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The Aims of Jesus: (Princeton Theological Monograph Series) Paperback – January 1, 2002

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Ben F. Meyer (Author)
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Ben F. Meyer (Author), Tom Wright (Introduction)
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Product Details

  • Series: Princeton Theological Monograph Series (Book 48)
  • Paperback: 335 pages
  • Publisher: Wipf & Stock Pub; Reprint edition (January 1, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1556350414
  • ISBN-13: 978-1556350412
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 starsOne of the most important books on Jesus ever written
By Jan P. Dennis on April 6, 2006
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
It's great to see this book back in print. I read it about 15 years ago, and it, along with N. T. Wright's New Testament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God, and What St. Paul Really Said completely rearranged my thinking about Christianity, eventually leading me from evangelical Protestantism to Roman Catholicism.

The Aims of Jesus literally revolutionized Jesus studies. If nothing else, it contributed two lasting achievements: it made critical realism the hermeneutic norm, and it launched the Third Quest for the historical Jesus, followed by Wright, Witherington, Meier, and others.

The idea behind the book is really rather simple: Let's treat Jesus like any other historical figure, such as Alexander the Great. That is, let's see if we can determine what Jesus' project was, what he hoped to accomplish, what his aims in life were. Can we find out what he thought his purpose on earth was, and can we also make a determination about how successful he was?

In order to be able to do this, it's necessary to get proper "hermeneutic access" to the materials that give an account of his life, primarily the New Testament gospels and letters. That's where "critical realism" comes in--which is simply a method for analyzing texts. It involves situating texts in their proper community context, looking at their historical value in relation to the events they recount, placing the figures they portray (primarily Jesus and the Disciples) in their early first century Jewish setting, and assessing the movement that arose as a consequence of their lives and acts.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsA Jesus book of substance
By Spencer Gear on January 26, 2008
Format: Paperback
I was reading N. T. Wright's, The New Testament & the People of God, when he recommended ch. 4 of Ben Meyer's book, The Aims of Jesus, as giving "what is probably the finest statement on historical method by a practicing contemporary New Testament scholar" (Wright p. 98 n32). Meyer died in 1995. Wright has written a new introduction to this edition of Meyer's book, indicating that "we are dealing with a book which stands out from the crowd" (Meyer, p. 9l)

I took his recommendation, read Meyer's chapter on historical method, and I have to agree that this is a superb discussion on method but it also gives a realistic view of the historical Jesus in the midst of postmodern reconstructions by people such as J. D. Crossan.

Meyer's historical method involves 4 principles: (1) History is knowledge; (2) Historical knowledge is inferential; (3) The technique of history is hypothesis; and (4) Hypotheses require verification (pp. 88-92). The practice of this method goes through these steps: questions (about the topic), developing hypotheses to test, and verification or otherwise of the hypotheses. This requires, interpretation and explanation, controlling the data, establishing the facts, and arriving at conclusions that are "beyond criticism" (ch. 4).

The beauty of this book is that Meyer then fleshes out his application of this method to examine the Jesus of history and faith. In discovering "the aims of Jesus," he pursues the judgment and salvation of Israel through an understanding of John the Baptist. The public proclamation and career of Jesus is found in the Gospels. He also assesses "the secret of the reign of God" (ch. 8) before arriving at his conclusions.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsErudite, informative
By Avid Viewer on April 4, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Those of us who are not professional philosophers will need a dictionary by our side while reading this, but the theology is excellent. As stated in N. T. Wright's introduction, Meyer puts the Jesus Seminar in its place and brings Historical Jesus studies back to realistic levels. He shows how much of the Gospels is not so redacted as many modern scholars have believed. This book will become a regular reference for those interested in the subject.
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3.0 out of 5 starsGreat ideas. Hard to Read.
By Jeremy Myers - Writing at RedeemingGod on December 12, 2012
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I read this book because N. T. Wright said it was one of the most influential books in the formation of his thinking about Jesus and Scripture.

A word of advice for people who are thinking of reading it for the same reasons: Just read N. T. Wright.

Sure, I could see how this book was formative in Wright's thinking, but Wright says it with so much clarity. Meyer was a great scholar, but his book is nearly unreadable. It is extremely scholarly and many of his arguments follow so many rabbit trails, they are nearly incoherent.

N. T. Wright ends up saying many of the same things, but in a much clearer, concise, and readable way.
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5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars
By Ctznofzion on April 25, 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Book came in excellent condition but the contents make it worth all the money. Thank you.
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