A sweet retelling of the New Testament that Charles Dickens wrote for his children. He tells the story of Christ, starting from his birth, on to his life and teachings, and ends with his death and resurrection. It is a perfect book to read to children, as that was what it was written for - simplified, but still quotes the beautiful language of the bible. Very quick read as well, and I think it would be great to read at Christmas or Easter.

I can certainly see why Dickens never wanted this work published. It is not awful. But it is definitely a summary of the life of Christ written to be at not only a child's level (thus some childlike summaries and much simplified explanations and assertions), but to his OWN children's level. There are occasional parts where Dickens is trying to teach his children good principles and actions based on the Savior's life.

He NEVER meant this to be read by others. I wouldn't have wanted such a work to go either. One of the most eloquent writers could have written a much more beautiful testimony of his beliefs about the Savior for others to read. But that was not a part of his life that he wanted bashed because it was so sacred to him. And he probably didn't want the subject treated lightly or in a strictly a literary light either. He shared this precious part with his YOUNG children. It is no literary masterpiece in the least, but from it I was able to gain how much Dickens loved the Savior, believed in him, and wanted his children to share in that love and belief.

The Life of Our Lord : Written for his Children During the Years 1846 to 1849, by Charles Dickens, is an easy and entertaining read for young and older people alike. Illustrated with copies of famous paintings, the book presents the life of Jesus Christ in a short and concise way. It's still a mystery to me why in the Holy Bible, as in this book, the life of Jesus, between the age of 12 to 33 years of age is never revealed. Did he travel the world teaching people? One will never know.

Dickens wrote this in-his-own-words account of the life of Christ with the sole intent of engendering faith and goodness in his posterity. He gave strict instructions that it never be published, it was a closely guarded family secret for almost 100 years. I'm grateful that an allowance was given in his last living child's will, and after that child's death, by popular vote his posterity decided in 1934 to share it with the world. It is a pure and lovely read, something I might decide to purchase and always have on my bookshelf.

From the introduction, written by Gerald Charles Dickens:

"I invite you to become part of this wonderful family. Read The Life of Our Lord not as a Dickens novel -- that is the last thing my great-great-grandfather would have wanted. Read it as an honorary family member and draw fro it the rich meaning that Charles Dickens intended when he first presented this gift to us."

From the work itself:

"Remember! -- It is Christianity TO DO GOOD, always--even to those who do evil to us. It is Christianity to love our neighbours as ourself, and to do to all men as we would have them do to us. It is Christianity to be gentle, merciful, and forgiving, and to keep those qualities quiet in our own hearts, and never make a boast of them, or of our prayers or of our love of God, but always to show that we love Him by humbly trying to do right in everything. If we do this, and remember the life and lessons of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and try to act up to them, we may confidently hope that God will forgive us our sins and mistakes, and enable us to live and die in peace." (122)

The tone of this book is just like a father speaking to his children, tucking them in with a bedtime story. It is a touching and personal retelling of the story of the Savior's life, with Dickens' testimony interwoven. We like to read this with the kids at Christmas time.

Read a copy (lent to me by Dr. Beach) around 2009. As I recall things, Jesus' work on our behalf is mainly as a good example.

In August 2019, I looked at another edition, and Dickens says (Angel speaking to shepherds), "There is a child born to-day in the City of Bethlehem near here, who will grow up to be so good that God will love him as his own son . . ." (14). Furthermore, the concluding paragraph says three times that "It is christianity to . . ." (124) and never gets to the heart of the gospel. (That particular edition has a helpful appendix by D. James Kennedy.)

In God and Charles Dickens (blurbed by David Lyle Jeffrey and Susannah Clements), Gary Colledge argues that "Dickens's Jesus is the divine Son of God, the second person of the triune Godhead" (43). Colledge argues that Dickens wasn't trying to say everything that could be said about Jesus' nature, and elsewhere Dickens is clearer about Jesus' divine status (39–43). Still, at best this statement from The Life of Our Lord is misleading. And despite Colledge's serious treatment of The Life of Our Lord, I couldn't find where he addressed that particular (problematic) statement.

When reading this piece it is important to know that Dickens did not want this published. It wasn't published until 1933 after all of his children had passed away. The piece was written solely for the religious education of his children and was not written for Dickens to make money. When one reads Dickens distillation of Jesus's story as told in the Bible one can understand why he would have been adverse to it being published. He believed in Jesus's message of humility and charity - publication of a work outlining such beliefs would have been hypocritical in Dickens's eyes.
I am glad that I read this as it gives a glimpse into the private beliefs of Dickens and how he felt about imparting those beliefs to his children. It will definitely inform my reading of his works moving forward.

This is Dickens’ tribute to the Savior, as told to his ten children over the years. It was a quick, but beautiful story of Jesus’s life, from His birth, through His resurrection, throwing in parables and miracles He did among the people in Israel. Little gems are thrown in of Dickens teaching his children what certain events teach us about being true Christians in the way we live. Very inspiring in its simplicity and beauty.

I loved this book. I found it at a library book sale about thirty years ago, when I was still in college. I kept it for many years. Then, I donated it so someone else could discover Charles Dickens and/or Jesus Christ.

Good book. One review I read said this is no literary masterpiece, but it wasn't supposed to be. I feel the same way. A succinct summary of the Life of Jesus Christ. Even as I write this review, I have a sense of difficulty to write anything about Jesus Christ without seeming incomplete. I like how he chooses what to share to illustrate to his children who good Christian people are. Many books are written on the life of our Savior that have impacted me more, but given this was written to his children, its simplicity is good. It jumps from one account to the next so quickly and without much transition, I imagine him reading it and it would be more full of life. The piece I feel it is missing, that I want to make sure my children know, is that Jesus Christ is so much more than a good or miraculous person. He is our Savior.

I liked that this was a quick review of Jesus's life, and imagining Dickens reading it to his children every Christmas made it much better.

I love Charles Dickens and I was excited to read this book by him. At first I was disappointed as it was not his typical writing style, but it dawned on me, this was written for his children and therefore, the different way of telling the story. I appreciate and love his desire to tell his children of Jesus's life and lessons for them to learn through Jesus's life. I hope his children loved and appreciated it.