Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study
Pages
288
Publisher
Baker Academic
Published
9/1/2005
ISBN-13
9780801027192
Knowing the historical and cultural background of the Bible is crucial to properly understanding and interpreting it. But the passing of 2,000 years often prevents today's reader from fully understanding the significance of various actions and teachings of Jesus in the Gospels. For example, the radical nature of Jesus's healings on the Sabbath may go unnoticed without an awareness of first-century Jewish teaching on what was and was not permissible. Pastors and other serious Bible students may not have access to important early writings that would provide this background, nor the time to wade through volumes of source material to find relevant tidbits. This unique reference work gathers into one handy volume the key extrabiblical texts that provide the necessary background for passages in the Gospels, along with introductory comments by the editors.
Reviews
Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005. Pp. 286. Paper. $22.99. ISBN 0801027195. Michael Schufer Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA 91711 Bock and Herrick have collected, in a wonderfully concise and affordable volume, a cache of primarily Jewish but also Greco-Roman and early Christian texts. These source texts provide what these editors feel are glimpses of first-century Jewish customs relevant for background study of Jesus in the Gospels. Though the subtitle, Background Readings for Gospel Study, suggests another volume along the lines of Ron Cameron’s Other Gospels or David R. Cartlidge and David L. Dungan’s Documents for the Study of the Gospels, this work instead matches individual gospel episodes with extrabiblical text/s. It is important to note upfront that Jesus in Context is designed as a companion volume to Bock’s work Jesus according to Scripture, which is intended as a textbook for students or pastors who are studying the life of Jesus. Jesus in Context provides the source texts from works or sources cited but not quoted by Bock in Jesus according to Scripture. As such, Jesus in Context functions as a reference work, which, in the editor’s own words, is “a poor man’s Strack-Billerbeck” (15). Bock and Herrick’s efforts in producing this affordable collection of source texts are commendable. Jesus in Context does have its limitations, primarily that it works best as a companion volume to Jesus according to Scripture and not as a reference work of itself.
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