As the dean of Luke-Acts studies in America, Henry J. Cadbury also wrote ground-breaking treatments of Jesus and early Christianity. In 'The Peril of Modernizing Jesus', Cadbury helps us consider the Jesus of his day rather than the Jesus of our making. Subjects covered in this book include the following: - anachronism in thinking about Jesus - the cause and cure of modernism - the Jewishness of the Gospels - Jesus and the mentality of our age - limitations of Jesus's social teachings - purpose, aim, and motive in Jesus - the religion of Jesus
Written in a clear and engaging style, Weaver's story chronicles not only the progress of Jesus research but also the cultural drifts and sociological phenomena that relate to the varying pictures of Jesus that scholarship has produced.
Long before the New Quest for Jesus... Henry Cadbury followed his first book on Jesus, The Peril of Modernizing Jesus(1937) with a second a decade later. While still challenging our tendencies to confine the Master of Galilee to familiar programs and strategies, Jesus: What Manner of Man poses a more constructive approach to what might be known about the Jesus of history. In doing so, Cadbury focuses not simply on what he said and did, but more incisively on how Jesus taught and operated. Building on pressing questions about Jesus within the Gospels themselves, Cadbury brings their inquiry to bear on contemporary quests for Jesus with striking relevance. - from the new foreword by Paul N. Anderson, George Fox University
A comprehensive, two-volume reassessment of the quests for the historical Jesus that details their origins and underlying presuppositions as well as their ongoing influence on today's biblical and theological scholarship. Jesus' life and teaching is important to every question we ask about what we believe and why we believe it. And yet there has never been common agreement about his identity, intentions, or teachings—even among first-century historians and scholars. Throughout history, different religious and philosophical traditions have attempted to claim Jesus and paint him in the cultural narratives of their heritage, creating a labyrinth of conflicting ideas. From the evolution of orthodoxy and quests before Albert Schweitzer's famous "Old Quest," to today's ongoing questions about criteria, methods, and sources, A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus not only chronicles the developments but lays the groundwork for the way forward. The late Colin Brown brings his scholarly prowess in both theology and biblical studies to bear on the subject, assessing not only the historical and exegetical nuts and bolts of the debate about Jesus of Nazareth but also its philosophical, sociological, and theological underpinnings. Instead of seeking a bedrock of "facts," Brown stresses the role of hermeneutics in formulating questions and seeking answers. Colin Brown was almost finished with the manuscript at the time of his passing in 2019. Brought to its final form by Craig A. Evans, this book promises to become the definitive history and assessment of the quests for the historical Jesus. Volume One (sold separately) covers the period from the beginnings of Christianity to the end of World War II. Volume Two covers the period from the post-War era through contemporary debates.
'Jesus in an Age of Neoliberalism' analyses the ideology underpinning contemporary scholarly and popular quests for the historical Jesus. Focusing on cultural and political issues, the book examines postmodernism, multiculturalism and the liberal masking of power. The study ranges across diverse topics: the dubious periodisation of the quest for the historical Jesus; 'biblioblogging'; Jesus the 'Great Man' and western individualism; image-conscious Jesus scholarship; the 'Jewishness' of Jesus and the multicultural Other; evangelical and 'mythical' Jesuses; and the contradictions between personal beliefs and dominant ideological trends in the construction of historical Jesuses. 'Jesus in an Age of Neoliberalism' offers readers a radical revisioning of contemporary biblical studies.
William Herzog shows that the focus of the parables was not on a vision of the glory of the reign of God but on the gory details of the way oppression served the interests of the ruling class. The parables were a form of social analysis, as well as a form of theological reflection. Herzog scrutinizes their canonical form to show the distinction between its purpose for Jesus and for evangelists. To do this, he uses the tools of historical criticism, including form criticism and redaction criticism.
The Proclamation of Jesus seeks to place Jesus in the context of first-century Palestinian Judaism. The authors hope to discern the essence of his preaching, his concept of the kingdom of God, and the place of purity in his teaching and activities. Better methods for assessing not simply the authenticity of reported sayings and deeds, but for tracing the development of tradition are considered. The authors are convinced that most of the Synoptic tradition is authentic, but that much of it has been reinterpreted and recontextualized. Herein lies the real challenge for those investigating the historical Jesus. The Proclamation of Jesus opens up new avenues of study and makes new proposals for understanding Jesus in the context of his place and time.
How can Jesus said to be "missing"? References to Jesus are not missing, but rather a dimension of his identity. This text demonstrates that in order for us to understand Jesus and his influence, we need to see him within the context of the Judaism that was his own natural environment.
Leading evangelical scholar Millard Erickson offers a new edition of his bestselling textbook, now substantially updated and revised throughout. This edition takes into account feedback from professors and students and reflects current theological conversations, with added material on the atonement, justification, and divine foreknowledge. Erickson's comprehensive introduction is biblical, contemporary, moderate, and fair to various positions, and it applies doctrine to Christian life and ministry.
