Jesus As A Figure In History: How Modern Historians View The Man From Galilee (Paperback)

Powell begins by introducing his readers to some of the reasons why the historical quest began and why it is not something Christians should be afraid of. He obviously has the ordinary Christian reader in mind who may wonder at the need for such a quest. He puts this across well and puts the reader at ease. And at the end of his introduction helpfully expresses his own Christian commitment. This kind of forthright declaration is always helpful and his conservative approach does come through in the book, though not in a negative way.

In the first two chapters he sets out the basic history of interpretation of Jesus and general trends and directions in scholarship. Which leads on to a discussion of the biblical and non-biblical sources for study of Jesus as a historical figure. This is both detailed enough to give the reader a genuine insight into the sources and yet is not burdensome.

With the basics covered, he heads into the main section of the book by a chapter on some important figures within research, discussing their protrait of Jesus and supplying a basic critique.

The rest of the book is taken up with 6 chapters on particularly important scholars in current scholarship:

1) The now infamous Jesus Seminar with its witty aphorism spouting Cynic Jesus. It's methodology and understanding are subjected to a fairly convincing critique.

2) Dominic Crossan (a leading member of the Seminar) is deemed important enough to be given a chapter of his own - his Jewish Peasant Cynic is then discussed (Note: Cynics were a Graeco-Roman and Urban phenomenon, Crossan's 'Jewish' and ''rural' portrait, using one problem to solve the other is ingenius, but historically implausible). Powell does a good job of showing how important common meals are in Crossan's portrait, this 'commensality,' showing the social aspects of Jesus' ministry, is a feature of Jesus studies which will rightly be maintained and elaborated upon.

3) Marcus Borg is another Seminar member, but one who is quite open about his Christian commitment and offers a rather different portrait of Jesus to the normal one within Seminar circles. His Jesus is a 'Spirit-person', a religious mystic and in many ways this is a very appealing picture. Powell draws out the main features of Borg's work and nicely explains how Borg's Jesus - one that originates from somewhere between the two normal camps of a thoroughly Hellenistic or thoroughly Jewish matrix - leaves him open to serious criticism by scholars from both ends of the spectrum.

4) Ed Sanders: Jesus the prophet of the endtimes. Sanders is rightly viewed as one of the leading scholars of this generation, his groundbreaking 'Paul and Palestinian Judaism,' demonstrates his knowledge and expertise on Judaism in the time of Jesus. Powell points out how Sanders puts Jesus' temple action at the heart of his reconstruction, that we must understand that action if we are to understand why Jesus was executed, and what he thought he was doing in the temple. This emphasis seems necessary if we are to get to grips with what Jesus' ministry was about. But, Sanders is critiqued both on his understanding of the controversy stories and his eschatology, both aspects of his protrait with which many scholars would take issue.

5) John Meier: A Marginal Jew. Meier's title expresses something missed in the other studies mentioned so far, his Jesus is Jewish, but yet there is something different about him. Powell does a good job of explaining what Meier is up to but not so much in drawing out the shortcomings in his work (only Vol. 1 was published when Powell wrote). This is one place where Powell does not do quite as good a job as with the other scholars he critiques.

6) Tom Wright: Jesus the True Messiah. Tom Wright has now become one of the best known scholars of our generation and it was his first two volumes on Christians Origins that have assured that standing. Powell offers both a good summary of Wright's position and some of the preliminary critiques of his position as it stood at the time of Powell's writing. (Much fuller critiques are now available.)

His final chapter draws together many of the strands of thought, both on methodology and on whether Jesus should be thought of primarily in Hellenistic terms or Jewish ones that the whole book has been concerned with. Moreover, should a Jewish Jesus be an eschatological prophet or non-eschatological one? This conclusion draws out very well the main areas of debate and issues that the reader should have taken careful note of. Appropriately, Powell ends with a quote from Mark's Gospel, which has Jesus asking the disciples 'Who do you say I am?' and I suppose this is what it's really all about.

A very good introduction to historical Jesus studies at its time of writing. Powell's generally informal, but still scholarly approach makes this a very user-friendly book, and I'm not surprised that it has been used as a introductory college text book. Lets hope that a revised and updated edition will appear soon.

This book is a 5 all the way. You won't be disappointed regardless of your view of who Jesus was (or is).

In my experience, the study of the Historical Jesus is sometimes characterized by rhetoric, special pleading, and an unfruitful "us" vs. "them" attitude. While Powell is forthright about his own views when this is appropriate, he comes across as
surprisingly objective as he discusses the pros and cons of each position. This is aided by the fact that the Jesus scholars often disagree with each other - so he can just say "Wright would take issue with that", or "Crossan responds to this view
in this way."

Powell's writing style is refreshingly informal at times, and he obviously strives for clarity over the "scholar-speak" so often encountered. At the same time, he is obviously familiar with the technical concepts and not only throws the jargon around
but often explains it.

The book shows unusual restraint - Powell gives the reader room to formulate his/her own conclusions, while providing insight into both the issues and the scholars themselves.

I understand that this book is used in college courses as an introduction to the subject, and I can see why.

_Jesus As a Figure in History_ is a rare contribution: a clear explanation of a difficult and complex subject. I give it a 5.