Christian Literature & Book Reviews
Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ
By Robert M. Bowman & J. Ed Komoszewski
Beginning with how the early Christians gave honors to Christ that would be given to God alone, the authors demonstrate that the New Testament writings make sense only within the context of the early Church seeing Christ as a deity. Continuing in sections where it is shown that Jesus shares the attributes of God, shares the names of God, shares in the deeds of God, and shares the seat of God's throne, a persausive case for the deity of the New Testament Christ is fleshed out and a reminder given to the reader in the acronym HANDS (Honors-Attributes-Names-Deeds-Seat).
While the case for the deity of Christ might not be accepted for those who reject the inspiration of the New Testament, there is little doubt left that for the New Testament Church, Jesus was seen as God. Furthermore, given the ample evidence available that the so-called "other Gospels" were later documents that postdated the New Testament Chruch by one or more centuries, there can be little argument that Christ was seen as divine from the earliest period of the Church. As a exposition for Christians who have never had the evidence of Christ's deity given in detail, Putting Jesus In His Place is an indispensible resource.
Who Was Jesus?
By N. T. Wright
N. T. Wright, one of the world's leading biblical scholars, has provided in Who Was Jesus? a potent antidote to the faddish output of several popular characterizations of Jesus making the rounds in press reports at the time it was written. With clarity and power, he destroys the arguments of popular revisionist arguments with comparative ease. By placing Jesus in the proper historical and cultural setting, the pet theories of various contributors to the radical fringe in studies of the historical Jesus are found to owe more to the temperaments and cultural presuppositions of the writers than anything likely to relate to the true life and times of Jesus. As a leading figure in the study into the historical and cultural settings of the New Testament, Wright could never be accused of putting his head in the sand. However, Wright insists an understanding of the complex interplay of cultures in fist century Judea is essential to grasping the true meaning of the New Testament writings.
Wright begins with an overview of the quest among scholars for the historic Jesus. While sympathetic to the goals of many of these investigations, he points out they are often as guided by their own prejudices as many forms of traditional Christian belief. The beliefs of many Christians about Jesus may be distorted at points but they are not without historical basis. Indeed, the beliefs of the Church certainly have a greater correspondence with the historical realities of the time than the pet theories of many revisionists. Wright assures traditional believers that any honest investigation into the Jesus of history should leave them with a more robust faith - not a weaker one.
N. T. Wright has issued a challenge to both believers and skeptics alike for a greater appreciation of historical and cultural settings when interpreting the Gospel. Who Was Jesus? is a wonderful introduction to such a study and ideal for anyone looking to grasp the strengths and weaknesses of various theories commonly promoted in the national media. It also may serve as a primer for Wright's own more scholarly work. As a summary of the state (at the time of its writing) of modern scholarship into the historic Jesus, it is essential reading.
Page :- [ 1 ] | [ 2 ] | [ 3 ] | [ 4 ] | [ 5 ] | [ 6 ] | [ 7 ] | [ 8 ] | [ 9 ] | [ 10 ]