Robert J. NOGOSEK, C.S.C. Nine Portraits of Jesus: Discovering Jesus through the Enneagram. New York/Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2018. Pp 117, $11.91. ISBN 978-0-8091-5355-8 (paperback); 978-1-58768-721-1 (ebook). Reviewed by James ZEITZ, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas 48207.

  This set of “portraits” or “meditations” on Jesus using the enneagram began as a study guide for small group reflections in 1983, as the author explains in the Preface. He traces the work on the Enneagram to workshops by Fr. Pat O’Leary, SJ and Sr. Maria Beesing, OP at the Jesuit Retreat House in Cleveland, Ohio. Previously, Fr. Robert Ochs, S.J. had used the Enneagram in the 1970s in Chicago—integrating it with Ignatian spirituality and (according to a recent obituary for Fr. Ochs) “radically changing its diagnostic purpose.”

Nogosek’s “Portraits” are of Jesus as human—and he begins with a brief theology of Jesus’ two-natures: Jesus’ divinity but also his humanity. Jesus is fully human, yet free from original sin. Building on this, Nogosek notes that, since all nine types are ‘sin types’ or “compulsions” (in Enneagram language) and “all nine together are the perfect expression of humanness,” Jesus in his humanness “was the first to be fully human.”  Yet as free from original sin and the tendency to sin his personality “spontaneously expressed all nine types.”

Nogosek next summarizes his method: He presents the enneagram as a “call to conversion” –and three triads that are also ways to limit goodness: “limiting goodness to how I am (Eights, Twos, Fives)… to conformity (Threes, Nines, and Sixes)…to changing the environment (Ones, Sevens, and Fours). This brief presentation presupposes familiarity with the Enneagram. (See abundant literature and websites demonstrating many psychological or social uses of the Enneagram—similar to the Myers-Briggs character analysis.)
In Part One: “Jesus Family Background,” Nogosek briefly summarizes (seven pages!) what we know about the historical Jesus from the gospels. While this is important since he is referring to the humanness of Jesus, it is also problematic from the viewpoint of historical Jesus research! (e.g. it assumes Luke’s infancy narrative is historical).

Part Two: “The Enneagram in Jesus” is the heart of the work as spiritual meditations to “discover Jesus.” Each of the nine chapters takes an enneagram type, briefly summarizes it (e.g. “Ones are exacting persons”) or gives examples of it, then presents evidence from the gospels about Jesus to demonstrate how Jesus’ humanness deals with it: For example, in connection with “Ones” —as exacting persons—the gospels present Jesus as exacting in the Sermon on the Mount. However Jesus also avoids the compulsions of Ones since Jesus was tolerant. Admittedly Nogosek’s criteria for selecting gospel texts are spiritual, not critical. However, a scripture scholar might take issue with some of his selections of texts and note the need to recognize John’s ‘High Christology’ when citing John in connection with Jesus’ leadership qualities (in connection with Threes’ “Ambition”) – “you did not choose me, I chose you” (Jn. 15:16). Or his “assertiveness” (“Zeal for your house…” Jn. 2:13ff.).

However, this is a set of meditations, not a critical study of the historical Jesus. Nogosek is meditating on Jesus in the Gospels—in connection with character traits and how they can be understood and balanced. A Scripture scholar could gain new insights, for example, about the miracle of loaves and fishes: used here to demonstrate Jesus as a “Three” and his “ambition” or leadership qualities combined with his availability and sensitivity to needs.