Who is Jesus?: Disputed Questions and Answers

New
Paperback
2012
$20.73

New Testament scholars have long debated the historical identity of Jesus and the development of Christology within the church's history. In Who Is Jesus? Carl Braaten reviews the various historical Jesus quests, arguing that it is time for the current ( third ) quest to admit failure. Against the implication that the real Jesus has been lost and needs to be found, Braaten maintains that the only real Jesus is the One presented in the canonical Gospels and that any other Jesus is irrelevant to Christian faith. He draws on a wealth of historical resources to address such contentious questions as these: What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Is Jesus unique -- the one and only way of salvation? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Was Jesus the founder of the Christian church? What does Jesus have to do with politics?

Synopsis

New Testament scholars have long debated the historical identity of Jesus and the development of Christology within the church's history. In Who Is Jesus? Carl Braaten reviews the various historical Jesus quests, arguing that it is time for the current ( third ) quest to admit failure. Against the implication that the real Jesus has been lost and needs to be found, Braaten maintains that the only real Jesus is the One presented in the canonical Gospels and that any other Jesus is irrelevant to Christian faith. He draws on a wealth of historical resources to address such contentious questions as these: What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Is Jesus unique -- the one and only way of salvation? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Was Jesus the founder of the Christian church? What does Jesus have to do with politics?

$20.73

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10 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 155
Publisher: William B Eerdmans Publishing Co
Published: 28 Feb 2012
ISBN 10: 0802866689
ISBN 13: 9780802866684

Media Reviews

J. Daryl Charles
-- Bryan Institute for Critical Thought & Practice
Few are more highly qualified than Carl Braaten to offer commentary -- and enduring perspectives -- on the so-called 'quest for the historical Jesus.' As Braaten argues, the sundry 'makeovers' of Jesus constitute our own attempts to fashion -- and reduce -- Jesus to our own image rather than to remain in continuity with Scripture and with the historic Christian tradition. Braaten's conclusion is emphatic: Jesus Christ can never be the end-product of a scholarly 'quest'; rather, the necessary eyewitness accounts have already been entrusted to Christ's church through divine revelation. Whether or not we have the fortitude to embrace that witness is another matter.
J. Daryl Charles
-- Bryan Institute for Critical Thought & Practice
Few are more highly qualified than Carl Braaten to offer commentary -- and enduring perspectives -- on the so-called 'quest for the historical Jesus.' As Braaten argues, the sundry 'makeovers' of Jesus constitute our own attempts to fashion -- and reduce -- Jesus to our own image rather than to remain in continuity with Scripture and with the historic Christian tradition. Braaten's conclusion is emphatic: Jesus Christ can never be the end-product of a scholarly 'quest'; rather, the necessary eyewitness accounts have already been entrusted to Christ's church through divine revelation. Whether or not we have the fortitude to embrace that witness is another matter.
Lutheran Quarterly
This is a timely book, accessible to both clergy and laity, and a strong restatement of Christological orthodoxy in view of its most recent critics.
Reviews in Religion and Theology
This book is an excellent read. . . . It presents a clear picture of the logic of orthodox Church teachings from one of the Lutheran Church s leading theologians. At the conclusion of each chapter, a list of questions for discussion is offered. This makes the book a practical and excellent resource for church study groups.
Living Church
In this tidy volume, designed for adult education in local parishes, Braaten presents a user-friendly introduction to the theology of the person and work of Jesus in light of the challenges presented by the popular work of new questers for the historical Jesus. . . . An excellent resource for people and pastors.
Touchstone
Not only an elegant little primer on Christology, but also a current review of the field by a senior scholar, concerned to transmit historical orthodoxy.