Interpreting Jesus: Essays on the Gospels

by N. T. Wright

Overview

Draws together the most important articles on Jesus and the gospels by distinguished scholar and author N. T. Wright.

Interpreting Jesus puts into one volume the development of Wright's thought on this subject over the last three decades. It collects the essays—written for a wide variety of publications—that led up to his groundbreaking book Jesus and the Victory of God, and it includes such wide-ranging themes as:

• The Biblical Roots of Trinitarian Theology
• The History, Eschatology, and New Creation in John's Gospel
• The Evangelists' Use of the Old Testament as an Implicit Overarching Narrative
• And The Public Meaning of the Gospels

Interpreting Jesus displays Wright's engaging prose, his courage to go where few have gone, and his joy to bridge the work of the academy and the church.

Here is a rich feast for any serious student of the Bible, especially of the New Testament. Detailed, incisive, and exquisitely nuanced exegesis, this collection will reward you with a clearer, deeper, and more informed appreciation of the recent advances in Jesus studies, and their significance for theology today.

Many of the included studies have never been published or were made available only in hard-to-find larger volumes and journals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310098652
Publisher:	Zondervan Academic
Publication date:	07/14/2020
Series:	Collected Essays of N. T. Wright , #2
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	860 KB

About the Author

N. T. Wright is the former bishop of Durham and senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He is one of the world’s leading New Testament scholars and the award-winning author of many books, including?After You Believe,?Surprised by Hope,?Simply Christian,?Interpreting Paul, and?The New Testament in Its World, as well as the Christian Origins and the Question of God series.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

List of Abbreviations x

1 Towards a Third 'Quest'? Jesus Then and Now 1

2 Jesus, Israel and the Cross 9

3 'Constraints' and the Jesus of History 37

4 Taking the Text with Her Pleasure: A Post-Post-Modernist Response to J. Dominic Crossan, The Historical Jesus 57

5 Jesus 66

6 Five Gospels but No Gospel: Jesus and the Seminar 81

7 Resurrection in Q? 116

8 Introduction to the Second Edition of B. F. Meyer, The Aims of Jesus 128

9 Kingdom Come: The Public Meaning of the Gospels 140

10 Whence and Whither Historical Jesus Studies in the Life of the Church? 150

11 The Evangelists' Use of the Old Testament as an Implicit Overarching Narrative 188

12 John, Jesus and 'The Ruler of This World': Demonic Politics in the Fourth Gospel? 201

13 Pictures, Stories and the Cross: Where Do the Echoes Lead? 221

14 Son of Man - Lord of the Temple? Gospel Echoes of Psalm 8 and the Ongoing Christological Challenge 243

15 Son of God and Christian Origins 261

16 History, Eschatology, and New Creation in the Fourth Gospel: Early Christian Perspectives on God's Action in Jesus, with Special Reference to the Prologue of John 279

17 Son of Man and New Creation: The Biblical Roots of Trinitarian Theology 296

Bibliography 313

Acknowledgments 329

Index of Ancient Sources 331

Index of Modern Authors 342

Editorial Reviews

'A trilogy of N. T. Wright's seminal essays on Scripture and hermeneutics, Jesus and the Gospels, and Paul and his Letters with a number of brand-new contributions thrown in for good measure? Count me in! For roughly three decades now, Wright's voice has been among the most valuable and valued by both the church and the academy. Rightly so! This three-volume collection—which will prove to be a treasure trove for serious students as well as for scholars of Bible, history, and theology—reveals why time and again.'

Todd D. Still

'N. T. Wright's collection of essays on Jesus, Paul, and Scripture are a brilliant trilogy of Wright's miscellaneous works. It is not only convenient to have them all together in one literary deposit, but they deserve reading as Wright waxes eloquently and with wisdom about who is Jesus, why is Paul so controversial, the atonement, the church, and how the Bible is authoritative today. An important part of the Wrightonian corpus for present and future generations or for anyone who wrestles with Jesus, Paul, God, and Scripture.'

Rev. Dr. Michael F. Bird

'Few, if any, modern biblical scholars have written with the depth and breadth of N. T. Wright. These essays, from a wide variety of settings and publications, are full of treasures, old and new—even some modifications of earlier positions. They will delight Wright enthusiasts, challenge his critics, and educate all readers. No biblical scholar, theologian, or theological student should be ignorant of the most recent Wright perspectives on so many aspects of Scripture, Jesus, and Paul.'

Michael J. Gorman

'Just when I wondered what N. T. Wright might write next we get a 3 volume circus of revolving themes and perspectives and worldviews that illustrate why Wright is the most influential biblical scholar in the English-speaking world: Wright is one of the few who shapes conversations in both Gospels studies and Pauline studies. These essays bring to the front Wright's engaging prose, his undeniable courage to go where few have gone, and his joy to bridge the work of the academy and the church. Another treasure trove of studies.'

Rev. Canon Dr. Scot Mc Knight