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5.0 out of 5 stars
The BEST overview of the Historical Jesus for scholars..., Nov 13 2002
Alright, this book goes twofold, which I respect a lot. First of all, you get a complete history and overview of the history of the quests for the Historical Jesus. You get the different views from Strauss on forward and you get them, though summarized, with just the right amount of information included. Second, you get definitions and explanations of all the different viewpoints. The fact that this book uses Greek terms goes beyond most overviews I've read, which while it may not appeal to the layman, appeals to the scholar moreso. For example, you get the different viewpoints of Jesus for the most part, eschatalogical prophet, sage, magician, teacher, etc. This book is the best guide for those who are scholars, yet still want a good survey of the Historical Jesus. I would reccommend this book to professors who need to teach the Historical Jesus from different perspectives, and while the Greek may be hard for those that don't know it, they could sift the useful information out as needed, provided and assuming that the professor has a working knowledge of the language. For the scholar, this will give a very direct overview of the history and views on the Historical Jesus. It is unbiased, which is why I would give it five stars, and you do not have to worry about being told "what to believe". You can come to your own conclusions. I could sift through any book and find problems with it, but this is different. I could not find problems with this book. This was a welcoming addition to my library and is the best working overview on the Historical Jesus I have seen because it is short (falling short of 600 pages), to the point, unbiased, and not TOO hard to understand. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any professor or student in the field of the Historical Jesus, liberal, conservative, or somewhere in between.
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