Gerd Theissen

Behind the Gospels

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Eve surveys the major proposals, offers critical and constructive commentary, and makes appropriately nuanced suggestions of his own. On this topic, his work is now the place to start.” —Dale C. Allison Jr. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary “Eric Eve has written a magnificent guide to one of the most exciting areas in Gospels studies today—oral tradition and memory theory.” —Chris Keith St. Mary’s University College “This is a foundational book both for Jesus research and for our understanding of the literary history of the New Testament.”

Interpreting Jesus

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Dale Allison’s new book about Jesus not only enlivens old questions in the quests for the historical Jesus, but it also adds new life at important points: Jesus’s expectation of the world’s future, his understanding of the past by Moses typology, his metanormal activity, and his interactions with female followers. Most importantly, Allison questions the all-too-easy dichotomy between the historical and the fictional in the Jesus tradition. Allison, a leading Jesus researcher of our time, demonstrates that Jesus research is not yet over. There are always new perspectives and ideas.”

Paul and Economics

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“The economic crisis of 2008 reminded scholars that we must understand the New Testament in the social and economic framework of antiquity. All those who are interested in these socioeconomic questions will find in this book a solid orientation on the state of research, as well as innovative ideas pertaining to the work and theology of Paul. The contributions represent a plurality of methodic and theoretical approaches. But all are useful for those who are interested in the social message of the bible for our days in order to preserve and to promote justice and humanity in our societies.”

The Historical Jesus of the Gospels

Biblical Studies & Commentaries

“Historical Jesus research has developed in the last decades from a 'postminimalism' concerning the authenticity of Jesus traditions to a new 'moderate confidence' in the historicity of the Gospels. Craig Keener's book is both a milestone and a boundary stone in this development. By contextualizing the sources of Jesus research and Jesus himself, Keener succeeds in increasing the historical plausibility of the Gospels to a degree that is exceptional among critical exegetes. Therefore this book must be read and taken seriously -- both by those exegetes who are reluctant to support this 'historical-critical maximalism' in Jesus research and by those reluctant to contextualize Jesus in such a way. But both will enjoy reading what Keener has written with an open and critical mind.”

The Resurrection of Jesus

Apologetics

“At first glance this book is very provocative even for a theologian who is convinced that the Easter faith is based on an authentic encounter with God. But at second glance I became aware that Michael Licona is not dealing with the 'resurrection faith' but more modestly with the 'resurrection hypothesis'--in other words, with those aspects of the resurrection faith that are accessible to historical arguments. It is fascinating to follow his arguments step by step in his investigation of theresurrection of Jesus as a unique event in history. I once learned that historiography is limited to events with analogies, immanent causality and sources that must be criticized. These are, according to Ernst Troeltsch, the great theologian and philosopher of historicism, the three principles of modern historical research. Must we revise these principles? Must we reformulate them? Perhaps! In any case, it is refreshing to be confronted with quite another approach that evaluates carefully the historical data, discusses respectfully the arguments of opponents and demonstrates a humility concerning the results, claiming only historical degrees of plausibility for its own hypothesis. Many arguments are valuable also for readers who do not agree. It is a necessary book, and I recommend it to all who are interested in a responsible way to interpret the Bible and the Christian faith.”