Books like Jesus by Richard Bauckham

Philip Yancey examines the historical Jesus of the Gospels, revealing a multifaceted figure whose life, teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection challenge and inspire contemporary believers.

A scholarly exploration of how Jesus, a young Jewish rabbi, came to be the central figure of Christianity, contrasting the Matthew and Paul perspectives and examining the roots of Christian doctrine and its relation to Judaism.

"In The Changing Faces of Jesus world renowned scholar Geza Vermes explores the New Testament writings about Jesus that have subsequently defined two millennia of Christian belief, worship and speculation. With unique authority and insight, Vermes treats these early accounts as an authentic part of the first-century Jewish world, and so transforms our understanding of Jesus."--BOOK JACKET.

Here is the first comprehensive, balanced account of historical Jesus studies. Beginning with brief discussions of the early days of historical research into the person of Jesus and the methods developed by researchers at the time, Mark Allan Powell offers insightful overviews of some of the most important participants in the contemporary Jesus quests: Robert Funk, John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, E.P. Sanders, John Meier, and N.T. Wright, among others. Powell concludes by outlining issues and directions for research that will likely guide these quests into the next century.

In June 2000, five internationally renowned biblical scholars and one equally well known systematic theologian traveled to Israel with 60 non-academic pilgrims to share their insights on the Jesus of history and the meaning of the "historians' Jesus" for Christian faith. The result is a book that provides a succinct summary of what is currently known about Jesus and his times-his setting in Galilee, his relationship to the Qumran community, his sense of mission as an eschatological prophet and miracle worker, and, finally, the mechanics of how the memories of Jesus's words and deeds circulated among his followers and were passed on in oral performance to be enshrined eventually in the written Synoptic tradition. The book concludes with reflections by Elizabeth Johnson on the relevance of such scholarship for contemporary Christian faith. Rather than a challenge to faith, she sees it as a gift