What do you think?
Rate this book
Jesus According to the New Testament
New Testament scholar James D. G. Dunn has published his research on Christian origins in numerous commentaries, books, and essays. In this small, straightforward book designed especially for a lay audience, Dunn focuses his fifty-plus years of scholarship on elucidating the New Testament witness to Jesus, from Matthew to Revelation. Dunn’s Jesus according to the New Testament constantly points back to the wonder of those first witnesses and greatly enriches our understanding of Jesus.
- GenresBiblical Studies
232 pages, Paperback
Published January 3, 2019
28 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
James D.G. Dunn
130 books90 followersJames D. G. ("Jimmy") Dunn (born 1939) was for many years the Lightfoot Professor of Divinity in the Department of Theology at the University of Durham. Since his retirement he has been made Emeritus Lightfoot Professor. He is a leading British New Testament scholar, broadly in the Protestant tradition. Dunn is especially associated with the New Perspective on Paul, along with N. T. (Tom) Wright and E. P. Sanders. He is credited with coining this phrase during his 1982 Manson Memorial Lecture.
Dunn has an MA and BD from the University of Glasgow and a PhD and DD from the University of Cambridge. For 2002, Dunn was the President of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the leading international body for New Testament study. Only three other British scholars had been made President in the preceding 25 years.
In 2005 a festschrift was published dedicated to Dunn, comprising articles by 27 New Testament scholars, examining early Christian communities and their beliefs about the Holy Spirit. (edited by Graham N. Stanton, Bruce W. Longenecker & Stephen Barton (2004). The Holy Spirit and Christian origins: essays in honor of James D. G. Dunn. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. ISBN 0-8028-2822-1.)
Dunn has taken up E. P. Sanders' project of redefining Palestinian Judaism in order to correct the Christian view of Judaism as a religion of works-righteousness. One of the most important differences to Sanders is that Dunn perceives a fundamental coherence and consistency to Paul's thought. He furthermore criticizes Sanders' understanding of the term "justification", arguing that Sanders' understanding suffers from an "individualizing exegesis".
Dunn has an MA and BD from the University of Glasgow and a PhD and DD from the University of Cambridge. For 2002, Dunn was the President of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the leading international body for New Testament study. Only three other British scholars had been made President in the preceding 25 years.
In 2005 a festschrift was published dedicated to Dunn, comprising articles by 27 New Testament scholars, examining early Christian communities and their beliefs about the Holy Spirit. (edited by Graham N. Stanton, Bruce W. Longenecker & Stephen Barton (2004). The Holy Spirit and Christian origins: essays in honor of James D. G. Dunn. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. ISBN 0-8028-2822-1.)
Dunn has taken up E. P. Sanders' project of redefining Palestinian Judaism in order to correct the Christian view of Judaism as a religion of works-righteousness. One of the most important differences to Sanders is that Dunn perceives a fundamental coherence and consistency to Paul's thought. He furthermore criticizes Sanders' understanding of the term "justification", arguing that Sanders' understanding suffers from an "individualizing exegesis".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 8, 2019
When we think of Jesus and his story, we think of the Gospels. We're not wrong in doing so. The Gospels are focused on Jesus. However, the entire New Testament has things to say about Jesus. So, to have a full picture we need to consider the entire canon of the New Testament. Who better to take us into this conversation than James D. G. Dunn, the Lightfoot Professor Emeritus of Divinity at Durham University.
I first encountered Dunn in seminary through his work on the Holy Spirit. I have since come to know him to be one of the foremost New Testament scholars of our day and a mentor to younger scholars. He has written broadly on matters relating to Jesus through the years, largely for a scholarly audience. In "Jesus According to the New Testament," he writes for the general audience. This book is the product of presentations given first in the Diocese of Chichester, and latter at Canterbury. In these presentations Dunn spoke of "Jesus according to Jesus," "Jesus According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke," and then "Jesus According to John." Having done this, he decided to finish off the remainder of the New Testament, giving birth to this book. As a church historian myself, I'm intrigued by his suggestion that others might add to what he started by carrying this forward through history. He also suggests that someone might add a volume that shared testimonies from modern Christians, with "everyday believers bearing witness to what attracts and intrigues them about Jesus" (p. xv).
Dunn breaks the book into nine chapters, beginning with aforementioned chapters on "Jesus according to Jesus," "Jesus according to Mark, Matthew, and Luke," and "Jesus according to John." From there he offers a chapter on Acts, two chapters focusing on Paul, one on Hebrews, a chapter looking at the catholic epistles of James Peter, John, and Jude, and finally a chapter on "Jesus According to Revelation."
In the opening chapter -- "Jesus according to Jesus" -- Dunn raises the pertinent question of whether we can get back to Jesus' own view of himself and his message. Dunn seems to believe that it is possible to gain at least some understanding of what Jesus thought of himself and his mission. There are lessons, we can learn from scripture about Jesus and his legacy. Among the lessons we can learn from Jesus are the "love command, the priority of the poor, that sinners are welcome -- he writes this was a particular feature of Jesus' ministry, which shocked contemporaries as he demonstrated "openness to those regarded as unacceptable in religious company" (p. 4). He also makes note of the women who were close followers, his openness to Gentiles, openness to children, relaxation of food laws, and the account of the Last Supper. These all reflect elements of Jesus' life and ministry reflected in the Gospels. We can fairly confident that these are reflective of Jesus' identity. We can also affirm that Jesus preached concerning the kingdom of God. While the kingdom is mentioned more than fifty times in the synoptic Gospels, he finds it interesting that it is much less present in the rest of the New Testament. Teacher is the most common title for Jesus, and he taught by parable (in the Synoptics). He exorcised evil spirits and concentrated his ministry in Galilee. We can also get a sense of what Jesus understood himself to be through his baptismal commission, his statements about being sent, references to him as messiah, his reference to God as Abba, as well as the designation of Jesus as Son of God and self-designation as Son of Man. While many scholars have been skeptical as to whether we can know much of Jesus' own self-understanding, Dunn disagrees. He writes that "there is in fact no good reason to deny that what has been reviewed above was rooted in good and authentic memory that Jesus' first disciples largely shared -- not only the emphases and priorities that they learned from him but also the distinctive features of his ministry that they did not seek to imitate in their own ministries, and particularly what were remembered as statements and claims that revealed Jesus' own understanding of his mission and of his role" (p. 25).
Dunn is a careful scholar, who recognizes the challenges to reconstructing the life of Jesus. But he is willing to give much more credence to the testimony of the gospels than is true of many. For me, this is welcome news.
With this foundation, this laying out of what we can consider knowable about Jesus, he takes us step by step through the New Testament. While Dunn drew much of the first chapter from the Synoptics, which he explores in chapter two as well, he notes that John tells the same story very differently. Rather than tell a straightforward account of Jesus' ministry, John tries to "bring out the significance of Jesus' ministry and his death and resurrection." The synoptics tell us what, John tells us why. Thus, John alone tells us that Jesus is the "incarnation of God's crative agency specifically articulated as never before." (p. 62). As for the Book of Acts, Jesus tends to disappear from the story. He's talked about but not present in the story, except for a few occasions, such as Paul's vision on the road to Damascus. It takes two chapters to explore Paul's thoughts about Jesus. Among the things Dunn notices is that the word gospel owes its importance to Paul. Of the seventy-two uses of the term, sixty are found in Paul's letters. It is Paul who defined much of the Christian message concerning Jesus, and who continues to influence the Christian faith to this day, second only to Jesus himself.
There are then the chapters that explore the remaining books of the New Testament. The chapter I found most interesting was that on the Book of Hebrews, which may express an early Alexandrian Christology. He notes the questions raised about its presence in the canon, and suggests in part this is due to the fact that it has been considered the "finest Greek composition within the New Testament." But more importantly was its impact on the churches around the Mediterranean. There is, he suggests, significant parallels here to Alexandrian Judaism -- especially Philo. This is, he believes, a wisdom text. In reflecting on this passage, and the future developments of the church, he notes the irony that it had great influence on the early church, and yet, despite its suggestion that Jesus is the final priest, fulfilling the priestly calling, early Christianity, unlike Judaism, became a priestly religion.
Although there isn't a study guide provided, this would make for an excellent study book for congregations. It brings to the fore in an accessible a fulsome vision of Jesus as he his presented by the writers of the New Testament. It is neither a narrow, defensive book, nor a product of skepticism. There is a healthy dose of scholarly realism, combined with faith that the New Testament is fairly reliable in its presentation. That is appealing to me. I expect it will be to others, who want something other than a Jesus who can be only known in parts ala the Jesus Seminar.
I first encountered Dunn in seminary through his work on the Holy Spirit. I have since come to know him to be one of the foremost New Testament scholars of our day and a mentor to younger scholars. He has written broadly on matters relating to Jesus through the years, largely for a scholarly audience. In "Jesus According to the New Testament," he writes for the general audience. This book is the product of presentations given first in the Diocese of Chichester, and latter at Canterbury. In these presentations Dunn spoke of "Jesus according to Jesus," "Jesus According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke," and then "Jesus According to John." Having done this, he decided to finish off the remainder of the New Testament, giving birth to this book. As a church historian myself, I'm intrigued by his suggestion that others might add to what he started by carrying this forward through history. He also suggests that someone might add a volume that shared testimonies from modern Christians, with "everyday believers bearing witness to what attracts and intrigues them about Jesus" (p. xv).
Dunn breaks the book into nine chapters, beginning with aforementioned chapters on "Jesus according to Jesus," "Jesus according to Mark, Matthew, and Luke," and "Jesus according to John." From there he offers a chapter on Acts, two chapters focusing on Paul, one on Hebrews, a chapter looking at the catholic epistles of James Peter, John, and Jude, and finally a chapter on "Jesus According to Revelation."
In the opening chapter -- "Jesus according to Jesus" -- Dunn raises the pertinent question of whether we can get back to Jesus' own view of himself and his message. Dunn seems to believe that it is possible to gain at least some understanding of what Jesus thought of himself and his mission. There are lessons, we can learn from scripture about Jesus and his legacy. Among the lessons we can learn from Jesus are the "love command, the priority of the poor, that sinners are welcome -- he writes this was a particular feature of Jesus' ministry, which shocked contemporaries as he demonstrated "openness to those regarded as unacceptable in religious company" (p. 4). He also makes note of the women who were close followers, his openness to Gentiles, openness to children, relaxation of food laws, and the account of the Last Supper. These all reflect elements of Jesus' life and ministry reflected in the Gospels. We can fairly confident that these are reflective of Jesus' identity. We can also affirm that Jesus preached concerning the kingdom of God. While the kingdom is mentioned more than fifty times in the synoptic Gospels, he finds it interesting that it is much less present in the rest of the New Testament. Teacher is the most common title for Jesus, and he taught by parable (in the Synoptics). He exorcised evil spirits and concentrated his ministry in Galilee. We can also get a sense of what Jesus understood himself to be through his baptismal commission, his statements about being sent, references to him as messiah, his reference to God as Abba, as well as the designation of Jesus as Son of God and self-designation as Son of Man. While many scholars have been skeptical as to whether we can know much of Jesus' own self-understanding, Dunn disagrees. He writes that "there is in fact no good reason to deny that what has been reviewed above was rooted in good and authentic memory that Jesus' first disciples largely shared -- not only the emphases and priorities that they learned from him but also the distinctive features of his ministry that they did not seek to imitate in their own ministries, and particularly what were remembered as statements and claims that revealed Jesus' own understanding of his mission and of his role" (p. 25).
Dunn is a careful scholar, who recognizes the challenges to reconstructing the life of Jesus. But he is willing to give much more credence to the testimony of the gospels than is true of many. For me, this is welcome news.
With this foundation, this laying out of what we can consider knowable about Jesus, he takes us step by step through the New Testament. While Dunn drew much of the first chapter from the Synoptics, which he explores in chapter two as well, he notes that John tells the same story very differently. Rather than tell a straightforward account of Jesus' ministry, John tries to "bring out the significance of Jesus' ministry and his death and resurrection." The synoptics tell us what, John tells us why. Thus, John alone tells us that Jesus is the "incarnation of God's crative agency specifically articulated as never before." (p. 62). As for the Book of Acts, Jesus tends to disappear from the story. He's talked about but not present in the story, except for a few occasions, such as Paul's vision on the road to Damascus. It takes two chapters to explore Paul's thoughts about Jesus. Among the things Dunn notices is that the word gospel owes its importance to Paul. Of the seventy-two uses of the term, sixty are found in Paul's letters. It is Paul who defined much of the Christian message concerning Jesus, and who continues to influence the Christian faith to this day, second only to Jesus himself.
There are then the chapters that explore the remaining books of the New Testament. The chapter I found most interesting was that on the Book of Hebrews, which may express an early Alexandrian Christology. He notes the questions raised about its presence in the canon, and suggests in part this is due to the fact that it has been considered the "finest Greek composition within the New Testament." But more importantly was its impact on the churches around the Mediterranean. There is, he suggests, significant parallels here to Alexandrian Judaism -- especially Philo. This is, he believes, a wisdom text. In reflecting on this passage, and the future developments of the church, he notes the irony that it had great influence on the early church, and yet, despite its suggestion that Jesus is the final priest, fulfilling the priestly calling, early Christianity, unlike Judaism, became a priestly religion.
Although there isn't a study guide provided, this would make for an excellent study book for congregations. It brings to the fore in an accessible a fulsome vision of Jesus as he his presented by the writers of the New Testament. It is neither a narrow, defensive book, nor a product of skepticism. There is a healthy dose of scholarly realism, combined with faith that the New Testament is fairly reliable in its presentation. That is appealing to me. I expect it will be to others, who want something other than a Jesus who can be only known in parts ala the Jesus Seminar.
February 9, 2020
Dunn gives a convenient inventory of what the New Testament says about Jesus, most useful in the gospels and Paul. He makes no effort to integrate his inventory, such as what Luke’s various emphases mean as a whole. A form-critical effort to reconstruct the communities behind the texts looms over the book, rather than reading each book with the grain as a theological voice. Arguments from silence are an unfortunate feature (i.e., Acts doesn’t bring up Jesus’ life and teaching and so is uninterested in them).
What Dunn brings up is in itself valid and readily recognizable from the New Testament texts. But the book leaves us with a collection of loose threads that still need to be woven together. The New Testament does a good job of weaving these together for us, bringing to the fore different strands of the “Jesus traditions” as called for by the changing circumstances of each NT book.
What Dunn brings up is in itself valid and readily recognizable from the New Testament texts. But the book leaves us with a collection of loose threads that still need to be woven together. The New Testament does a good job of weaving these together for us, bringing to the fore different strands of the “Jesus traditions” as called for by the changing circumstances of each NT book.
September 24, 2018
An excellent work with an excellent bibliography, this is a resource that will make a valuable addition to your shelf whether you're embedded in the church or the academy. The great feature of Dunn's work is the in-depth look at the many different testimonies of Jesus held by those who encountered him first-hand. For Christians, we encounter Christ through the living pages of scripture; but we should never neglect to delve deeper into the understanding of those who became his first disciples and who left us written accounts of the impact that Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection had on the people who lived twenty centuries ago. I found this book easy to read (i.e. it was not aimed too much at the academic to the detriment of the church layman) with insights that remind me not only of the consistency and trustworthiness of the New Testament books but also of the reality of Jesus Christ's ongoing participation in and shaping of history today.
February 9, 2019
A helpful overview to the NT's different perspectives on Jesus. Most of my conservative biblical scholarly friends here will probably notice more of his "liberal" views than what he helpfully elucidates from the text, so I wouldn't recommend this to everyone. But for those who are willing to engage with a text, Dunn collects decades of insight from his NT studies in a highly readable and helpful guide.
June 14, 2021
Of course this book was excellent, as are all books recommended to me by my friend Jack Johnson. It was organized to present the Jesus story from the varying perspectives of the various New Testament authors. This allowed Dunn to highlight the differences in these various perspectives. I know a bit about this from reading various scholarly works on the N.T., but Dunn really brings the fact into focus in this book.
October 2, 2019
This was a quick read. Not a groundbreaking book, but a helpful summary of how various voices in the New Testament characterize Jesus. What emerges is a unified portrait in the sense that these voices complement each other well, but Dunn does a good job of showing the distinctive contributions of each voice.
November 11, 2024
Dunn basically connects the Jesus thread throughout the whole NT, even if it is murky which I enjoyed a lot! He doesn’t try to make it all fit together and let’s each book speak about Jesus in its own way. Will be using as a reference for a long time. Would recommend for anyone who is curious about how Jesus fits into the whole NT.
Read
August 21, 2020A brief and whirlwind tour of the New Testament focusing on each author's view of Jesus and use of the Jesus tradition. Dunn covers a lot of ground, though sometimes I wish the material were more organized and focused.
August 2, 2019
An insightful and thought-provoking book without being too dense or technical, which explores how the diversity of voices within the New Testament continue to serve as a witness to Jesus.
October 21, 2018
While I enjoyed this book, as a brief introduction, I was left wanting at certain places. Some of that is simply due to the lack of material from which to draw much Christology out of some of the books in the New Testament. At other times it just seemed like the difference between driving down a country lane and enjoying the sights and other times cruising down the interstate at much faster speeds and not being able to focus on as many of the details.
Over all I enjoyed most of the scenery on this trip with James Dunn.
Over all I enjoyed most of the scenery on this trip with James Dunn.
August 30, 2021
So many details about the New Testament I hadn't noticed before. I really appreciate Dr Dunn's setting out distinctions among the 27 books. Valuable.
Read
February 22, 2019Nuanced picture of Jesus from the vantage point of the various NT writers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews