THE AUTHOR
E.P. Sanders is a biblical scholar of the highest order. After receiving two baccalaureate degrees from his home state, Texas, he pursued graduate studies in Gottingen, Jerusalem, Oxford and New York, and earned a Th.D. from Union Theological Seminary. He has recently obtained two other doctoral degrees, Doctor of Letters from the University of Oxford and Doctor of Theology (honoris causa) from the University of Helsinki. In 1966, he began teaching at McMaster University in Ontario, and in 1984 he was elected Dean Ireland's Professor of Exegesis at the University of Oxford as well as Fellow of Queen's College. In 1990, Sanders joined the Faculty at Duke University where he currently serves as Arts and Sciences Professor of Religion. He has also held visiting professorships and lectureships at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and Cambridge University.
Sanders' primary area of research involves interpreting the relationship between first-century Judaism and Christianity, and his works have been translated into nine different languages. Some of these works include: Paul and Palestinian Judaism (received several national awards), Jesus and Judaism (won the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, denoting the best book on religion), The Tendencies of the Synoptic Tradition, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, Studying the Synoptic Gospels (co-authored with Margaret Davies), Jewish Law from Jesus to the Mishnah, Paul: Past Master, and Judaism: Practice and Belief 63 BCE-66 CE. Touting this impressive résumé, Sanders presents The Historical Figure of Jesus.
THE SUMMARY
In his introduction, Sanders lays out exactly what the focus of this book will be: "The aim of this book is to lay out, as clearly as possible, what we can know [about Jesus], using the standard methods of historical research, and to distinguish from inferences, labeling them clearly as such" (p. 5). He prefaces the work by warning that historians' knowledge of Jesus is limited, and little can be asserted with absolute certainty. He suggests, however, that far more is known about Jesus than other historical figures of roughly the same time period. Sanders' focus is not on explaining theology, and he does not seek to account for what God did through Christ. Of course, he must deal with theology: it played a major role in Jesus' life as well as that of the evangelists', but the book is fundamentally historical. Sanders outlines what historians can know about Jesus of Nazareth-a first-century Palestinian Jew who lived in a remote part of the Roman Empire (p. xiii).
Feeling the need to thoroughly introduce context to the study of Jesus, Sanders devotes the first five chapters to introductory material. The second chapter provides a bird's-eye view of Jesus' life and the aftermath of his life. Next, Sanders deals with the political climate of Palestine before and during Jesus' life which he describes as being distinctly Jewish, yet puppets at the mercy of Roman authority. Sanders recognizes the importance of understanding first-century Jewish belief and practice for reconstructing an accurate Jesus, and he details these things in the fourth chapter. Also, Sanders explains the problems (and assurances) associated with external and primary sources, and he deals with the task of correlating context with content (p. 76). Finally, Sanders explores the more elusive ideological context in which Jesus lived-that is what people thought of him. The two contexts he describes are (1) Jewish salvation history and (2) the shared view of those before and after Jesus' ministry that the climax of history was imminent.
After arranging a brief sketch of Jesus' historical context, Sanders moves toward the "substance of the book" (p. 9) that allows for the historical reconstruction of Jesus himself. First, he relates the specific setting and method of Jesus' ministry with special attention given to the Galilean environment. Next, he analyzes the beginning of Jesus' ministry-the temptation, the call of disciples, and Mark's account of Jesus' early ministry. He then turns to that which constitutes the bulk of Jesus' ministry: miracles and Jesus' proclamations concerning the kingdom of God. Sanders probes Jesus' claims concerning God's future kingdom (eschatology) and attempts to find the relationship these claims share with Jews and Gentiles. Sanders also relates Jesus' kingdom message with his ethical teaching that announced a reversal of social order. Having said little of the polemical nature of Jesus' ministry, Sanders addresses the issue: what led to Jesus' opposition? Sanders attributes the public hostility Jesus received to Jesus' opinion about his role in God's plan. Jesus, Sanders argues, saw himself as God's agent with absolute authority to speak and act on behalf of God-a view that offended many pious Jews. Finally, Sanders deals with the events that led up to Jesus' execution: the Triumphal Entry, the cleansing of the Temple, the Last Supper, Jesus' arrest and trials, Pilate's interrogation, and finally his death. In the epilogue, Sanders addresses the resurrection event, but attests that its study does not belong in an account of the historical Jesus, but is better analyzed within the context of the movement which ensued after his death-a movement, as Sanders notes, that changed history.
THE CRITIQUE
Convincingly written and altogether captivating, The Historical Figure of Jesus is an excellent book and a marvelously easy read. The truest test of a work, though, rests not in the writing skill of the author, but in whether or not it measures up to its goal(s). The aim of this work (as stated above) is to use standard historical methods of research in order to present what can be known about Jesus and distinguish that from what can be inferred about him. Undoubtedly, Sanders has met and exceeded these expectations, producing one of the best books on the historical Jesus to date. Engagingly written and historically sound, The Historical Figure of Jesus is an excellent contribution to the Third Quest.
Dealing first with Sanders' presentation, one of the most appreciated elements of the book is Sanders' uncomplicated writing style. Thankfully, there is a book on the historical Jesus that is readable! His sentence structure is not wordy and cumbersome, but rather understandable and even enjoyable. With user-friendly headings, charts, and a map, Sanders' exhibition of dull, cerebral information makes history come to life for everyone.
By avoiding technicalities that laity would not appreciate, nor commoners enjoy, Sanders creates an inviting environment for the average reader to learn about the historical Jesus. He limits his discussion of Greek, Aramaic, and Latin and also, as an economy, refrains from engaging in mainstream scholarly debates. That is not to say, though, that Sanders skirted scholarly issues. Far from it! True historical work demands technicality and detail, and Sanders managed to address the appropriate issues without boring his reader-a noteworthy task.
Another element of Sanders' style that did not escape attention is his unique ability to follow an outline. For this scientifically conditioned mind, an agenda that is adhered to is a valuable crutch that prevents unnecessary confusion. Sanders does well to provide a thorough preface, introduction, and outline of Jesus' ministry and stick to his schedule. (Note, though, that this rigid outline is combined with a relaxed writing style that proves to be a dynamic combination.) Also, the reviews at the end of each chapter offer a welcomed summation of the material presented. Overall, the method of Sanders' teaching is impeccable. By remaining intimately accessible, yet distinctly academic, Sanders' work emerges as a masterpiece for the masses.
Like his method, Sanders' message is well taken and easy to understand. With all the poppycock surrounding the Third Quest, E.P. Sanders provides a delightfully fresh insight into the excursion of the historical Jesus. Throughout this book, Sanders maintains a very conservative, streamlined position in his treatment of history, and his modesty is appreciated. By using sound, reliable tactics in his research, Sanders constructs a Jesus who is very believable and free from the ridiculous caricatures that have often defined the pilgrims of the Third Quest. In his evenhanded style, Sanders deals with facts, and where evidence is sketchy, he informs the reader. Remember, that is the goal of his book!
Much can be said about the multitude of weighty issues Sanders brings up in this work. For the sake of economy therefore, this reviewer will limit praise to one area specifically. The strongest (albeit most controversial) segment of this book is the chapter devoted to Jesus' miracles. Tackling the issue of supernatural events from a historical perspective can be quite interesting, and Sanders does not disappoint. Following one line of cogent thought with another, Sanders churns through the available historical material and leaves a trail of long-admired tradition shattered in its wake. For example, he evaluates the modern perspective of Jesus' miracles as having little in common with the ancient position. Many modern Christians look to Jesus' miracles as proof that he was, in fact, the Son of God, but Sanders suggests that espousing such an opinion is in conflict with first-century Jews who would have seen the miracles as "striking and significant" (p. 132) but lacking a superhuman element. By describing Jesus' miracles as historical events that were clearly human, Sanders debunks Christians' view that Jesus' miracles were only possible because he was, somehow, more than human.
However adroitly written, though, this work is not without its flaws.
Read more ›
