Follow the Author
OK
Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, Volume 1 Hardcover – July 29, 2003
|
James D. G. Dunn
(Author)
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
Are you an author?
Learn about Author Central
|
|
Price
|
New from | Used from |
-
Print length1037 pages
-
LanguageEnglish
-
PublisherWm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
-
Publication dateJuly 29, 2003
-
Dimensions6.25 x 2.36 x 9.25 inches
-
ISBN-100802839312
-
ISBN-13978-0802839312
An Amazon Book with Buzz: "The Therapist" by B. A. Paris
"Suspicion, betrayal and dark secrets abound in this tense story." ―T.M. Logan Learn more
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
-
Apple
-
Android
-
Windows Phone
-
Android
|
Download to your computer
|
Kindle Cloud Reader
|
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Customers who bought this item also bought
Get everything you need
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This tome takes its place among the equally voluminous and deep contributions of scholars like Crossan, John Meier, N.T. Wright, and Walter Wink. . . Most important for preachers is the way Dunn interprets the words and deeds of Jesus and stories of his life as an unfolding, living tradition of interpretation. It helps us to understand our own work as part of that unfolding, living tradition. . . ."
Toronto Journal of Theology
"Dunn is to be commended for his challenging and insightful work. It must be read by all who are interested in the field, and it is destined to become a significant conversation partner in future discussions of the historical Jesus."
Christopher Tuckett
"A magnificent achievement. Jesus Remembered is massively thorough and wide-ranging, innovative in its stress on orality, at times provocative, yet also immensely readable and clear. James Dunn's book will undoubtedly shape Jesus study for the next generation and more. This is a 'must' for all those engaged in study of Jesus at whatever level."
Dale C. Allison Jr.
"This is not just one more book on Jesus but rather an esteemed scholar's wide-ranging presentation of conclusions arrived at over a lifetime of informed, critical reflection. It is full of good sense and much learning. As always, James Dunn's work is characterized not only by a genuine familiarity with Jesus' first-century Jewish world but also by an unsurpassed knowledge of the vast secondary literature. Especially suggestive is the consistent appeal to continuing oral tradition, which often appears justified."
Samuel Byrskog
"In this study one of the most prolific New Testament scholars of today presents an impressive new approach to the old 'quest for the historical Jesus.' James Dunn's central thesis that a hermeneutically informed dialogue with the ancient texts will legitimate an account of the impact of Jesus as it was remembered by his earliest followers convincingly places the oral character of the Jesus tradition at the very center of attention. The book should not only help scholarship to free itself from the prevailing literary paradigm, but also promote a healthy balance between positivistic optimism and postmodern relativism in the search for the so-called historical Jesus. "
John P. Meier
"For decades James D. G. Dunn has been a leader in serious and balanced study of both christology and history-of-Jesus research. I have profited greatly from his many books and articles, and I am delighted to read this massive distillation of his many years of reflection and publication on the historical Jesus. I highly recommend Jesus Remembered to all those interested in a thoughtful and methodologically sophisticated approach to the major questions that plague and stimulate historical-Jesus research today."
Mark Allan Powell
"Any serious student of the historical Jesus will want to become familiar with James Dunn's thorough and somewhat unique treatment of the subject. Dunn focuses his attention on characteristic features in the early traditions concerning Jesus in order to determine the impact that the latter had on his first followers. The portrait that emerges is both convincing and thought-provoking ? an indispensable contribution to an ongoing quest to comprehend the significance of Jesus for the history of Christianity and for modern civilization."
Jonathan L. Reed
"Jesus Remembered provides a fresh and thorough look at Christian origins that is provocative and at the same time judicious in its assessments. James Dunn is equally at home in the history of scholarship, in the details of the Gospels, in the array of nonbiblical sources, and in the archaeology of Jesus' world, and he weaves these into a coherent and credible account of the Jesus traditions.Jesus Remembered is absolutely essential reading for scholars and pastors, and Dunn's clarity and fluid style make complex issues accessible to undergraduate students and laypersons as well."
From the Back Cover
Focusing on Jesus, this first volume has several distinct features. It garners the lessons to be learned from the quest for the historical Jesus and meets the hermeneutical challenges to a historical and theological assessment of the Jesus tradition. It provides a fresh perspective both on the impact made by Jesus and on the traditions about Jesus as "oral" tradition -- hence the title Jesus Remembered. And it offers a fresh analysis of the details of that tradition, emphasizing its "characteristic" (rather than dissimilar) features. Noteworthy too are Dunn's treatments of the source question (particularly Q and the noncanonical Gospels) and of Jesus the Jew in his Galilean context.
In his detailed analysis of the Baptist tradition, the kingdom motif, the call to and character of discipleship, what Jesus' audiences thought of him, what he thought of himself, why he was crucified, and how and why belief in Jesus' resurrection began, Dunn engages wholeheartedly in the contemporary debate, providing many important insights and offering a thoroughly convincing account of how Jesus was remembered from the first, and why.
Written with peerless scholarly acumen yet accessible to a wide range of readers, Dunn's "Jesus Remembered," together with its successor volumes, will be a sine qua non for all students of Christianity'sbeginnings.
About the Author
I'd like to read this book on Kindle
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Product details
- Publisher : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; Edition Unstated (July 29, 2003)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 1037 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0802839312
- ISBN-13 : 978-0802839312
- Item Weight : 3.35 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.25 x 2.36 x 9.25 inches
-
Best Sellers Rank:
#1,275,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,722 in Christology (Books)
- #3,111 in General History of Religion
- #3,949 in History of Religions
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
He states early in the book, "There are three great questions for students of Christianity's beginnings: (1) What was it about Jesus which explains both the impact he made on his disciples and why he was crucified? (2) How and why did it come about that the movement which took off from Jesus did not after his death remain within first-century Judaism ... (3) Was the Christianity which emerged ... as a predominantly Gentle religion essentially the same as its first-century version or significantly different in character and kind?" (Pg. 3)
He admits, "John's Gospel is determined much more by John's own theological than by historical concerns. Consequently it cannot be regarded as a good source for the life of Jesus." (Pg. 40) He adds, "the character of John's Gospel as a theological, rather than a historical document, became more and more axiomatic for NT scholarship. Like the miracles of Jesus, though not quite so decisively, the Fourth Gospel had been effectively knocked out of the quest." (Pg. 41)
He summarizes, "I wish to press the case: (a) that individual traditions and groups of traditions were almost certainly formulated and circulated in oral mode, (b) that most of them were given the shape which has endured into the Synoptic Gospels during that oral phase, and (c) that the Evangelists... would probably had known many of these oral traditions independently of their knowledge of written collections... I believe (d) that in the stabilities and diversities of the tradition we can trace the continuities and variations in the performances/retellings of the tradition... I do not pretend I can offer proof positive of my thesis. But in dealing with Synoptic traditions, who can realistically offer proof positive of any thesis?" (Pg. 336)
He comments about the birth stories: "the heavy typologizing ... (Herod as Pharoah, Jesus as Israel in Egypt) leaves it very uncertain whether we can discern any historical events underlying the present story... the whole Egyptian episode, including Joseph and Mary's return to settle in Nazareth, does seem somewhat contrived. More disturbing ... has been the probability that Luke got his facts wrong in the reason he gives for Jesus being born in Bethlehem of Judea. The census under Quirinius took place in 6 CE... That census would not have applied to Galilee, which was Antipas's territory. We know nothing of a universal census throughout the Roman Empire, then or earlier. And the idea of a census requiring individuals to move to the native town of long dead ancestors is hard to credit. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Luke was mistaken in dating the census so early... Most disturbing for Christian pilgrim is the outcome that Jesus' birth in Bethlehem has to be left in question. Was the story to that effect contrived simply because of the Micah prophecy..." (Pg. 344)
In his chapter, "How Did Jesus See His Own role?" he concludes, "In one sense our findings thus far are disappointing. We have to conclude as likely that Jesus made no attempt to lay claim to any title as such; also that he rejected at least one which others tried to fit him to." (Pg. 761) He concludes, "(1) The only realistic objective for any 'quest of the historical Jesus' is Jesus remembered. (2) The Jesus tradition of the gospels confirms THAT there was a concern within earliest Christianity to remember Jesus. (3) The Jesus tradition shows us HOW Jesus was remembered... (4) This suggests ... that that essential shape was first put into words by and among those involved as eyewitnesses of what Jesus said and did." (Pg. 882)
This is a challenging, essentially "orthodox" life of Jesus that should be studied by anyone interested in the "historical Jesus."
The book has much strength. With regard to more general issues Dunn does an excellent job of highlighting the difficulties and potential pitfalls associated with this type of scholarship, e.g. translations, cultural context, textual archaeology, theological presuppositions etc. All of which are handled with Dunn`s characteristic insight and clarity. It is a helpful reminder to experts and novices alike. In addition Dunn makes a good case for a move away from a rigid literary-textual approach to the gospels. He argues that even if one supposes that ancient Israel was a comparatively literate society many of the gospel stories were likely well known and frequently recounted in public oral performances prior to the being captured in their present form. An environment, Dunn argues, would have allowed for the core messages to have been preserved despite some variability in performances. With respect to specific issues the text also has much to offer, I particularly enjoyed Dunn's overview of the `son of man' debate, - the question as to how this expression is best understood, is it a broad generic term, as in `one', or a titular designator as in the Daniel's tradition.
With regards to drawbacks, I offer a couple of thoughts. First, the text is physically too large for a single volume at over a thousand pages (approx. 300-400 of notes and references!). This form of contemporary biblical scholarship is at once both impressive; engagement with such an enormous range of scholars, and frustrating, more concerned compilations of scholarly opinion with limited value-added analysis. Second, while a fascinating and interesting field it is important to remain mindful that NT scholarship is highly speculative. It is its own type of historic fiction, where scholar and layman alike see what they believe, giving credence to interpretations and information they support while dismissing that which they oppose. As with others in the field Dunn falls prey to the classic problem of Historic Jesus study - creating a Jesus in the scholar's image - It seems unavoidable. While I greatly admire Dunn, he seems to be trying to fashion a Christian story which is acceptable to modern Western intellectuals, affirming the feasibility of belief in an historic resurrection yet positing a deflated Jesus largely devoid of the miraculous - it is difficult to see how such a Jesus could attract followers or inspire a religion?
Ultimately, this is an impressive work by one of today's leading NT scholars. I enjoy Dunn and will likely read the subsequent two volumes in the series. I recommend the book to students of the NT and the historic Jesus.
Top reviews from other countries
What a great book to read at Christmas, or any other time of the year.
but, the following passage as a conclusion about Jesus resurrection topic is surely out of place:
"Christians have continued to affirm the resurrection of Jesus, as I do, not because they know what it means. Rather, they do so because, like the affirmation of Jesus as God’s Son, ‘the resurrection of Jesus’ has proved the most satisfactory and enduring of a variety of options, all of them inadequate in one degree or other as human speech, to sum up the impact made by Jesus, the Christian perception of his significance. They do so because as a metaphor, ‘resurrection’ is perceived as referring to something otherwise inexpressible, as expressing the otherwise inchoate insight that this life, including Jesus’ life, is not a complete story in itself but can be grasped only as part of a larger story in which God is the principal actor and in which Jesus is somehow still involved. In short, ‘the resurrection of Jesus’ is not so much a criterion of faith as a paradigm for hope" (page 879)













