The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide

Expensive book as described Like New for great price delivered fast. Thank You

I am a layman with an interest in the historical Jesus and I bought this book based on reviews here. The forward states explicitly that "each topic [is] self-contained" and "it is possible to skip sections," so after reading Ch. 1 I went to Ch. 15, "The Risen Jesus" where I was quite disappointed. 1 Cor 15:3ff must play a significant role in any discussion, but Theissen woodenly declares, with emphasis, that its status "as tradition is undisputed" and "Its pre-Pauline origin is certain" (pp 487-8). To the contrary: in a 1995 "J. of Higher Criticism" article, "Apocryphal Apparitions: 1 Corinthians 15:3-11 as a Post-Pauline Interpolation," Robert Price explicitly addressed this question (also found as Ch 4 of "The Empty Tomb" by Price and Lowder as well as elsewhere). In addition to his own arguments, Price shows that the discordant nature of 3-11 has been noted even by those not arguing for a post-Pauline origin (including by Bultmann, Evans, Conzelmann, and Schillebeeckx). My point is not that Price is correct. It is, rather, that in at least one critical chapter in this book apologetics is being passed off as historical analysis.

Read this textbook with a critical eye, especially re. supercessionist tendencies. It does a great job of presenting much of the context of the search for historical Jesus, and probably remains the most comprehensive textbook for approaching this field. Of course it was written before some aspects of this field of scholarship were underway, but pay attention to the lens through which the writers looked at the subject.

This is an incredibly scholarly discussion of the historical Jesus. It cites many different sources.While somewhat in textbook format (with questions at the end of chapters, etc.) this stands alone well as research and scholarly writing. Theissen and Merz are both well-read scholars of the historical Jesus, and they have a deep understanding of the different views surrounding this topic.

This book is precisely what i was looking for, with regard to Historical Jesus. It has covered most of the Topics for study and research. The authour presents a solid material yet simple to understand.

OK if you're in a class, I guess. Not a book just to read. Sorry I bought it. Shadow of the Gallilean was very good, though.

The subtitle 'A Comprehensive Guide' is well-earned. Amazon.com incorrectly lists its length as 624 pages; in actuality, it is 642 pages long, and every page is large. There is plenty of information here on almost every aspect of Jesus research. The book consists of the following sixteen chapters.1. The Quest of the Historical Jesus2. Christian Sources about Jesus3. The Non-Christian Sources about Jesus4. The Evaluation of the Sources: Historical Scepticism and the Study of Jesus5. The Historical and Religious Framework of the Life of Jesus6. The Chronological Framework of the Life of Jesus7. The Geographical and Social Framework of the Life of Jesus8. Jesus as Charismatic: Jesus and his Social Relationships9. Jesus as Prophet: Jesus' Eschatology10. Jesus as Healer: The Miracles of Jesus11. Jesus as Poet: The Parables of Jesus12. Jesus as Teacher: The Ethics of Jesus13. Jesus as the Founder of a Cult: The Last Supper and the Primitive Christian Eucharist14. Jesus as Martyr: The Passion of Jesus15. The Risen Jesus: Easter and its Interpretations16. The Historical Jesus and the Beginnings of ChristologyFinally, there is a retrospect in which a short life of Jesus is presented.This work was created with use as a textbook in mind. At the end of each chapter, there are 'Tasks' required of the reader that encourage a direct participation in the interpretation of the primary source materials. While it is suited for use in the classroom, it is also easily adaptable to personal study. Each chapter can be easily covered in a convenient session of a couple hours. There are extensive bibliographic notes for further study in particular topics.The following historical facts about Jesus emerge from _The Historical Jesus_:1. Jesus was from Galilee (p. 164).2. Jesus was baptized by John (p. 207).3. Jesus performed exorcisms and healings (p. 301, p. 304).4. Jesus was accused of being in league with the devil (p. 76, p. 297).5. His family thought him to be mad (p. 570, p. 582).6. Jesus rejected an overestimation of himself as 'good teacher' (p. 558).7. Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God; e.g., the logion concerning 'Taking the kingdom by storm' (p. 580).8. Jesus spoke most of the parables that have been preserved (p. 338).9. Jesus said something against the Temple cult (p. 432).10. The disciples of Jesus fled at his arrest (p. 428).11. Jesus was crucified with the titulus 'The King of the Jews' (p. 458).12. The disciples were disappointed that Jesus did not 'redeem Israel' (p. 428).One possible weakness of the book is that it offers no over-arching explanation or model for the historical Jesus. Rather, the book investigates each aspect of Jesus ('Jesus as...') more or less individually. On the other hand, this may be considered a strength, especially given that the real Jesus himself is not a cardboard cut-out figure but rather an actual human being. This is brought out beautifully in another book by Theissen, _The Shadow of the Galilean_.

Not as described, it was supposed to be 'very good', I'd have said more like 'acceptable', comparable to a well used school text book, if you get my meaning. Still, the pages were at least clean and the price was cheap, so not complaining too much, but would have preferred some accuracy.

Can't get better than this book. A must-have.

Though being a German customer and having read the German original in the first place, I am nevertheless able to say that the English version of Theissen's and Merz' study guide (it is certainly more than that!) adds a refreshing new style and content to the quest for the historical Jesus. Following the idea of Theissen's first book 'The shade of the Galilean' the two German scholars unfold lots of material to work with, to work on and to consider. The book presents itself in chapters, whose length is just appropriate to spend a couple of hours on. The questions and suggestions for further study encourage to go further. The style (in both, English and German) is refreshing and turns the book into a really enjoyable reading experience, yet a challenging one at any time. As mentioned above, I found myself barely able to lay it down. Having encontered Theissen's books during my time in the seminary, I felt enriched and well prepared for seminars, presentations and written assignments. Now, serving a congregation as a pastoral intern, Theissen's and Merz' sophisticated material and research provides me with material for teaching as well as for preaching. Therefore, a book for students as well as for ministers and interested laity. A book, worth purchasing or giving to somebody, yet not without 'The shadow of the Galilean' as an additional great reading experience.