Jesus according to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels
Pages
704
Publisher
Baker Academic
Published
2002
ISBN-13
9780801023705
In recent years, historians and biblical scholars have been in active pursuit of the Jesus of history. The Jesus Seminar and similar efforts to place Jesus within his historical context have relied heavily on extrabiblical documents, since many historians consider the Bible to be propagandistic and biased. Darrell Bock, however, believes that the Gospels' account of Jesus deserves further examination. Bock argues that when read together, the Gospels provide a clear picture of Jesus and his unique claims to authority. To demonstrate this claim, he offers Jesus according to Scripture. While noting how details of the canonical presentation of Jesus relate to first- century Palestinian culture, Jesus according to Scripture is not a historical study of Jesus. Instead, it seeks to show the coherent portrait of Jesus that emerges from the Gospels, a portrait that is rooted in history and yet has produced its own historical and cultural impact. Bock begins his work with a brief overview of each Gospel, surveying its structure, themes, authorship, setting, and date. He then offers an examination of Jesus as portrayed in the Synoptic Gospels presented together. Bock, however, does not attempt to harmonize them but leaves their narrative lines intact, allowing events to be repeated. In this way readers are invited to appreciate the contribution of each event internally to that Gospel as well as to its parallels. Next, Bock provides a detailed analysis of the Fourth Gospel's portrayal of Jesus. He finishes with a summary of the main theological themes found throughout the Gospels, thus unifying them into a cohesive portrait of Jesus. Jesus according to Scripture is an excellent textbook for courses on the life of Jesus at both the advanced college and seminary levels. Additionally, pastors, teachers, and all those interested in Jesus and the Gospels will enjoy this scholarly yet accessible book.
Reviews
Review of Biblical Literature (RBL) (Steven L Cox)
November 1, 2003
November 1, 2003
This work was designed to be used with a Bible so the reader can see the relationships between parallel texts of the Gospels. Bock sought to show how the diversity in the Gospels underscores an inherent unity in their claims that adds depth to the account of Jesus in a way that overlapping accounts would not. Following the table of contents, Bock included a useful key of Gospel references in his own harmony identified by units, followed by the preface, an introduction, and a comprehensive list of abbreviations. The first section contained only one chapter and placed each Gospel in its context by surveying the structure, themes, authorship, setting, and date of each Gospel as a way of summarizing and setting out each Gospel s contribution to the canonical portrait of Jesus. This feature allows the reader to see how the Gospels are both similar to and distinct from each other. The absence of page numbers in the sectional introductions was a distraction. The second section confirmed that the Synoptic Gospels share the same basic narrative line, portraying Jesus from his start on earth, though each Gospel begins with a different emphasis. The Gospel of John stands alone at the start by highlighting that Jesus, the Word become flesh, was sent from above.
[Full Review]