Contents: The four gospels : distinctive voices. Overviews of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John -- Jesus according to the Synoptists. The birth and childhood of Jesus : the hope of promise (Matt. 1-2; Luke 1-2) ; The backdrop to Jesus' ministry : John the Baptist, Jesus' baptism and temptations (Matt. 3:1-4:11; Mark 1:1-13; Luke 3:1-4:13) ; The initial portrait of Jesus' Galilean ministry : teachin…
Contents: Preface : the first two quests -- Galilee & the Galilean : Jesus in his social setting -- Jesus the talking head : the Jesus of the Jesus Seminar -- Jesus the itinerant cynic philosopher : the works of John Dominic Crossan, Burton Mack and F. Gerald Downing -- Jesus, man of the Spirit : the works of Marcus Borg, Geza Vermes and Graham H. Twelftree -- Jesus the eschatological prophet :…
Contents: Meeting Jesus again -- What manner of man? The pre-EasterJesus -- Jesus, compassion, and politics -- Jesus and wisdom: teacher of alternate wisdom -- Jesus, the wisdom of God: Sophia become flesh -- Images of Jesus and images of the Christian life. Abstract: Of the many recent books on the historical Jesus, none has explored what the latest biblical scholarship means for person…
Contents: Introduction. Who needs the historical Jesus? -- 1. The historical Jesus and the search for God: on the quest for the historical Jesus -- 2. Jesus and the empire of God: on dirt, shame, and sin in the expendable company of Jesus -- 3. The empire in a word: on the radical wisdom of Jesus -- 4. The empire in story: on the parables of Jesus -- 5. The empire of God is now: on Jesus and th…