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14th out of 79 books
—
32 voters
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony
This fresh book argues that the four Gospels are closely based on eyewitness testimony of those who knew Jesus. Noted New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham challenges the prevailing assumption that the accounts of Jesus circulated as "anonymous community traditions" instead asserting that they were transmitted in the name of the original eyewitness.To drive home this cont...more
Hardcover, 538 pages
Published
November 1st 2006
by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
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REVIEW AND CRITIQUE Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006.
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham is devoted to establish a new paradigm for Gospel studies that takes the Gospels as controlled and reliable traditions in which the eyewitnesses played an important part (264). Bauckham’s basic premise is that eyewitness testimony can be very reliable, within certain specifiable limits, and the reliability of eyewitnes...more
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham is devoted to establish a new paradigm for Gospel studies that takes the Gospels as controlled and reliable traditions in which the eyewitnesses played an important part (264). Bauckham’s basic premise is that eyewitness testimony can be very reliable, within certain specifiable limits, and the reliability of eyewitnes...more
Jesus and the Eyewitnesses is a ground-breaking study by NT scholar Richard Bauckham that questions many of the assumptions current in much New Testament scholarship today, especially about the formation of the Gospels. In this seminal book, Bauckham makes a sustained case for the involvement and centrality of eyewitnesses in the formation of the Gospels as they appear in their current, written canonical form. I won't attempt to recreate his arguments here, for they are many and detailed, but he...more
I will never read the Gospels in the same way again after reading this book. Bauckham argues, with the help of Samuel Byrskog, convincingly for the Gospels as eyewitness testimonies. He does so with brilliant scholarship and convincing references to contemporary historiographical views. I also like his dialogue with Ricoeur and the underlying philosophical voice. The book also completely debunks the form criticism project and I cannot understand how anyone will be able to argue with an "Sitz in...more
A very comprehensive study of the history that lead up to the gospels being written and the implications this has for the trustworthiness of what is written. The main contents of this book is a discussion on oral history and how this relates to the time period between the death and resurrection of Christ and the writing of the gospels.
Some of the interesting arguments in this bok include:
- a study of the names of Palestinian Jews of the time period compared with those recorded in the gospels, w...more
Some of the interesting arguments in this bok include:
- a study of the names of Palestinian Jews of the time period compared with those recorded in the gospels, w...more
Oct 09, 2012
Geoffrey
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
jesus-research,
nt-research
I read this during a recent holiday and I think I needed to be on holidays to get through it quickly enough to appreciate the whole complex argument. Bauckham put together a serious case in favour of reading the gospels as eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus. Utlising Papias' testimony, insights from the gospels and similar literature, and historical background, he turns the intellectual assumptions of form criticism, etc. on their head.
A couple of points of stood out for me:
1) It makes a l...more
A couple of points of stood out for me:
1) It makes a l...more
I'm not even halfway through this. Heard about it through Tim Keller, one of my favorite speakers/authors. This is definitely a scholarly work, not a quick read (at least not for me). Strong rebuttal to the old form critics argument that the New Testament, in particular the gospels, are not reliable as they were a result of traditions passed down over centuries. Bauckham argues gently, but forcibly, that the four genuine gospels found in the NT were based on eyewitness testimony, and written ove...more
A lively defense of the canonical portraits of Jesus in the Gospels, Bauckham's book is a very interesting read. The basic argument Bauckham makes is that the portraits of Jesus in the canonical Gospels are reflections of eyewitness testimony to the earthly Jesus, and, moreover, these witnesses are trustworthy. This basic argument entails two basic modes of argumentation--ideological and exegetical.
Like his essay, "God Crucified," in this book Bauckham attempts to alter the operating procedures...more
Like his essay, "God Crucified," in this book Bauckham attempts to alter the operating procedures...more
Bauckham successfully demonstrates, against much modern biblical scholarship, that the canonical gospels are based on eyewitness testimony. For much of the last century the common view was that the gospels as we have them are the culmination of a long line of people who passed on traditions for generations, thus the final product is very different than whatever the original story was. But Bauckham shows, focusing on Mark and John as well as in depth study on second century church father Papias,...more
Aug 29, 2008
Jim
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
pastors, scholars and interested students of the bible
Richard Bauckham has removed the crust that has surrounded the Christian gospel due to the use of form criticism. He has called us to a posture of trust in the eyewitness who are named throughout as they were conveyors of an oral tradition that was sealed with their final testimony and contained in the gospels.
Bauckham uses the testimony of Papias, Eusebius and the internal structure of the gospels to show that the historiography of the gospels was solidly dependent on eye witness testimony. He...more
Bauckham uses the testimony of Papias, Eusebius and the internal structure of the gospels to show that the historiography of the gospels was solidly dependent on eye witness testimony. He...more
Good book that discusses the nature of the New Testament Gospels as eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus. I also discuss this topic in my book, “Cold Case Christianity” (Chapter 4: Test Your Witnesses)
Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels
Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels
This was an amazing book--amazing in Bauckham's detective work, and amazing in his careful academic spade-work. Because Bauckham is challenging the reigning paradigms of form criticism, he has to build his case step by step, which made for tedious reading at times. But, if you are willing to tough it out, the overall argument is thrilling and makes a credible case for reading the Gospels for what they are--reliable eyewitness testimony.
Richard Bauckham is one of the top New Testament scholars alive today, and thankfully he writes as much as he does. In this book, Bauckham works off of the recent studies of oral cultures done by Jan Vansina and expands on the ideas of Samuel Byrskog in his 'Story as History, History as Story', to demonstrate that the Gospels are comprised of eyewitness accounts, and not an evolving tradition that changed throughout the years until their form today. What Bauckham intends is the end of the domini...more
This has been a groundbreaking book since its arrival in 2006. I not only heard about it, but frequently saw it cited in other things I was reading. I've finally read it!
Bauckham’s thesis: there’s strong evidence the four gospels are “closely based on eyewitness testimony of those who personally knew Jesus.” The whole book forcefully and, let’s say, nonchalantly (can’t think of a better word) lays out a compelling case. I don’t call this a book review, because the author of this book is very muc...more
Bauckham’s thesis: there’s strong evidence the four gospels are “closely based on eyewitness testimony of those who personally knew Jesus.” The whole book forcefully and, let’s say, nonchalantly (can’t think of a better word) lays out a compelling case. I don’t call this a book review, because the author of this book is very muc...more
Solidly researched. Well argued. Eye-witness testimony is nothing to sneeze it. I appreciated the last chapter analogy comparing eyewitness testimony to the Holocaust. Breathes new life into the gospels, particularly the gospel of John. This was probably my favorite text I studied during my 2 years at the Kansas School of Ministry.
Bauckham's thesis is a challenge to the consensus of modern Gospels scholars, which presupposes a long and anonymous process of passing on (and adapting) oral traditions about Jesus before the Gospels were composed in written form. Thus, the Gospels more accurately represent the faith of the early church than the real Jesus who walked the streets of Galilee. Bauckham presents evidence from early traditions and ancient historical practices to propose an alternative view, namely that the Gospel wr...more
This is not a light read but a very thorough exploration that the Gospels are eyewitness accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus.
Bauckham looks at both internal with the Gospels and external evidence that the Gospels are eyewitness accounts.
He looks at various ways oral history is transmitted reliably within oral communities. Of note is that the known unreliability of eyewitness testimony in court is irrelevant because the details required in a law court e.g. recalling faces, exact times of d...more
Bauckham looks at both internal with the Gospels and external evidence that the Gospels are eyewitness accounts.
He looks at various ways oral history is transmitted reliably within oral communities. Of note is that the known unreliability of eyewitness testimony in court is irrelevant because the details required in a law court e.g. recalling faces, exact times of d...more
A fascination re-examination of the Gospel Narratives exploring their possible incorporation of eye witness accounts. Scholarly, measured and careful approach to the text which reads very well
Bauckham's scholarship is extraordinary. He leaves no stone unturned to develop his thesis that the Gospels were written as eyewitness accounts (not the creation of the early Christian community) and ought to be read as such. He also has a very interesting proposal of the identity of John, the biblical writer, that is compelling. My criticism is the length. I read the entire book, but found his interaction with all his conversation partners to be tough-sledding at times (I was already convinced)...more
An interesting (and well argued and researched) take on the writing of the gospels that runs counter to current mainstream scholarly (and lay) thinking.
This book makes me exceedingly grateful for nerds. It is a wonderful apologetic for the eyewitness nature of the gospel accounts.
My (public school!) textbook recommended this book. I'm impressed.
view 2 comments
In this volume Bauckham provides a trenchant critique of form criticism and makes a strong case for the pervasive role of eyewitness testimony in the Gospels. While I was not convinced with his discussion about the authorship of John and still have questions to Bauckham's suggestion that many of the named individuals in the Gospels are the sources for those accounts, Bauckham nonetheless provides a wealth of information about oral tradition, memory in ancient times, and Jewish names, along with...more
1 like · like · see review
Ok. So I didn't read the whole thing. Great work.
Fascinating and thought provoking challenge to whatever vestiges of form criticism are left in Gospels research. Suggests that several indications exist in the texts of the Gospels that their creation was not due to a long history of stories passed down anonymously. Rather many of the stories from the gospels circulated with the names of the persons who were eyewitnesses to the events. A scholarly study - so be ready for several chapters that explore memory, oral traditions and ancient historiog...more
Excellent scholarly work
The thesis of this book is that the Gospels were written by people who had direct access to eyewitness testimony of the events described. The author makes a good case, and it is certainly heartening to read a work of theology that is so strongly supportive of the authenticity of the scriptures. The book is very long and dense, but it doesn't use a lot of technical terminology, so it is appropriate for the (very interested and focused) non-specialist.
Interesting insights into the literayr structure and construction of the gospels. Very thorough discussion to establish the historical nature of the Gospels. Some fascinating material but very detailed and slow reading.
I have to confess that I only read about 130 pages or so, and put it back on the shelf. It wasn't that it was bad, it was just that it provided a little bit more detail than I really needed. You'll be in the weeds in no time. I think it might serve my purposes better as a resource than a book you read from front to back.
Looks thorough and convincing but dry. As much as I would, theoretically, like to know the information and arguments contained in this volume, I don’t think I’m going to be able to plod through it.
I think I need to do a lot more background reading to fully understand the arguments made here. Also, I think I need to seriously revisit the Gospel of Mark.
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Richard Bauckham (b. September 22, 1946) is a New Testament scholar and professor of New Testament studies at St. Mary's College, University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
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