The Historical Jesus in Recent Research [Hardcover]

James D.G. Dunn (Editor), Scot McKnight (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2006

The past two or three decades have witnessed significant activity in research on the Jesus of the Gospels and history. In fact, there has been such a plethora of publication on such a wide variety of facets of this issue that it is difficult to keep pace with the rate of publication. In this volume, Dunn and McKnight have collected and provided introductions to a wide cross-section of essays on the topic, ranging from classic essays by the likes of Bultmann, Cadbury, and Schweitzer to the most recent investigations of Horsley, Levine, and Wright. This volume will be a very useful book for courses and seminars on Jesus or the historical Jesus, because it draws together in one place a wide variety of perspectives and approaches to the issues.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 332 pages
• Publisher: Eisenbrauns (July 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575061007
• ISBN-13: 978-1575061009
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #648,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absorbing essay collection on the historical Jesus, December 9, 2009

By 

Jeri Nevermind "loves to read" (Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Historical Jesus in Recent Research (Hardcover)

A brilliant collection of essays. It starts off with Schweitzer, the man who famously accused all the earlier historical Jesus researchers of not finding any historical truths about Jesus, but instead, simply 'finding' whatever the current fad of their time was in Jesus.

And yet this essay collection shows many scholars after Schweitzer making the exact same blunder. Bultmann, for example, simply parrots the existentialism of his time.

And here is Horsley, during the time of riots and revolutionaries in the 70's writing: "It is clear in the gospel tradition that Jesus directly and sharply opposed the oppression of the ruling groups" (p 294).

And you can practically see the hippies sitting in a circle going 'om' in Borg's comment: "Jesus' ministry not only began with an experience of the Spirit, but was dominated throughout by intercourse with the other world." (p 306).

And in the time of feminism, guess what Levine says about Jesus: "Christian feminists seeking a supportive Jesus had little evidence of his attempt to overthrow gender bifurcation" (p 513). Astonishingly, Jesus also forgot to say anything about the destruction of the rain forest.

Against these painful examples, the essays by traditional scholars shine like jewels. Jeremias has a fascinating essay on 'abba', for example, showing how it was "unusual that Jesus...addressed God as 'my Father'; it is even more so that he should have used the Aramaic form" (p 203).

I was especially impressed by Peter Stuhmacher's essay in which he argues that "The expectation of the Davidic Messiah was current in early Judaism and had full-blown national and political implications" (p 329). Furthermore, he gives a clear line of logic leading to the conclusion that "Jesus allowed the use of the title Messiah in his circle of disciples, but he did not claim it publicly for himself" (p 336).

E P Sanders also has a thoughtful essay on Jesus and the Temple. And Peter Stuhmacher argues in "Jesus; Readiness to Suffer and His Understanding of His Death" that "Jesus; application of Isiah 53 to his own suffering as the messianic Son of Man...stands at the crossways of the interpretations already being considered in early Judaism" (p 397).

P W Barnett argues that "The Jewish Sign Prophets heralded, and by their attempted 'signs' sought to activate God's eschatological salvation. Their activities over three decades by such a significant period merit closer attention" (p 462).

A rich, meaty collection. Well worth digging into.