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Jesus according to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels
In recent years, historians and biblical scholars have been in active pursuit of the Jesus of history. These efforts have relied heavily on extrabiblical documents, since many historians consider the Bible to be propagandistic and biased. Darrell Bock, however, argues that when read together, the Gospels provide a clear picture of Jesus and his unique claims to authority. Jesus according to Scripture seeks to show the coherent portrait of Jesus that emerges from the Gospels, a portrait that is rooted in history and yet has produced its own historical and cultural impact. Now available in paper, Jesus according to Scripture is an excellent textbook for courses on the life of Jesus at both the advanced college and seminary levels. Pastors, teachers, and all those interested in Jesus and the Gospels will also enjoy this scholarly yet accessible book.
704 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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178 people want to read
About the author
Darrell L. Bock
110 books71 followersDarrell L. Bock is a New Testament scholar and research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, United States. Bock received his PhD from Scotland's University of Aberdeen.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 3, 2013
Bock is leading NT scholar with special interest in the historical Jesus who recently wrote a two volume commentary on the gospel of Luke. He also edited a volume of essays examining the historical evidence for key events in the life of the historical Jesus. That atomistic approach (i.e. trying to develop a picture of the historical Jesus by examining individual events) is complemented by the approach of this volume, which seeks to construct a view of Jesus by surveying all the gospels.
I was drawn to this approach because he follows the story of Jesus as told in the gospels. Interestingly, he regularly dismisses the possibility of constructing a chronological account of the life of Jesus while also periodically describing one event as happening earlier or later in Jesus' ministry. He treats events as they occur in each gospel, which means that some events are treated twice (where their placement varies between accounts). It's amazing how few events this actually affects. Its as if the gospel writers had shared a common story, been used to recounting the whole story multiple times, before committing it to paper :)
Bock treats John's gospel separately because few of its events overlap with the synoptics, and it tends to provide a different perspective.
The strengths of the approach are its ability to construct a story of the life of Jesus, to trace key themes through the gospels and draw them together at the end. Bock's in depth engagement with a broad range of literature is readily reflected throughout the book. It succeeds in its aim of providing a comprehensive portrait according to Scripture, which provides evidence of its own sort for the historical Jesus.
The weaknesses are evident in a few places. Firstly, Bock's engagement with the gospel of Luke demonstrates greater profundity than his engagement with other gospels. That is not to say that the others are weak, its just that he's obviously a leader in his field in the gospel of Luke. But this provides a slight imbalance in the portrait. Secondly, separating out the gospel of John creates a few interpretation errors caused by inconsistent chronology (the very thing Bock denies can be provided in a reconstruction). For example, he says that Jesus' rejection at Nazareth, recorded in Luke's gospel, could not have happened when Luke recorded it because it refers to miracles done in Capernaum which Luke hasn't recorded yet. I think this is evidence of Luke revealing that he knows more than he is telling us (see Ekhard Schnabel's "Early Christian Mission" 22-30), and that the chronological gap can be filled (at least in part) by John's gospel - a position that Bock himself affirms as a real possibility later on. Finally, in treating the theological and thematic elements of all four gospels in 650 pages inevitably means that individual passages sometimes feel like brief summaries of commentaries or, perhaps, an introductory survey of the gospels. I think I was hoping for something a little more profound in places.
Overall, though, this book provides a very helpful support to the portrait of the historical Jesus provided by Scripture and informed by much historical-cultural information. It is worth the read.
I was drawn to this approach because he follows the story of Jesus as told in the gospels. Interestingly, he regularly dismisses the possibility of constructing a chronological account of the life of Jesus while also periodically describing one event as happening earlier or later in Jesus' ministry. He treats events as they occur in each gospel, which means that some events are treated twice (where their placement varies between accounts). It's amazing how few events this actually affects. Its as if the gospel writers had shared a common story, been used to recounting the whole story multiple times, before committing it to paper :)
Bock treats John's gospel separately because few of its events overlap with the synoptics, and it tends to provide a different perspective.
The strengths of the approach are its ability to construct a story of the life of Jesus, to trace key themes through the gospels and draw them together at the end. Bock's in depth engagement with a broad range of literature is readily reflected throughout the book. It succeeds in its aim of providing a comprehensive portrait according to Scripture, which provides evidence of its own sort for the historical Jesus.
The weaknesses are evident in a few places. Firstly, Bock's engagement with the gospel of Luke demonstrates greater profundity than his engagement with other gospels. That is not to say that the others are weak, its just that he's obviously a leader in his field in the gospel of Luke. But this provides a slight imbalance in the portrait. Secondly, separating out the gospel of John creates a few interpretation errors caused by inconsistent chronology (the very thing Bock denies can be provided in a reconstruction). For example, he says that Jesus' rejection at Nazareth, recorded in Luke's gospel, could not have happened when Luke recorded it because it refers to miracles done in Capernaum which Luke hasn't recorded yet. I think this is evidence of Luke revealing that he knows more than he is telling us (see Ekhard Schnabel's "Early Christian Mission" 22-30), and that the chronological gap can be filled (at least in part) by John's gospel - a position that Bock himself affirms as a real possibility later on. Finally, in treating the theological and thematic elements of all four gospels in 650 pages inevitably means that individual passages sometimes feel like brief summaries of commentaries or, perhaps, an introductory survey of the gospels. I think I was hoping for something a little more profound in places.
Overall, though, this book provides a very helpful support to the portrait of the historical Jesus provided by Scripture and informed by much historical-cultural information. It is worth the read.
March 25, 2016
Looking forward to reading Bock's serious scholarship coupled with keeping the integrity, authority and inerrancy of God's Word. Used along with Edmond de Pressensé's Jesus Christ: His Times, Life and Work... and of course the Bible will serve as the main sources for an evangelistic home Bible study on the theme "Who is Jesus?" Most of my neighbours have little personal knowledge of whom Jesus of the Bible is.
August 22, 2017
In an age where the Quest for the Historical Jesus, eg. the “Real Jesus of History” still rages on, a work demonstrating Jesus according to scripture is needed. Baker Academic has recently released the second edition of their aptly titled, Jesus According to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels, by Darrell L. Block with Benjamin I. Simpson. Both of these authors are highly respected scholars whose research has taken them on the offensive when it comes to restoring the correct image of Christ, as He is portrayed in Holy Scripture.
Seeking the correct understanding of the person-hood of Jesus, has been a debate both in scholarly and in the public domain for many years. Furthermore countless books have been written on the subject, ranging from topics such as Jesus’s ability to perform miracles, to addressing Jesus claim to be the Son of God. Yet this work, Jesus According to Scripture, makes sure that the debate stays within the confines of Holy Scripture, while still engaging new critical arguments posed about the person-hood of Jesus and who he claimed to be.
To begin their argument the authors examine the Quest for the Historical Jesus by looking at various “Form Critics” to see where the modern Quest has taken us. From this point the author’s take their readers on a journey through 294 accounts in the life of Jesus, showing how they are presented in the synoptic gospels while rebutting the critical arguments against each account. After this section of the book, a second yet just as thorough study on critical theory takes place. The authors examine the personhood of Jesus and how he is portrayed in the Gospel of John. This study is the same as the study in the synoptic gospels yet focusing on accounts that are specific to the Gospel of John.
This work is powerful, well-researched, and expertly worded. Due to the high academic nature of this book, it is best used by scholarly pastors, scholars and seminary students. Yet it may be of some use to laymen who have a high academic degree. Block and Simpson are names you can trust to proclaim the true Jesus as portrayed from the pages of Holy Scripture as well as to draw Orthodox conclusions from it. I highly recommend this text.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Baker Academic Publishing in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
Jesus According to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels, Second Edition
© 2017 by Darrell L. Block with Benjamin I. Simpson
Publisher: Baker Academic
Page Count: 768 Pages
ISBN: 978-0801098086
Seeking the correct understanding of the person-hood of Jesus, has been a debate both in scholarly and in the public domain for many years. Furthermore countless books have been written on the subject, ranging from topics such as Jesus’s ability to perform miracles, to addressing Jesus claim to be the Son of God. Yet this work, Jesus According to Scripture, makes sure that the debate stays within the confines of Holy Scripture, while still engaging new critical arguments posed about the person-hood of Jesus and who he claimed to be.
To begin their argument the authors examine the Quest for the Historical Jesus by looking at various “Form Critics” to see where the modern Quest has taken us. From this point the author’s take their readers on a journey through 294 accounts in the life of Jesus, showing how they are presented in the synoptic gospels while rebutting the critical arguments against each account. After this section of the book, a second yet just as thorough study on critical theory takes place. The authors examine the personhood of Jesus and how he is portrayed in the Gospel of John. This study is the same as the study in the synoptic gospels yet focusing on accounts that are specific to the Gospel of John.
This work is powerful, well-researched, and expertly worded. Due to the high academic nature of this book, it is best used by scholarly pastors, scholars and seminary students. Yet it may be of some use to laymen who have a high academic degree. Block and Simpson are names you can trust to proclaim the true Jesus as portrayed from the pages of Holy Scripture as well as to draw Orthodox conclusions from it. I highly recommend this text.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Baker Academic Publishing in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
Jesus According to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels, Second Edition
© 2017 by Darrell L. Block with Benjamin I. Simpson
Publisher: Baker Academic
Page Count: 768 Pages
ISBN: 978-0801098086
December 18, 2015
Textbook for a class I taught. Big improvement over my previous text. Liked the fluid nature of how Bock wrote in the research from other sources. Also appreciated the fact that he added his own opinion where he held one.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews