For all of its anti-semitism and numerous other failings, the scene of Jesus being flogged in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" has always stayed with me. The reason being its brutal portrayal of the reality of being struck by strips of leather with bone and lead placed at the end. David W. Peters descriptions of life under Roman rule in 1st century Palestine, while suffering none of the failings of Gibson's movie, does force the reader to come to terms with the brutality and trauma of that existence which living in the 21st century might not experience as viscerally. By providing the hermeneutic of trauma with which to re-encounter the gospels, the book pushes the reader into a new awareness of the Incarnation, however, I question whether we can truly speak of a "post-traumatic Jesus."

I don't believe we can use post-traumatic as an adjective for Jesus or for the Resurrection. I would argue that in terms of Jesus' life and ministry there is trauma and then there is resurrection. The Resurrection isn't post-traumatic, the Resurrection eliminates trauma entirely. Using post-traumatic as a way to describe Jesus and his ministry creates some difficult theology. For example, though the putting down of the disciples' fishing nets and the putting down of a bottle of alcohol for an alcoholic are two examples of significant life changes with significant results, equating them is problematic. Leaving alcohol dependence behind as a part of the journey of moving through trauma is to be acknowledged and commended but is not theologically the same as the disciples leaving behind their livelihoods to follow Jesus.

The discipline of trauma studies has allowed social scientists to begin to understand human behavior in new and critical ways. A theology of trauma is equally as critical. It promises to provide those who have been traumatized and who are being traumatized with a way to talk about and understand God, which is the purpose of theology. It also promises to provide those who live and pastor to the traumatized a shared theological understanding and language. This is one of the reasons that Post-Traumatic Jesus is important. Whether or not one agrees with how the hermeneutic is used, the fact that the hermeneutic of trauma needs to exist is without question.

I put this on my list of the best books I read in 2022. It was a balm for me to read, as someone who suffers from PTSD. It's gentle but firm in its call to view Jesus as one of us in every way, including in our trauma. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc. I enjoyed this carefully researched and pastorally significant look at the trauma both of Jesus and of his first followers than can help other traumatic followers keep close tk God.