The Gospel Image of Christ (Paperback)

~ Veselin Kesich (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Like the icon, the gospel image of Christ emerges from the living tradition of the Church. Like the icon, the gospels are the product of a period of preparation, witness and meditation. Like the icon, they are the Church's expression of its faith. Over twenty years ago, Professor Kesich wrote The Gospel Image of Christ: The Church and Modern Criticism. This completely rewritten and enlarged book represents the fruit of Professor Kesich's lifetime interest in the study of "biblical criticism." He has added chapters regarding the dating and chronology and the history of the gospels, reevaluating the Gnostic gospels and the titles and images which the earliest Christians considered adequate to answer the question of who Jesus is. He has also addressed questions raised by some new approaches to gospel research. For all practical purposes, this is a new book with the old title, which best conveys its major purpose. The basic perspective of the previous work, as well as still valid material, has been retained from the first edition. This book contributes to the ongoing discussion regarding the nature and value of New Testament research. It is the author's contention that the proper function of biblical criticism is to build, not to destroy, to illumine, not to obscure, to give us a better understanding of the gospel, not to produce another gospel. He pays particular attention to the incarnational approach, which presupposes historical inquiry and justifies historical research. In his view constructive scholarship can give us a possibility of answering the question of who Jesus is, and answer which will illuminate the living image of Christ in the Church.

About the Author

Dr. Veselin Kesich is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary.

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr; Revised & enlarged edition (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881411027
• ISBN-13: 978-0881411027
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,565,781 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An overall balanced look at modern biblical criticism, June 28, 2000

By	John J. Henderson (Memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews

Professor Veselin Kesich gives a balanced, scholarly look at how modern biblical criticism has helped to give a clear picture of Jesus and the early Church. He contends that "the proper function of criticism is not to destroy the tradition of the Church, but to illumine it; it is not to reject old insights, but to open new avenues of understanding of God's ways and purposes in history." (p. 47)

In attempting to illumine the Church's tradition, Kesich looks at the historical evidence for Jesus, the various forms of modern criticism, the writing of the canonical Gospels, the image of Christ presented by the four Gospels ("Four Perspectives, One Image"), the process of compiling the New Testament canon, Jesus' message, and the historical setting of the Gospel.

I found particularly interesting his chapter on "The Drive to Objectivity". He points out that the presuppositions of a critic or theologian usually "influences his study of the Gospels more than anything else." (p. 39) Presuppositions about the dates, authorship, etc. of the Gospels and Epistles (none of which have been accurately established by historians) can drastically influence the conclusions that critics come to in their study of the Bible.

The only problem I have with the book is that Kesich repeatedly states that the modern approach to biblical study is the best available today, pointing out that there are problems with much of the exegesis of the Church Fathers. Certainly, the Church Fathers were not perfect, but as an Eastern Orthodox Christian (Kesich is also Orthodox, Professor of New Testament at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary), I would say that it is still much more helpful to read the Church Fathers than modern critics. For instance, I find the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom of the Parables of Jesus much more useful than some modern critic's theories about the supposed date that John's Gospel was written. I do, however, believe that modern criticism can be very useful in putting the Gospels in context. I think Kesich does a great job of evaluating the recent historical and archaeological findings in light of the Tradition of the Church--findings which are often used to destroy the Church's Tradition.