Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) [Hardcover]

Joel B Green (Editor), Scot McKnight (Editor), I Howard Marshall (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 18, 1992

Recipient of a Christianity Today 1993 Critics Choice Award! Third Place Winner of Christianity Today's Book of the Year list award! The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels is unique among reference books on the Bible, the first volume of its kind since James Hastings published his Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels in 1909. In the more than eight decades since Hastings our understanding of Jesus, the Evangelists and their world has grown remarkably. New interpretive methods have illumined the text, the ever-changing profile of modern culture has put new questions to the Gospels, and our understanding of the Judaism of Jesus' day has advanced in ways that could not have been predicted in Hasting's day. But for many readers of the Gospels the new outlook on the Gospels remains hidden within technical journals and academic monographs. The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels bridges the gap between scholars and those pastors, teachers, students and lay people desiring in-depth treatment of select topics in an accessible and summary format. The topics range from cross-sectional themes (such as faith, law, Sabbath) to methods of interpretation (such as form criticism, redaction criticism, and death of Jesus) to each of the four Gospels as a whole. Some articles--such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbinic traditions and revolutionary movements at the time of Jesus--provide significant background information to the Gospels. Others reflect recent and less familiar issues in Jesus and Gospel studies, such as divine man, ancient rhetoric and the chreiai (aphorisms). Contemporary concerns of general interest are discussed in articles covering such topics as healing, the demonic and the historical reliability of the Gospels. And for those entrusted with communicating the message of the Gospels, there is an extensive article on preaching from the Gospels. The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels presents the fruit of evangelical New Testament scholarship at the end of the twentieth century--committed to the authority of Scripture, utilizing the best of critical methods, and maintaining dialog with contemporary scholarship and challenges facing the church.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Green (B.S., M.Th., Ph.D.) is dean of academic affairs, dean of the School of Theology and professor of New Testament interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. Prior to his appointment at Asbury in 1997, he was associate professor of New Testament at the American Baptist Seminary of the West/Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. His recent titles include Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology (coauthored with Paul Achtemeier and Marianne Meye Thompson, 2001), Beginning with Jesus: Christ in Scripture, the Church and Discipleship (2000), Recovering the Scandal of the Cross: Atonement in New Testament and Contemporary Contexts (coauthored with Mark Baker, 2000), Between Two Horizons: Spanning New Testament Studies and Systematic Theology (coedited with Max Turner, 2000) and The Gospel of Luke in the New International Commentary on the New Testament (1997). Green has for more than twenty years been editor of! Catalyst, a journal providing evangelical resources and perspectives to some 5,000 United Methodist seminarians. An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, he has pastored churches in Texas, Scotland and Northern California. He has also served on the boards of Berkeley Emergency Food and Housing Project and RADIX magazine.

McKnight (Ph. D.) is assistant professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illonois. He is general editor of Guides to New Testament Exegesis and wrote Interpreting the Synoptic Gospels in that series.

. Howard Marshall is Honorary Research Professor of New Testament at the University of Aberdeen in Aberdeen, Scotland. Among his numerous publications on the New Testament are his commentaries on the Gospel of Luke, Acts, 1-2 Thessalonians, the Pastoral Epistles, 1 Peter and 1-3 John. He is coauthor of Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters and Revelation.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 959 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic (February 18, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830817778
• ISBN-13: 978-0830817771
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.3 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Religion

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource - but don't make it the only one, August 26, 2001

By 

Elizabeth G. Melillo "gloriana" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) (Hardcover)

The information in this book is comprehensive, well-referenced (including mention of non-scriptural resources related to the period), and quite absorbing. I found myself moving from one cross reference to another, avidly seeking the information which "fleshed out" the accounts, and made the meanings of scriptural texts, even those I had studied a number of times, richer and more complete. The relation of gospel texts, particularly Jesus's parables, miracles and the like, to historical perspectives is well done. There also is a valuable section relating how to use gospel texts in preparing sermons. In total, it is a fine reference for placing Jesus's words in context, and understanding the actions of those with whom he dealt. (For example, look up the article on Pontius Pilate... his fear at "you are no friend of Caesar" has an interesting and very natural basis.) With this said, however, this valuable book should not be one's only reference for scripture study. My five stars are for the book as it is intended - a "dictionary," with extensive and often fascinating explanations. It is not sufficient for most scriptural exegesis or advanced New Testament study, particularly because it is strictly composed from an evangelical perspective. Many distinguished contemporary scholars (Raymond Brown, N.T. Wright, E.P. Sanders, to name a few), equally orthodox in their Christology, would have viewpoints that are far less literalist than this work provides. Just as two minor examples, the Dictionary sees no reason to doubt that the apostle Matthew was the author of the first gospel, and the idea that the visit of the Magi was completely, literally true (with no allowance for its being a midrash at all) is unquestioned. The entire approach in this work is extremely conservative. I would place this book on the shelf of anyone studying the gospels, but it would be one of at least five.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Resource, November 23, 1999

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J. Leman (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) (Hardcover)

I am student taking a few classes at a seminary, but have no Greek background. Despite that, I have found this book to be an invaluable resource for indepth study of issues relating to the Gospels. This is a must have reference for anyone who loves the Bible and wants to understand the Gospels and the teachings of Jesus more. It is a great balance of thorough and concise.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Distinguished Discourses on Subjects related to the 4 Gospels, August 25, 2006

By 

Marc Axelrod (Potter, Wi USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (The IVP Bible Dictionary Series) (Hardcover)

This is book one of a four volume dictionary of the New Testament, and it's terrific. Most bible dictionaries are single volume works which encompass the entire canon of scripture. But because this book covers only the four gospels, the scholars were allowed to turn in more detailed articles. Many of them are outstanding. I really liked Ben Witherington's lengthy discussion about The Birth of Christ, and Harold Hoehner's Chronology of the life of Christ.

The article on the Geography and History of Israel was also a distinguished article, as were the articles on the death of Christ and the theology of Mark's Gospel.

This book represents the best of young evangelical scholarship circa 1992. This is a resource that can be read cover to cover, or it can be consulted occasionally when researching a sermon or a report.

I should also say that the other three volumes are also outstanding, and you can purchase them as a set, or you can purchase them (along with other great IVP resources) on a CD-Rom for around $125.

You can also get two Old Testament dictionaries covering the Pentateuch and the Historical Books. I can't say enough about the value of these books. Thumbs way up!!!

May 2008 update
Believe it or not, I actually read this 896 page dictionary from top to bottom on my laptop. And I didn't even get a ribbon :(

But what I did get was a tremendous amount of knowledge about all things related to Jesus and the four gospels. I finished this book wanting more! Standout articles include the one on the Birth of Jesus by Ben Witherington, the artiucle on the Chronology of events in the life of Christ by Harold Hoehner, the entries on the Trials of Jesus, the Synoptic Problem, the Genealogies of Jesus, the Death of Jesus in the Gospels, and the article about Wisdom.

I would say that in reality, this book is more of an encyclopedia than a dictionary. But it is terrific. And considering the great number of writers, there is an amazing amount of solidarity and agreement on the core issues in Gospel studies. Pretty much all the writers would affirm that the Gospel of Mark was written first, and that the Gospels are historically reliable, and that Jesus actually said the things the Gospels say he said.

I found myself in agreement with almost everything I read in this book. I should say that a handful of contributors probably fall outside the evangelical camp (Michael Wise, D.C Allison), but their entries are largely consistent with evangelical perspectives.

This is a great book, the most interesting dictionary I've ever read. It is the first of four published IVP Dictionaries of the New Testament. This particular dictionary was published in 1992, so the scholarship is starting to become slightly dated. But it is probably good for at least another 10-15.