Beyond the Biography of Jesus: The Journey of Quadratos, Book I

BOOK II TO BE RELEASED LATE FALL 2007

FOR VOLUME CHURCH ORDERING PLEASE CALL 615.309.4984

To order the study guide please visit the Quadratos website: http://www.quadratos.com/book_store/

Book I contains the fascinating history and overview of the ancient reading sequence of the four traditional gospels, and takes the reader through the first half of the quadratos journey, the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Book II, set for release in Fall 2006, carries the reader through the second half of the journey, the Gospels of John and Luke/Acts, and into a summary and challenge for contemporary Christianity.

There is an immense dilemma, even a crisis, in Christian churches today—and it is shared by most other spiritual traditions—Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. It is a dilemma of belief, and of trust. Lack of enthusiasm and dissatisfaction in congregations is pervasive, hyper-rigidity abounds, and many have completely closed their minds and hearts to any form of religion at all because they have been injured or angered by what they perceive as a lack of logic, or charity—or both.

This book reveals a revolutionary biblical discovery that directly addresses this critical dilemma. During the first years of the Christian church, early followers not only elevated the traditional four gospels above all the other gospels and writings available—they placed them in a mysterious, non-chronological reading sequence and read them that way for over a thousand years. Why? Because the four Christian gospels tell a much greater story than the biography of Jesus!

Dr. Shaia unravels the divine inspiration of this mysterious sequence, and links it to universal spiritual and anthropological as well as modern psychological understandings. He demonstrates the value of this perspective to create faith-filled lives that are relevant and useful in a time that is much more complex than village life millennia ago. He shows how we can trust in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, John and Luke, the core documents of the Christian faith, as revelations of divine truth, despite all of their discrepancies, mistranslations and centuries of abuse and misuse. In the sequence Dr. Shaia discloses, the gospels are the map of our never-ending spiritual journey.

For more information on this book, including upcoming seminars and Dr. Shaia's speaking engagements, please visit http://www.quadratos.com

In an age when the "Jesus industry" is booming with books based solely on a narrow view of history and research Alexander Shaia's work on the gospels is breathtakingly liberating. His writing represents not only the recovery of a great tradition of interpretation, but also a liberation from the method of understanding which has tended to strangle the texts and stifle their inner meaning and integrity.
—Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

This is the most refreshing look at the Gospels that I have seen since seminary over 35 years ago. My faith has been invigorated and renewed. "Quadratos" is a profound work and a breath of fresh air for Christianity that gives hope for the Gospels’ message in this century.
—Rev. JeanAnne Swope, Interim Presbytery Executive,
Presbyterian Church (USA), retired

“Quadratos" gives us a map of faith that allows Christianity to move forward in new and constructive ways, yet keeps us firmly anchored in the gospels and in our history. This is exactly the clarifying and transformative message we need to hear at this moment.
—Bishop David G. Mullen, Lutheran Sierra Pacific Synod, ELCA

This lyrical, passionate book takes one of the world’s great sacred scriptures and offers it as the map of the universal spiritual journey, the transformation from the isolated suffering of the separate self to the liberation of selfless, shared compassion. What a gift for us all.
—Sylvia Boorstein, meditation teacher and bestselling author – It’s Easier Than You Think:
The Buddhist Way to Happiness

Dr. Shaia has cut through all the scriptural controversies to the deep places of wisdom. He confirms what my heart has always known.
—Rev. George Wenzinger, Roman Catholic pastor

This is a wonderfully wise and profound vision of the Gospels, illuminating their inner meaning and our inner lives with them.
—Jack Kornfield, co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center
and bestselling author – A Path with Heart: A Guide through the Perils and
Promises of Spiritual Life

As a psychiatrist, I find Dr. Shaia's work to be a comprehensive understanding of psychological development, and a useful template for psychological growth.
—Lawrence Greenberg, M.D., Professor Emeritus and Former Director
of Child and Adolescent, Psychiatry, the School of Medicine, University of Minnesota

At a time when many novels and so-called “scientific and historical studies” are calling into question the veracity and wisdom of the Gospels, Dr. Shaia reveals the pattern of Quadratos, the “code” that opens up the deep spiritual nourishment and roadmap that inspired the earliest Christian communities as they dealt with crisis and loss. This understanding of the content and sequence of the Gospels was of immeasurable help to me in facing the polarization and pain I find in many parishes and in our country as a whole.
—Sr. Francine Barber, OP
Director of Lifelong Catechesis, Diocese of Pueblo, Colorado

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexander J. Shaia, Ph.D, is an educator, psychotherapist, liturgist, writer and passionate speaker. He is the founder and director of the Blue Door Retreat in Santa Fe, NM. He travels internationally, lecturing and conducting workshops on Quadratos, Jungian sandplay therapy, rites of passage, and depth Christianity.