Synopses & Reviews
This Companion takes as its starting point the realization that Jesus of Nazareth cannot be studied purely as a subject of ancient history, 'a man like any other man'. History, literature, theology and the dynamic of a living, worldwide religious reality, all appropriately impinge on the study of Jesus. The two parts of the book roughly correspond to the interdependent tasks of historical description and critical and theological reflection. It incorporates the most up-to-date historical work on Jesus the Jew with the 'bigger issues' of critical method, the story of Christian faith and study, and Jesus in a global church and in the encounter with Judaism and Islam. Written by seventeen leading international scholars, the book encourages students of the historical Jesus to discover the vital contribution of theology, and students of doctrine to engage the Christ of faith as Jesus the first-century Jew.
Review
"This is an immensely rich and rewarding compendium of essays by seventeen notable biblical scholars and theologians, together offering a largely complementary and always challenging range of historical and theological reflections upon Jesus' life and its effects...a remarkably coherent and comprehensive set of studies, surely the best of its kind currently available." Toronto Journal of Theology
Synopsis
This Companion's starting point is the realization that Jesus of Nazareth cannot be studied purely as a subject of ancient history, or as "a man like any other man". History, literature, theology and the dynamic of a living, worldwide religious reality appropriately impinge on the study of Jesus. This book therefore incorporates the most up-to-date historical work on Jesus with the "larger issues" of critical method--the story of Christian faith and study, as well as Jesus in a global church and in the encounter with Judaism and Islam.
About the Author
Markus Bockmuehl is Reader in New Testament Studies at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Fitzwilliam College. He is the author of Revelation and Mystery in Ancient Judaism and Pauline Christianity (1990), This Jesus: Martyr, Lord, Messiah (1994), The Epistle to the Philippians (1997), and Jewish Law in Gentile Churches: Halakhah and the Beginning of Christian Public Ethics (2000).
Table of Contents
Introduction; Part I. The Jesus of History: 1. Context, family and formation Craig A. Evans; 2. Jesus and his Judaism Peter J. Tomson; 3. Jesus and his God Marianne Meye Thompson; 4. Message and miracles Graham Stanton; 5. Friends and enemies Bruce Chilton; 6. Crucifixion Joel B. Green; 7. Resurrection Markus Bockmuehl; Part II. The History of Jesus: 8. Sources and methods Christopher Tuckett; 9. Quests for the historical Jesus James Carleton Paget; 10. The quest for the real Jesus Francis Watson; 11. Many gospels, one Jesus? Stephen C. Barton; 12. The Christ of the old and new testaments R. W. L. Moberly; 13. Jesus in Christian doctrine Alan Torrance; 14. A history of faith in Jesus Rowan Williams; 15. The global Jesus Teresa Okure; 16. Jerusalem after Jesus David B. Burrell; 17. The future of Jesus Christ Richard Bauckham.