Studying the Historical Jesus: A Guide to Sources and Methods

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, clear scholarship on the historical Jesus
Review: Darell Bock is a brilliant scholar. His comentary on luke from the BECNT series is the probably the best commentary on luke currently available. This book like the other books by Dr Bock is brilliant. It has a depth of scholarship which is remarkable given that it is a introductory book to the subject. The three things This book has goin for it are:
1. Brilliant historical scholarship
2. Clear lines of thought
3. Brilliant bibliography s that you can go on from this book yo more complex discussions of the topics covered.

This book would be best read either be fore college or before reading other books in the Quest for the historical jesus sub category.

Rating:
Summary: Clear presentation on the historicity of Jesus
Review: Darrell Bock does exactly what his book's subtitle promises: "A guide to sources and methods." In the first part, Bock systematically takes a look at the life of Jesus, considering the historical evidence beyond biblical sources; provides a basic chronology to the life of Jesus; and overviews the cultural background of Jesus. The second part provides methods for studying Jesus. This section is a must for students of Christ who have never heard of the different "criticisms" (i.e. source, form, redaction, tradition, etc.). It may sound so "negative," but really these issues need to be understood if one truly hopes to understand the person of Jesus Christ. I especially liked Bock's overview of source criticism and the different possibilities of which gospel came first. It was, I thought, very clear even though the issue is quite complicated.