A Fresh Take on the Gospels
936579
You know how the Message paraphrase helps you think about what the gospels really mean?  The Heliand, a harmony of the gospels written by missionaries to the Saxons, does the same thing as well as giving you an insight into their culture.  This was required reading in my Church History course, but I have given the book to many lay people who loved it too.
2400937
This rendition of the new testatment is inspiring and truly helps one to experience the gospels.  It makes the written word come to life.  It stays true to the bible but it helps you to feel the emotions and see through the eyes of the people who lived those times.
1729747
I found myself wanting to go back to this commentary until I finished it. Having the characters dialogue by letter is both creative and helpful in pursuing lines of thought. Even more engaging for me is the author's close reading and suggestive approach to apparent textual discrepancies. I also like his focus on thematic threads that unite the Gospel. His treatment of the Last Supper preceding the Passover meal is fascinating without being presented as a "gotcha" moment to gratuitously emphasize contradiction with the Synoptic Gospels.
4490974
As I have been researching the Gospel of John I have ran across Andrew Lincoln's name a few times and thought I would pick up a copy of this work to get a sense of his thoughts on the central motif of John. I was not sure what to expect but found myself pleasantly surprised and refreshed by Lincoln's assessment of the fourth Gospel.

The main premise of the book is that Isaiah 40-55 is a picture of God's dealings with the nation of Israel. By bringing out the wording and sense of the original Hebrew Lincoln effectively shows that Isaiah characterizes God's dealings with the nations as a lawsuit. God was pressing a suit against the world so that he might prove to them that he is God and there is no other. This lawsuit was not one of condemnation but one is which God intended to offer salvation. He compares the language of Isaiah with the language of John to show that it is quite likely that John was using this piece of Isaiah as a way to understand the events which happened with Jesus' life and ministry. The Gospel of John shows God pressing a lawsuit and man pressing a counter-suit against God.

He demonstrates that John uses quite a bit of legal language such as "witness," "testimony," "judgment," "paraclete," and even the double "amen" (truly, truly). Over and again he connects these passages with those in Isaiah and with some in other Old Testament books to show that the truth was presented in John in the form of a trial. It is not merely a trial that was faced by Jesus but a continuous cosmic trial which in many ways continues in the present. He tackles key issues in the narrative itself by analyzing the literary style of the book and suggested key points in the plot as intersections for the lawsuit theme. He examines aspects of Jewish-Christian relations at the time of the book's authorship to find issues that may give insights into the importance it would have served for it's original audience. He ends the book talking about contemporary issues that interact with the Gospel and suggests ways in which we can use this book to address those realities.

There were a few things that I found a little hard to swallow and would definitely disagree with. First of all, his idea of historical truth I did not find compelling. Lincoln is unsure whether John as a story is actually true in the "forensic" sense of the word. In fact, he seems unsure if any of the gospels are entirely true and has this basic approach to historical record in general. In one place he suggest that Thucydides for example rewrote a lot of speeches and political orations in his words and then attributes them to others. As a historian myself I studied some Greek history and know that this is in fact highly controversial. We have every reason to believe that Thucydides may have faithfully recorded the speeches of Pericles word for word. My point in bringing this out is that he feels that all history from this period is likely contaminated and yet somehow he talks his way through it so as to label it as "truth" even though it may not be accurate facts. I had a difficulty with this part of the work itself. Second of all, I really do not like his "Johannine Community" theory. This is a very common idea from Bultmann down but it is falling into disrepute and being renounced by scholars who are now realizing this model as proposed by Brown and Bultmann is not necessary.

There were minor issue like those listed above but overall I found the work to be stimulating and thought provoking, and as you can see despite my disagreements with the work I am still giving it a 5 star. The other ideas in this book are so intriguing that these small disagreements are really a minor issue and should not detour one from purchasing this book. It is very accessible to general audiences and if you intend to study the Gospel of John I think that this book is an absolute must for your library. I will definitely be reading some of Lincoln's other works in the future.
3345591
This is great book for anyone who is interested in learning more about both the teaching and history of the bible. I enjoyed the fact that the book does not preach but provides important historical context to the various teaching of each of the four gospels. The author poses questions that make the reader think and create their own opinions. This would be a great book for study groups or book clubs that are looking for a publication that leads you to spirited discussion and investigation of the books of the bible. A very easy read that really made me think.
454604
Bruxy Caveys intriguing (re)union: the Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners is a very well-articulated approach to re-casting the Gospel in modern-day vocabulary while retaining the basic theology and scriptural framework of Evangelical Christianity. Since there are 4 pages at the beginning containing endorsements from a number of contemporary writers, teachers, and pastors, as well as a foreword by Shane Claiborne, Id encourage anyone considering purchasing this book to read these affirmations.

Although I don't view it in terms of the specific Genesis event of rebellion by humankind characterized as the temptation in the Garden of Eden, I do understand the basic problem of the human condition to be our perception of separation from God, and I thoroughly agree with Cavey that the remedy for this is to accept Jesus at his word that he is in fact the Incarnate presence of God reconciling and restoring us to relationship with our Abba. The presentation of the Gospel in 30 words which the author gives us (with icon illustrations) as well as the elaboration on this, is very well done. In addition, the author enlivens his narrative with contemporary language (including computer jargon), Star Wars references, and plenty of amusing sidelines, which are guaranteed to appeal to the younger generation of seekers to whom a large part of his narrative is directed. And even for those who are pretty well acquainted with the rebooted approach to being a follower of Jesus as Cavey explains it, this book is full of worthwhile ideas and inspiration.
770470
The Gospel According To Jesus--A Faith That Restores All Things by Chris Seay is not at all what I expected this book to be.
I was excited to be able to review this book thinking that this was going to be more of a Bible written from the perspective of Jesus. In a way, it is.
The author has written nine chapters of what he considers to be the downfall of the Christian church today. In all of the instances he has cited, I do agree with him. He states that the Christian church today is falling back into the legalistic theories of the Pharisees rather than the service and true gospel of Jesus.
I am usually a fast reader, and this book was a slow read--not because it is not interesting or informative--there is just a lot of meat to grasp onto and take into account.
The fact that Jesus was drawn to the broken and that we, as Christians in the world today, tend to avoid the broken made a great impact upon me. I can see where the majority of the Christian church of today has drifted from the original church after Jesus' resurrection. I can also see where many improvements in our society today need to be made in order to return to the true gospel of Jesus.
Overall, I would recommend this book if you are needing to change your perspective of exactly what Jesus came to do in this world.
3961992
We have all seen Christianity operate before: some people say this, some use this verse, others completely ignore entire parts of the bible, and others apply these verses to their own times. The last one is probably what this book is focused on remedying most of all.

Ehrman uses the context the bible was written by looking at the time, author and problems Christianity was facing. Instead of reading a passage and saying it applies to our 21st century understanding, how did Jesus mean it with his disciples in the 1st century?

The final product is a nice presentation that fits very well with evidence. I would not concede that this is the only historical Jesus interpretation, and neither would Bart Ehrman. But, he builds a very strong case using passages from the bible itself and shows the progression of changing ideas.

It's amazing how there is this thought that the Bible was created in this vacuum without the biased views of its writers or time. This interpretation looks at the contradictions in the bible, how they interact and examines why they change. Why would Mark and John be so different from one another in their focus and message?

Well, it makes a lot more sense if there is a possible 30-50 years between them and Christianity itself has changed. Mark was facing the beginnings of Christianity while John was written after a few generations. Their situations had changed: Mark talks of how the Kingdom is going to come soon, how everyone will see these changes come to pass. John can't talking like that; it's been a couple generations since those promises were made. Hence, the change in focus.

I have to give it to Earhman: his depictions of the New Testament make sense. It helped my understanding of the New Testament. If you want to find a more scholarly view of exactly who Jesus was, this is definitely the way to go.
4646109
The Lost Spiritual World begins as an illustrated gospel of Mark with commentary. The illustrations are beautiful and done in a contemporary style that engages the reader. The gospel text is from the Scholars version of Mark. It is an excellent translation that captures the urgency and power of Mark's gospel. However, what captures the heart and mind of the reader is the commentary (midrash) provided by Ruth Rimm. The commentary transforms what would be one among many editions of the gospel of Mark, though a particularly good and engaging version, into an encounter with the divine Mystery. Ruth wrestles with God in her midrash as she struggles to make sense of the Divine and encounter Christ, as he is revealed in Mark.

This book is not the tame and pious repetition of religious cliches that most postmoderns do their best to avoid, with just cause. It daringly explores the role of faith in a world of genetic engineering and evolution and seeks what light Mark can throw on life today. It asks "What makes Mark's gospel Good News for today?"

The book rejects a fundamentalist view of faith that can not stand up to the challenges of modern life. It also challenges the postmodern generation to take the transcendent seriously and to discover the rich spiritual truths that can still be mined from the gospel of Mark and the Christian tradition.

An additional benefit of this 21st century midrash is that it is linked to a book related website which provides the reader with additional videos, reading material and resources.

The reader is challenged to think and to reflect on her own faith. You will probably not agree with every conclusion reached by the author but that's fine. The goal is not to convert you to some system of belief.

This is one of those rare books that gets you excited as you read because the author is wrestling with important and meaningful ideas--the same ones that you wrestle with--and draws you into the process.
1361789
Bauckham offers splendid insights, insights that you will ponder for a long time,  in this collection of essays on John's Gospel.

My favorite essay was the last, "The Johannine Jesus and the Synoptic Jesus".  The four Gospels had a  "diversity...was already a problem to which Papias of Hierapolis, at the beginning of the second century, was responding, and certainly it was a perceived problem by the end of the second century" (p  185).  Marcion tried reducing the gospels to one; the church fathers furiously brought up apostolic witness, attested to by individual apostolic churches and bishops in an unbroken line.

By the 19th century, the differences between John and the Synoptics was brought up  by "Liberal scholars (who found)  the Fourth Gospel's portrayal  of Jesus the least palatable" (p 186), which is putting it mildly.  Some insisted it was so different that clearly it had been written around 200.  What usually happened with these scholars was that the gospels were stripped off all that was distinctive, and the Jesus they found was markedly  reduced, a Jesus who was much less than the Jesus of the gospels.

John is selective, according to Bauckham, deliberately omitting  many of the incidents relayed in the Synoptics, and he makes a point of noting that many more miracles were performed by Jesus than John chose to tell.  Bauckham argues "only by reducing the 'literal' story to key moments and indispensable sequences  - albeit told in relatively lavish detail - has John allowed himself space to expound the 'symbolic' meaning of it all" (p 201) especially taken with the interrelatedness of the other gospels.

In "Dualisms" Bauckham reinters Bultmann, and Bultmann's "reconstruction of the Gnostic myth of the Revealer and the claim that this Gospel owes its distinctive character to its dependence on this myths" (p 114).  All pretty much sniggered at today.  Similarly,  Bultmann's Heideggerian analysis has ceased to have impact.  (Okay, picture vast rolling of eyes here) .  In sum, Bultmann ideas have not fared well with time.

For that matter, the stunning finds at Qumran have overturned the claims of Liberal scholars that John must have been influenced by Gnostics, (Liberal scholars failed to note that Gnostics were mysteriously unmentioned by the early Christians  for another 40-50 years).

Bauckham argues "that the resemblances can be explained as independent developments...The theological significance of the (light/dark) imagery...can be better explained from other sources" (p 117) rather than a direct influence by Qumran.  Bauckham concludes "that soteriology is the central concern in the Gospel's prominent use of dualisms" (pp 128-9).  And this is a simply wonderful line by Bauckham: "Light dispels darkness, requiring decision, while the world that rejects Jesus is conquered and saved by him through its rejection of him" (p 129).

John is notable for the emphasis he places on individualism.  In the essay "Individualism"  Bauckham points to 'aphoristic sayings about the individual's relationship with Jesus" (p 4) in an ancient society that emphasized the collective nature of society, rather than the person.  Various scholars have attempted "to find parallels to this Johannine language in Philo...or even Ignatius" (p 12), but in fact the language is unique to John.

Yet John also underlines 'oneness',  The Father and Son are one (hen) Jesus says in John 10:30, a statement which "could not fail to recall the Shema for any Jewish hearer" (p 32).  Christian is urged to become part of the love between the Father and the Son.
3498616
This is an excellent contemporary treatment of the historical validity of the Gospels in their presentation of Jesus' life and mission. The author is familiar with the exegesis and hermeneutics of specialists, and he presents a balanced and cogent evaluation of their positions. The text reads well. The abundant technical details and references are relegated to footnotes. He gives effective arguments for the historical value of the Gospels, often correcting widely accepted positions that contest the Gospels' historicity. For example, he defends an early date for Luke's Gospel, since it was written prior to Luke's second volume, the Acts of Apostles, which ends before Paul's execution, and thus should be dated in the early 50's.
850790
Here is a story narrative used to develop a way to present the claims of Christ to today's thinking person. The author has recognized that the good news of the Gospel is all too often not seen as that. Set in today's Seattle, Washington, his young protagonist grapples with how to communicate his faith to his antagonistic lady friend. In realistic struggles, he comes to see that the Gospel really is good news, and lays out a way that it can be explained in terms today's moderns use and grasp.
The Gospel has not changed from when it was first proclaimed by Jesus; this is not a "new" Gospel. Rather, the simple graphic illustrations used are a way of presenting that ancient truth in today's lingo.
4210257
With 133 pages of text, Scripture popularizer Marcus Borg makes the earliest and shortest gospel come alive for the lay reader. He encourages the reader to read "Mark" through in one two-hour sitting before doing anything else, a great suggestion. The Gospel is a structured narrative in three parts: Jesus in Galilee at the start of his ministry; Jesus enroute to Jerusalem to symbolize his "way"; Jesus in Jerusalem to suffer, die and be reborn.

Marcus clearly loves "Mark" and sees the Gospel as the closest text we have to the historical Jesus and his central message: God's reign is upon us; here is the way to it.

If you are familiar with Borg and his recent collaborator on popular books like "The Last Week," the more serious Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan, you know his familiar themes and controversies.

There are also what I call the "Borgian Code Words." Take the word "rich," as in "rich in meanings," or "rich in symbolic import." When it refers to a passage, it means "never really happened." Take the Baptism of Jesus by John when the heavens opened and a voice from above claimed Jesus was the voice's son. Borg does his tap dance around the fact that believers have traditionally believed it actually happened by reinterpreting the event as wholly symbolic. In this case, the event is some kind of internal vision and "audition" experienced only by Jesus.

Matthew and Luke in their Gospels make it an actual visitation by God, but, says Borg, they are just embellishing Mark who knows it was not a publicly witnessed divine appearance. Typically, and not at all compellingly, Borg goes on to claim that the event as a private experience inside Jesus' head "does not in any way diminish its significance." Of course it does! On the one hand you have a direct divine intervention with God speaking and loudly affirming Jesus sonship in the presence of crowds of awed witnesses. On the other hand, you have a trance or vision experienced only by Jesus. Excuse me: BIG difference.

A much more important tap dance occurs at the end of the book, when Borg recounts Mark's account of Jesus burial and resurrection. Borg clearly believes that Jesus did not physically rise from the dead, though he does not admit that in this book designed for Anglican believers. He merely makes the stupefying claim that arguing about whether the resurrection really happened or not is no more than a "distraction." Distraction from what? From the symbolism, which is the really important matter. I'm sorry, Marcus; tap dance all you want. There is a huge difference between Jesus rising bodily from the dead and Jesus not rising bodily from the dead.

So why do I give this 4 stars? Because even with the tap dance around miracles and cures that Borg simply believes never happened, this is an excellent brief, lay exegesis of Mark. If you do believe that Jesus performed miracles and rose from the dead, the book is still a great guide.

Tap dance or not, Marcus does a terrific tango with Mark!
1683880
A most important book for those who want a clear look at who said what in the gospels and what it means.
1661680
This takes the reader from just reading the Bible to understanding the origins.  This book brings form to the Gospels that is not obvious to the common western reading of the New Testament.  There is a balance of intellectual pursuit and spiritual practice that is presented in this book.  This is also great for group study.
1828903
In *Studying the Historical Jesus* Darrell Bock has written a primer for his students at Dallas Theological Seminary, one that is also useful to interested readers in general.  In a sense, the book provides a defense on two fronts of the historical study of Jesus: against the unfounded belief that it throws doubt on the truths of Scripture, and against excessive skepticism about the historicity of the Gospel accounts, such as many critics have engaged in since the Enlightenment.

As he notes, "[W]e must differentiate between what we know from history and the text and the way we reconstruct history. ... rather than applying our doubt to the text, there is nothing wrong in examining carefully our own understanding in studying the text." (159)  Thus, the book is in two parts:

(1) A brief presentation of the sources of our knowledge and of "what we know from history and the text."  The premise is our need to understand the social and cultural environment in which Jesus lived and in which the Gospels were written, and the historical background of the Jews prior to and including the time of Jesus that led to fervent messianic expectations.  In the Introduction, under Greek Biblical Sources, Bock includes a survey of the content, themes and introductory issues pertaining to the four Gospels; in the conclusion to the whole book he expresses "confidence that the Gospels are a solid source of information."

(2) An equally brief examination of the different critical methods, their strengths and weaknesses, that scholars use in reconstructing the history behind the Gospels and how the Gospels came to be in their present form.  After an introductory section, there is a chapter on the three quests for the historical Jesus, in which Bock notes that the third quest does not supersede the second but runs alongside it - the third quest "works more seriously with Jewish backgrounds" (147). A chapter on historical criticism sets the stage for the following chapters on source, form, redaction, and tradition criticisms. The final chapter on narrative criticism and the Gospel genre is different in that the topics are subsumed under literary criticism and considerations, not historical criticism.

The concise discussions drive the curious reader to reach out for more, aided by bibliographic footnotes; nonetheless, it is surprising how much information this introductory work imparts.  Bock is an experienced writer; he adds interest to his prose by avoiding generalities (most of time), linking names and dates to hypotheses and methods, and relating seemingly ho-hum social, economic and geographic details to what we read in the Gospels.  So, for example, not only do the hills of Galilee reach 2000 to 4000 feet above sea level while the Sea of Galilee is 685 feet below sea level, but also: "This dramatic drop-off explains the weather in some events in Jesus' ministry as he was on the Sea of Galilee.  Winds can rush down with a tunnel effect... resulting in huge, dangerous storms" (113).  Who after this would not want to read again the passage about Jesus and the disciples as they crossed the lake to "the other side" (Mark 4:35-41 & parallels)?

In the Preface, Dr. Bock says only time will tell whether he had succeeded in what he set out to accomplish in writing the book. Here is one affirmative vote.
4670088
What a wonderful collection of thoughts, regarding the main themes in John's Gospel. There's a thorough Scripture index as well as a topic index.  The author includes life illustrations throughout, and he asks thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter.  There are so many good and huge commentaries on this Gospel; but this 146 page book makes a great place to start one's research. Don't let the low prices on the used books fool you; this is a gem.