Books

My Top 5 Books on the Historical Jesus

Picks from Darrell Bock, editor of ‘Key Events in the Life of the Historical Jesus.’

The Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

I am serious about this—nothing has helped shape my view of Jesus more than the Gospels, read repeatedly as narrative, ethic,and theology—especially looking to see where they challenge my perspectives.

The Words and Works of Jesus Christ A Study in the Life of Christ J. Dwight Pentecost (Zondervan)

Pentecost looks at the life of Jesus through the lens of all the Gospels. This oriented me in the subject, giving me an appreciation for each Gospel.

The Origins of New Testament Christology I. Howard Marshall (InterVarsity)

Marshall explains the meaning and background of the key titles applied to Jesus (Lord, Savior, Son of Man), as well as the scholarly debate surrounding them.

The Christology of Jesus Ben Witherington III (Augsburg Fortress)

Witherington takes the titles of Christ in conjunction with Jesus’ actions and mission.

Jesus and the Victory of God N. T. Wright (Augsburg Fortress)

Wright places Jesus in his Jewish context, showing how the key themes in his life worked together.

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Related Elsewhere:

Key Events in the Life of the Historical Jesus, The Gospels, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, The Origins of New Testament Christology, The Christology of Jesus, and Jesus and the Victory of God are available from Christianbook.com and other retailers.

CT’s April cover story, “The Jesus We’ll Never Know,” assessed the search for the historical Jesus. Darrell Bock was among those who wrote a response.

Previous Christianity Today articles on Jesus include:

King Jesus the Disguised | There’s a reason it’s not easy to spot him. (December 22, 2006)

The Jesus I’d Prefer to Know | Searching for the historical Jesus and finding oneself instead. (December 7, 2008)

The Jesus We Never Got | Elijah stands for what I want in a God: someone to offer an escape route around life’s messiest problems. By Philip Yancey (December 8, 1997)

Previous CT articles by Darrell Bock include:

When the Media Became a Nuisance | How to respond to the next blockbuster book/documentary/movie that questions traditional Christianity. (December 12, 2007)

The Good News of Da Vinci | How a ludicrous book can become an opportunity to engage the culture. (January 1, 2004)

No More Hollow Jesus | In focusing so intently on Jesus the man, Peter Jennings’ report missed the big picture. (July 3, 2000)

Previous Top 5 lists have featured family ministry, the problem of evil, biographies of theologians, orphans, prayer, doubt, community, sports, parenting, Advent, life ethics, emerging movement, Islam, loss, Calvin, spiritual memoirs, neglected doctrines, spiritual memoirs, marriage, Lent, fiction books for the soul, managing your money, devotionals, how character shapes belief, food, atheism, China, presidents, world Christianity, ancient-future faith, the civil rights era, social justice, church history, popular culture, the Civil War, apologetics, atheism, and sex.

Christianity Today has more music, movies, books, and other media reviews.

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