Review\n'A fascinating tour of our field's past and present. Given the scope of Brown's research, even long-time adepts will learn much.' -- DALE C. ALLISON JR., Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary\n'Brown here reconstitutes his topic away from the classic and still-dominant scholarly template for these quests, both by stressing the importance of Jesus research well before Schweitzer and by extending his purview to chronicle the exciting and far-reaching debates of the later twentieth century.' -- MARKUS BOCKMUEHL, Dean Ireland’s Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture, University of Oxford\n'With characteristic lucidity, learning, and touches of humor, Colin Brown here examines what it means to think critically about Jesus. . . . Brown is a master at putting differing views into conversation with one another, sometimes across time, in his sweeping, socially sensitive account of what investigators have proposed and how scholarship might tool up to face present and future challenges. Evangelical theology in particular is the richer for this precise, creative, well-written account.' -- BRUCE CHILTON, Bard College\n'Not since the grand survey of Albert Schweitzer at the beginning of the twentieth century have we seen--especially in English--such a vast review of academic (and at times popular) literature on the historical Jesus.' -- JOHN P. MEIER, University of Notre Dame\n'Brown (with Craig A. Evans) offers a comprehensive, reliable, and insightful guide to the variety of original quests (beginning with the New Testament), the New Quest, the Third Quest, the Jewish Jesus, and ongoing phases of the movement, highlighting how the social circumstances of the individual participants influenced the discussion.' -- CLARE K. ROTHSCHILD, professor of Scripture studies at Lewis University, professor extraordinary in the Department of Ancient Studies at Stellenbosch University\n'In this comprehensive two-volume study, the late Colin Brown brings together the rich fruits of his lifelong studies on Jesus in Christian theology. . . . A broad framework for the study of Jesus in Christian theology. For future Jesus research, this thorough study is an indispensable tool.' -- JENS SCHRÖTER, Humboldt University\n'Brown and Evans break the boundaries of the 'three-quest scenario' to move in multiple fresh directions. The result is a one-stop resource for historical Jesus research that uncovers historical, exegetical, and theological treasures.' -- ELIZABETH E. SHIVELY, senior lecturer in New Testament, St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews, Scotland\n'. . . A fresh, lucid, and insightful history of life of Jesus research that will be a vital addition to any library where the subject is taught. Moving away from standard models, Brown creates a nuanced schematic history and also points to a new path ahead. Important too are his own erudite contributions to key topics.' -- JOAN E. TAYLOR, professor of Christian origins and Second Temple Judaism, King’s College London\n'[A] remarkable achievement that makes for a significant contribution to the field of historical Jesus research. Colin Brown provides an in-depth, detailed, and learned analysis of the study of the historical Jesus, taking the changing cultural context into regard as he skillfully guides the readers through the centuries. This is an important book that fills a definite gap in scholarship.' -- CECILIA WASSÉN, Uppsala University\nA comprehensive, two-volume reassessment of the quests for the historical Jesus that details their origins and underlying presuppositions as well as their ongoing influence on today's biblical and theological scholarship. 
Jesus' life and teaching is important to every question we ask about what we believe and why we believe it. And yet there has never been common agreement about his identity, intentions, or teachings—even among first-century historians and scholars. Throughout history, di

A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus, Volume 1: From the Beginnings of Christianity to the End of World War II (1)

Evans, Craig A.

Brown, Colin

Religion & Spirituality

Zondervan Academic

Understand the Quests Origins and Ongoing Influence on Today's Biblical Studies and Theology 
Jesus of Nazareth ranks among the most important figures in history. Yet, in contemporary scholarship, there is no common agreement about his identity. It is generally accepted that there were three quests for the historical Jesus. The first was characterized by Albert Schweitzer and came to be called the "Old Quest," while the second was conceived of as the "New Quest" of the 1950s. The interval between the Old and New Quests was facetiously called the "No Quest." This three-quest history in fact came about more due to the ingenuity of publishers than to the scholars engaged in the enterprise. But in the 1970s and 1980s, there emerged yet another quest, which was often informally referred to as the "Third Quest." This quest was largely driven by scholars in search of the historical, social, and religious setting of Jesus and his followers. The Dead Sea Scrolls, archaeological findings, papyri, and other material remains came to play an important part in this newer research. 
A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus is an extensive two-volume reassessment of the situation, beginning with the evolution of orthodoxy and quests before Schweitzer's, through the Nazi attempt to make Jesus an Aryan critic of Judaism, and to today's ongoing questions about criteria, methods, and specific issues. The late Colin Brown brings his scholarly prowess in both theology and biblical studies to bear on the subject of the quests, assessing not only the historical, exegetical, critical nuts and bolts of the debate but also its philosophical and theological underpinnings. Instead of seeking a bedrock of "facts," Brown stresses the role of hermeneutics in formulating questions and seeking answers. Whether we realize it or not, "facts" themselves are shaped by our hermeneutics and belief systems. 
Sophisticated in both its philosophical-theological and historical-exegetical dimensions, this new survey and analysis of the quests for the historical Jesus makes a landmark contribution to this important topic in biblical studies. Colin Brown was almost finished with the manuscript at the time of his passing in 2019. Brought to its final form by Craig A. Evans, this book promises to become the definitive history and assessment of the quests for the historical Jesus. 
Volume One (sold separately) covers the period from the beginnings of Christianity to the end of World War II. 
Volume Two covers the period from the post-War era through contemporary debates.

A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus, Volume 2: From the Post-War Era through Contemporary Debates (2)

A comprehensive, two-volume reassessment of the quests for the historical Jesus that details their origins and underlying presuppositions as well as their ongoing influence on today's biblical and theological scholarship. 
Jesus' life and teaching is important to every question we ask about what we believe and why we believe it. And yet there has never been common agreement about his identity, intentions, or teachings—even among first-century historians and scholars. Throughout history, different religious and philosophical traditions have attempted to claim Jesus and paint him in the cultural narratives of their heritage, creating a labyrinth of conflicting ideas. 
From the evolution of orthodoxy and quests before Albert Schweitzer's famous "Old Quest," to today's ongoing questions about criteria, methods, and sources, A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus not only chronicles the developments but lays the groundwork for the way forward. 
The late Colin Brown brings his scholarly prowess in both theology and biblical studies to bear on the subject, assessing not only the historical and exegetical nuts and bolts of the debate about Jesus of Nazareth but also its philosophical, sociological, and theological underpinnings. Instead of seeking a bedrock of "facts," Brown stresses the role of hermeneutics in formulating questions and seeking answers. 
Colin Brown was almost finished with the manuscript at the time of his passing in 2019. Brought to its final form by Craig A. Evans, this book promises to become the definitive history and assessment of the quests for the historical Jesus. Volume One covers the period from the beginnings of Christianity to the end of World War II. Volume Two covers the period from the post-War era through contemporary debates.

A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus: Two-Volume Set

In his recent book How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher From Galilee historian Bart Ehrman explores a claim that resides at the heart of the Christian faith― that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God. According to Ehrman, though, this is not what the earliest disciples believed, nor what Jesus claimed about himself. 
The first response book to this latest challenge to Christianity from Ehrman, How God Became Jesus features the work of five internationally recognized biblical scholars. While subjecting his claims to critical scrutiny, they offer a better, historically informed account of why the Galilean preacher from Nazareth came to be hailed as “the Lord Jesus Christ.” Namely, they contend, the exalted place of Jesus in belief and worship is clearly evident in the earliest Christian sources, shortly following his death, and was not simply the invention of the church centuries later.

How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus' Divine Nature---A Response to Bart D. Ehrman

Gathercole, Simon

Hill, Charles E.

Bird, Michael F.

Tilling, Chris

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.
Overview of Commentary Organization
<ul>
<li>Introduction—covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology.</li>
<li>Each section of the commentary includes:</li>
<li>Pericope Bibliography—a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope.</li>
<li>Translation—the author’s own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English.</li>
<li>Notes—the author’s notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation.</li>
<li>Form/Structure/Setting—a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here.</li>
<li>Comment—verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research.</li>
<li>Explanation—brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues.<ul><li>General Bibliography—occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliographycontains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.</li></ul>
</li>
</ul>

Mark 8:27-16:20, Volume 34B (34) (Word Biblical Commentary)

Mark (2-Volume Set---34A and 34B) (Word Biblical Commentary)

Guelich, Robert A.

This book offers several points of comparison between Jesus and his approximate contemporaries. It concludes that Jesus is not a Cynic of Stoic philosopher but a charismatic prophet who was recognized as Messiah through whom the Kingdom of God would appear. This publication has also been published in hardback (no longer available).

Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies (Arbeiten Zur Geschichte Des Antiken Judentums Und Des Urchristentums, Bd. 25.)

Brill Academic Pub

The Missing Jesus: Rabbinic Judaism and the New Testament

How can Jesus be said to be “missing”? What is “missing” is not by any means reference to Jesus: what is missing is rather an entire dimension of his identity. The “missing” Jesus is Jesus within Judaism.This publication has also been published in hardback please click here for details.

Christian Books & Bibles

Chilton, Bruce D.

NEUSNER, JACOB

Theology

Matthew (New Cambridge Bible Commentary)

This book is a verse-by-verse analysis of the New Testament Gospel of Matthew. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the gospel, which describes the world of Jesus and his first followers. This commentary explores the historical, social, and religious contexts of Matthew and examines the customs, beliefs, and ideas that inform the text. Unfamiliar to many readers of the New Testament, this background will help readers fully understand the text of Matthew, which focuses on what Jesus taught and why the religious authorities in Jerusalem rejected his message and gave him up to the Roman governor for execution. This book will be an important tool for the clergy, scholars, and other interested readers of Matthew.

Cambridge University Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Evans, Craig A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Evans, Craig A.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Evans, Craig A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus, Volume 1: From the Beginnings of Christianity to the End of World War II (1)

A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus, Volume 2: From the Post-War Era through Contemporary Debates (2)

A History of the Quests for the Historical Jesus: Two-Volume Set

How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus' Divine Nature---A Response to Bart D. Ehrman

Mark 8:27-16:20, Volume 34B (34) (Word Biblical Commentary)

Mark (2-Volume Set---34A and 34B) (Word Biblical Commentary)

Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies (Arbeiten Zur Geschichte Des Antiken Judentums Und Des Urchristentums, Bd. 25.)

The Missing Jesus: Rabbinic Judaism and the New Testament

Matthew (New Cambridge Bible Commentary)

Matthew (New Cambridge Bible Commentary)