Friday, September 14, 2012

Call for Books: Jesus and the Gospels

I am preparing to teach a course on "Jesus and the Gospels" next Spring.  It is a course that, in the Illinois Wesleyan Curriculum, focuses on scholarly methods.  I was hoping to take a survey on the best recent books, whether for an undergraduate audience or for my own reading to make sure I am representing the latest research, on the following topics: (1) Methods and the Gospels (whether focusing on "classical" methods such as textual, form, source, etc., or contemporary methods of post-colonial, social scientific, etc.); (2) issues relating to the "historical Jesus"--recent treatments, problems, etc., including the recent spate of works on Jesus mythicism; (3) canon and extra-canonical gospels; (4) works on the perspective of particular gospels, whether canonical or extra-canonical; (5) and anything else I am missing.

What recent works are the best or most representative, in your opinion, in these categories?

If you are a reader, have a suggestion, please send it along either in the comments or to my institutional email address.

1 comment:

Ken B said...

Bruce Fisk, A Hitchhiker's Guide to Jesus, Baker Academic.
Edward Adams, Parallel Lives of Jesus, WJKP.
L.Michael White, Scripting Jesus, HarperOne.
Dale Allison, Jr. The Historical Christ and the Theological Jesus, Eerdmans.
Dale Allison, Jr., Constructing Jesus, Baker Academic. Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, Eerdmans.

Some from recent years that I have read, am reading, or intend to read. Adams, Fisk, and White are more introductory, although White is a bit longer.