Author House (2008)
ISBN 9781434372055
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (8/09)


Reverend Elkan V. Kemp has spent the last sixty years of his life studying and teaching the Bible.  Back in 1940, he was in a head-on collision where he almost lost his life.  This changed his perspective on life and death.  He has studied all aspects of religions, and has written this book on who he thinks the disciple that Jesus loved was.  His thoughts are well thought out and they make a lot of sense.  The book is also beautifully written from Jesus’ perspective on agape love. 

The book starts out with the author discussing not only who the disciple that Jesus loved was, but also questioning who wrote the book of John.  He doubts that it was actually the disciple John in both cases, as most people have thought over the past couple of thousand years.  He has built this book around the other unnamed disciple, Lazarus.  

The story unfolds during the years of Jesus’ ministry before he was crucified.  The author does a wonderful job showing the love (agape) that Jesus lived and taught.  This perspective really gives you wonderful insight to Jesus’ relationships and teachings.  The aura of love and peace radiated from him so that people naturally followed him and were just happy to be in his presence.  The book also shows the human side of Jesus as he made his decision to leave his vocation of carpentry, to the distress of some family members, to take up the ministry. 

There were so many languages and translations involved with the works of Jesus that it is not surprising that there is a lot of confusion about whom Jesus loved and who wrote the Gospel.  As a minister in training in a New Thought church, I am studying the Bible in depth and really resonated with what Reverend Kemp has to say on this subject.  The book is very reader friendly, not just for scholars.  “The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved” by Reverend Elkan V. Kemp is a wonderful book for the curious, those new to religion, people in New Thought and all mainstream religions, except maybe the core Fundamental groups.

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