Synopses & Reviews
By any standard – religious and secular alike – Jesus has been one of the most dominant figures of Western culture for 2,000 years.
The Blackwell Companion to Jesus spans the centuries to explore the diverse ways in which Jesus of Nazareth has been imagined or portrayed from the beginnings of Christianity to the present day.
Through a comprehensive series of essays reflecting the most recent scholarship, the volume considers the myriad images of Jesus that have arisen throughout history, offering an objective assessment of how and why these portrayals have been meaningful for those who embraced them. In doing so, it illuminates the diverse ways Jesus has been perceived through history – whether as an ideal to aspire to, or as an instrument of oppression. Individual essays fall under broad parameters such as portrayals of Jesus in the New Testament, beyond the New Testament, and Jesus in non-Christian religions. Other essays explore such themes as the philosophical and historic perspectives of Jesus, modern manifestations, and topics such as Jesus in art, fiction, and film. This broad coverage and multi-faith perspective ensures that The Blackwell Companion to Jesus offers rich and rewarding insights which shape our understanding of this influential figure and his enduring legacy.
Review
"
The Blackwell Companion to Jesus is a remarkable accomplishment. Each chapter is accessible and specific, so that the Companion will serve both as a mine of information and an incentive to further study. Instead of pursuing the usual, outdated tactic of segregating historical findings from dogmatic assessments, this work demonstrates that within the primary sources, the reception history of Jesus (Christian and non-Christian), and within recent scholarship, critical engagement and theological evaluation have consistently formed a symbiotic lens for the perception of Jesus."
—Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion, Bard College
"This is a superb collection of articles that both summarizes scholarly knowledge about the figure of Jesus through the centuries and also provides fascinating new interpretations of his cultural and religious significance."
—Susannah Heschel, Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth College, USA
Review
"Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above." (Choice, 1 May 2011)
Review
“This Companion will be a necessary part of any serious theological library. The essays are consistently strong and present invaluable orientations to their assigned topic.” (
Journal for the Study of The New Testament, 1 August 2012)
“This volume is highly recommended for any library that has strong religious collections, whether Christian or not, and should endure for some years as a standard work in the field.” (Reference Reviews, 2011)
"Later, we are given excellent brief articles on Jesus in the major world religions, then four more reflective pieces on philosophical and historical perspectives." (JTS.Oxford Journals Clippings, 8 October 2011)
"Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above." (Choice, 1 May 2011)
Review
“This volume is highly recommended for any library that has strong religious collections, whether Christian or not, and should endure for some years as a standard work in the field.” (
Reference Reviews, 2011)
"Later, we are given excellent brief articles on Jesus in the major world religions, then four more reflective pieces on philosophical and historical perspectives." (JTS.Oxford Journals Clippings, 8 October 2011)
"Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above." (Choice, 1 May 2011)
Review
“This Companion will be a necessary part of any serious theological library. The essays are consistently strong and present invaluable orientations to their assigned topic. The real success of this book lies in bringing together perspectives on Jesus from so many sources of attention: texts, culture, history, various theologies, worldwide Christianity, world religions and media. Strongly recommended.” (Journal for the Study of The New Testament, 2012)
“This is another excellent contribution to religious scholarship by Wiley-Blackwell. Chapters are scholarly but readable for the more general enquirer and some have illustrations, an unusual feature for this series of books. This volume is highly recommended for any library that has strong religious collections, whether Christian or not, and should endure for some years as a standard work in the field.” (Reference Reviews, 2011)
“No collection of essays better represents the remarkable diversity in the approaches to the elusive Jesus of Nazareth ... Recommended: upper-level undergraduates and above.” (Choice, 1 May 2011)
“Burkett has assembled an extraordinary collection of essays that invites a wide readership.” (Books News, 2011)
“An imaginative collection of essays ... No fewer than 32 authors … have been recruited to write essays, all about 15 pages in length, and there is hardly any overlap among them, even in dealing with basic New Testament texts. The editor, Delburt Burkett, is to be commended.” (The Journal of Theological Studies, 2011)
Synopsis
The Blackwell Companion to Jesus features a comprehensive collection of essays that explore the diverse ways in which Jesus has been imagined or portrayed from the beginnings of Christianity to the present day.
- Considers portrayals of Jesus in the New Testament and beyond, Jesus in non-Christian religions, philosophical and historic perspectives, modern manifestations, and representations in Christian art, novels, and film
- Comprehensive scope of coverage distinguishes this work from similar offerings
- Examines both Christian and non-Christian perspectives on Jesus, including those from ethnic and sexual groups, as well as from other faiths
- Offers rich and rewarding insights which will shape our understanding of this influential figure and his enduring legacy
About the Author
Delbert Burkett is Professor of Religious Studies at Louisiana State University. He is the author of
The Son of Man Debate: A History and Evaluation (1999),
An Introduction to the New Testament and Origins of Christianity (2002), and
Rethinking the Gospel Sources: From Proto-Mark to Mark (2004).
Table of Contents
List of Figures viii
Notes on Contributors ix
Acknowledgments xv
Images of Jesus: An Overview 1
Delbert Burkett
Part I Jesus in the New Testament 11
1 Mark’s Portrait of Jesus 13
William R. Telford
2 Who Do You Say That I Am? A Matthean Response 30
Elaine M. Wainwright
3 Jesus in Luke-Acts 47
Delbert Burkett
4 John’s Portrait of Jesus 64
Mary L. Coloe
5 Jesus in Q 81
Christopher Tuckett
6 Paul, Jesus, and Christ 94
Edward Adams
7 Jesus in the General Epistles 111
Harold W. Attridge
8 Jesus in the Apocalypse 119
Ian Boxall
9 Constructing Images of Jesus from the Hebrew Bible 127
Warren Carter
Part II Jesus Beyond the New Testament 143
10 Ancient Apocryphal Portraits of Jesus 145
J. K. Elliott
11 Gnostic Portraits of Jesus 160
Majella Franzmann
12 The Christ of the Creeds 176
Khaled Anatolios
13 Jesus in Atonement Theories 193
Stephen Finlan
Part III Jesus in World Religions 213
14 Jewish Perspectives on Jesus 215
Michael J. Cook
15 Islamic Perspectives on Jesus 232
Reem A. Meshal and M. Reza Pirbhai
16 Hindu Perspectives on Jesus 250
Sandy Bharat
17 Buddhist Perspectives on Jesus 267
Peggy Morgan
Part IV Philosophical and Historical Perspectives on Jesus 283
18 Skeptical Perspectives on Jesus’ Resurrection 285
Michael Martin
19 The Quest for the Historical Jesus: An Overview 301
David B. Gowler
20 The “Jesus” of the Jesus Seminar 319
Robert J. Miller
21 The Quest for the Historical Jesus: An Appraisal 337
Helen K. Bond
Part V Modern Manifestations of Jesus 355
22 Modern Western Christology 357
John P. Galvin
23 Christology in Africa, Asia, and Latin America 375
Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen
24 Jesus in American Culture 394
Paul Harvey
25 The Black Christ 410
Kelly Brown Douglas with Delbert Burkett
26 Feminist Christologies 427
Lisa Isherwood
27 The “Gay” Jesus 443
Theodore W. Jennings Jr.
28 Modern Mystifi cations of Jesus 458
Per Beskow
Part VI Jesus in Art, Fiction, and Film 475
29 Jesus in Christian Art 477
Robin M. Jensen
30 Jesus Novels: Solving Problems with Fiction 504
Zeba A. Crook
31 Jesus in Film 519
Adele Reinhartz
Index 532