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Jesus according to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels

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This scholarly, yet approachable volume on the life of Jesus will appeal to both scholars and interested laypeople alike. While not exactly dumbing down, Bock writes in a style that would allow one not familiar with the technical sources cited to breeze over that material and get to the heart of Jesus' teachings.

Bock masterfully synthesizes the Gospels into a coherent, thematic picture of the Jesus of history. Bock's methodology uses very technical synoptics to piece together the gospel accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus and present the "portrait from the Gospels." The history of the life of Christ comes alive, and Bock draws on historical and cultural data to further the reader's understanding of the texts.

Most will find the overview of the four gospels at the beginning a good introduction (or a great refresher) to the historical and form issues of each.

Most excitingly, Bock deals a devastating blow to critical scholars (i.e. John Dominic Crossan, and his minions)who seek to undermine the credibility of the gospel accounts of the life of Christ. After reading this work, it becomes very apparent that these Jesus "scholars" are far from scholarly in their treatment of the life of Christ. They are simply revisionist historians making attempts to form their own portrait of Christ and read it back into the gospels. Bock doesn't argue against these fascimiles of biblical scholars in this volume, but his portrait of Christ makes it clear that theirs are thoroughly counterfeit.

I give Bock's book two thumbs up. A refreshing alternative to the critical garbage we've all been forced to put up with for the last century. At last, a biography of Jesus that is evangelical, scholarly, intelectually stimulating, and a historically accurate picture of the life and ministry of Christ.

Jesus According to Scripture: Restoring The Portrait From the Gospels is an extensive and erudite account by Darrell L. Bock (Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary) that strives to piece together a thorough and accurate portrait of Jesus Christ as drawn from the synoptic gospels, as well as an analysis of Jesus' portrayal in The Book of John. No effort is spared in the scrutinizing of close detail resulting in a truly scholarly and meticulous reconstruction which presents the reader with a clear and cohesive portrait of the Christ himself. Jesus According To Scripture is a welcome and impressive contribution to Christian Theological Studies in general, and those who seek a clearer understanding of the Gospel depiction of the role and personhood of Jesus in particular.

Dr Bock has performed a great service to the Evangelical and faith seeking world. This treatment of the Life of Christ, is a fine update to a previvous work by fellow DTS professor Dwight Pentacost. It is a easy to understand and follow work, and contains Dr. Bock's interaction with current NT work in the area of Christiology. It is useful for both the newest believer and the seasoned pastor. Do yourself a favor and buy it today.

There are certain books that ought to be on every Christian's bookshelf when it comes to the Bible. One of these books ought to be Jesus According to Scripture. In this, Bock goes through each periscope and provides some points that ought to be considered. Another valuable part of this book is "Major Themes in the Evangelists' Portrait of Jesus' Theology." No preacher should tackle the Gospels without this by his side. I'm very impressed with Bock and his research and cannot recommend him highly enough!

Darrel Bock has delivered a lengthy and scripturally sound portrayal of the life of our Lord and Christ. The Person and work of Christ is done biblical justice and denies the 'self' any right to claim salvation as originating in man. God-in-the-flesh condescended to His creation, His creatures, to bring them redemption through His vicarious atonement on the Cross - a life led and laid down in glory to the Father.

Bock harmonizes the Synoptic Gospels, side by side, and quotes various original translations with each separate episode. He then deals with John as a separate account - as that of Christ revealed from heaven to us.

This work is a solid refutation of the many 'Jesus traditions' that have circulated the last century - namely, that of the 'origins' critical school. It is thoroughly scriptural and bases its reading upon the divine inspiration of Scripture. This is the true Son of God revealed!

'Without an appreciation of His suffering, Jesus' messianic calling is not understood. Only as the cross draws near does the full scope of divine promise and calling emerge.' p 33

'The servant Jesus is an example of how to walk with God in a world that rejects those sent by God. It is here that the pastoral demands of discipleship appear as well (Mark 10:35-45).' p 33

'Jesus' work brings intense rejection and will lead to persecution one day. This means that disciples must persevere in their walk in the face of great persecution (Luke 21:7-19). The two great obstacles to discipleship are the pressure that this persecution produces and excessive attachment to the world, especially through possessions (Luke 8: 11-15, 18:8).' p 37

'What Jesus gives through His work is deliverance, forgiveness and ultimately enablement, alongside the eternal life God gives.' p 37

'At the end of the Gospel, blessing comes to those who have faith without the need for signs (John 20:29).' p 41

'Jesus' death shows the love of the Father for His own people and is an example to disciples of how they should love, (John 13:1, 11-17); and is a means by which the Son and Father are glorified as life is made available through Him (John 3:14-16).' p 41

Summary

In this tome on the Gospels, Bock hopes "to show that the very diversity in the Gospels underscores an inherent unity in their claims that adds depth to the account of Jesus in a way that simply overlapping accounts would not. Just as a three-dimensional portrait gives depth to an image in a way that two dimensions cannot, so these four Gospels reveal a many-sided Jesus whose fundamental claims still challenge us today. Thus, such a look at Jesus according to Scripture gives us a glimpse of how unique a figure Jesus was" (17). Bock tells us that the premise of his textbook is that "too few people, much less students of the Gospels, are familiar enough with the Gospel accounts as they stand" (17).

In four parts, Bock walks his readers through a comprehensive portrait of the Gospels, starting with an overview which emphasizes the uniqueness of each Gospel. Then, Bock spills the majority of his ink over the portrait of Jesus contained in the synoptics, weaving these accounts together emphasizing the Gospels' chronology alongside of their christology. Part three deals with Jesus according to John, and Bock's final chapter is a theological summary of his first three sections and the major theological themes which emerge from the Gospels. Bock wrote Jesus according to Scripture not as a technical study, but to be a painstaking presentation of the Gospel narratives. His lack of concision is in service to the presentation of this portrait of Jesus.


What's Good

This book is written incredibly well. Often books like this read woodenly or can be difficult to move through, but Bock's style is both clear and fast paced. This is most evident in chapter 11, The Passion Week, which reads more like a action novel than a theology textbook. Bock's mastery of the Gospels is made clear in this. Not once does Bock lose his voice, but narrates the Gospels with a consistent authority throughout. Bock is tireless in this truly thorough treatment of the full content of the Gospels.

Questions/Concerns/Critiques

JESUS according to Scripture is excellent as a reference work, but unfortunately it is too long to be anything else. In his attempt to break down the barriers to Jesus as he's found in the Gospels, Bock creates one more barrier with this thick volume. Perhaps a companion to the Gospels would be a more effective tool to get students to read them rather than this book. So, in his attempt to break down all other barriers, Bock potentially creates one more barrier to the text.

I expected Bock to interact with the liberal and conservative scholarship that he mentioned in his introduction (50). It would have been of benefit to the reader for Bock to articulate those positions on specific issues/passages and show how the Jesus of the Gospels emerges as the true Jesus.

One of the unstated presuppositions Bock brings to his study is that the Gospels can and should be harmonized. Bock finds himself bound to respond to both liberal and conservative scholarship and harmonize the Gospels in this way to prove his point: "the [Gospels] are telling us that anyone with ears to hear and eyes to see should use them to find forgiveness in Jesus and enter into his promise" (405).

Bock presents a unique examination of the four gospels, based around the idea that the Synoptics present Jesus from Earth up, and John presents Jesus from heaven down. I found it a very fair introduction to the gospels. I also enjoyed the clean formatting and nice cover design.

Thank you for the book. It is in great condition, and I received it a lot faster than I had imagined.

Thank you again!