Jesus In The Gospels And Acts

Engaging, scholarly, and theologically honest, this introductory textbook will be welcomed by students and professors alike. What do we really know about Jesus and how do we know it? Jesus in the Gospels and Acts: Introducing the New Testament explores these questions from the perspective of the New Testament--specifically the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, as well as the extracanonical gospels. Using language and concepts considerate of a religiously diverse undergraduate audience, the author explores issues of authorship, historicity, culture, and theology. Features include: "Check Your Reading" questions check the students' basic comprehension. "Do You Have the Basics?" puzzles check for comprehension through crosswords, word finds, sequencing, and matching activities. "Questions for Reflection" challenge the students to think more deeply about the reading's meaning and the implications for us today. "This book focuses on the central figure of the Christian Scriptures: Jesus. Arguably, no other figure in history has had more influence in shaping many of the religious and cultural norms in the world today. Whether you belong to a specific faith tradition or none at all, possessing a working knowledge of Jesus and the Gospels is important for religious, historical, and cultural literacy." --from the author's introduction

Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.

The earliest of the four Gospels, the book portrays Jesus as an enigmatic figure, struggling with enemies, his inner and external demons, and with his devoted but disconcerted disciples. Unlike other gospels, his parables are obscure, to be explained secretly to his followers. With an introduction by Nick Cave

"For over a decade, the Jesus Seminar, a group of more than seventy-five internationally recognized biblical scholars - experts in such diverse fields as Greco-Roman history, archaeology, and linguistics - has met twice yearly to conduct a painstaking search for the authentic Jesus. Through rigorous research and debate, they have combed the gospels for evidence of the man behind the myths. The figure they have discovered is very different from the icon of traditional Christianity." "The Acts of Jesus presents and illuminates the historical and literary evidence that led to the Seminar's often controversial conclusions. It provides the reader with immediate access to the latest scholarship in historical Jesus research today."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In this book Charles Puskas and David Crump provide a solid, student-friendly introduction to the four Gospels and the book of Acts. Leading students through the texts, highlighting the various literary devices and themes, and pointing out the historical and cultural contexts, An Introduction to the Gospels and Acts is a fruitful collaboration between a mainline scholar (Puskas) and a more evangelical scholar (Crump), who clearly articulate their own opinions while charitably engaging a wide spectrum of scholarship. The coverage of the Gospels and Acts throughout is clear, comprehensive, and well documented. Maps, charts, outlines, and tables round out the wealth of information offered here. Evenhanded and nonpolemical, this text will be valuable both for students with a previous foundation of biblical study and for those with little or no Bible background.

A respected New Testament scholar offers a substantive commentary on the letters of John in the award-winning BECNT series.