Who Is Jesus?: History in Perfect Tense (Personalities of the New Testament Series)

Rating:
Summary: One of the best studies on Jesus in many years.
Review: Leander Keck's new book,"Who is Jesus?", is a very good study of the Theological and Historical meaning of Jesus Christ. The chapter called The "Fractured Prism", is one of the best combinations of Historical study and Theological reflection, on Jesus that I have ever read, and I have read a lot of these kinds of books. Keck shows how unique the Christian view of God as seen through Jesus of Nazareth actually is. The Christian God is not one that the natural proclivities of the Human imagination is likely to conjure up. He's/she's much too demanding and Holy to be a Human construct. Another interesting point Keck makes is how Jesus probably felt towards the Gentiles(which is everyone who was/is not Jewish) Jesus had a sort of indifference to Gentiles. His mission was to the lost sheep of Isreal, and thus to the gentile via the Jew. In Christian belief it was the Resurrection of Jesus by the Jewish God, that changed things as far as the Gentiles were/are concerned. The great commission and the missionary work of the early christians, especially Paul, are post Resurrection directives of Christian Faith. Christians must not forget that their faith is a Very Jewish one. The scandal of particularity,started with the Jewish claim of being the chosen people of God, to live out before the World, how the worlds Creator wants the world to live. Keck has caused me to do a lot of thinking, which is good. He would no doubt disagree with most of my thinking, but then again maybe not. Buy this book and study it, you will be doing yourself a favor.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best studies on Jesus in many years.
Review: Leander Keck's new book,"Who is Jesus?", is a very good study of the Theological and Historical meaning of Jesus Christ. The chapter called The "Fractured Prism", is one of the best combinations of Historical study and Theological reflection, on Jesus that I have ever read, and I have read a lot of these kinds of books. Keck shows how unique the Christian view of God as seen through Jesus of Nazareth actually is. The Christian God is not one that the natural proclivities of the Human imagination is likely to conjure up. He's/she's much too demanding and Holy to be a Human construct. Another interesting point Keck makes is how Jesus probably felt towards the Gentiles(which is everyone who was/is not Jewish) Jesus had a sort of indifference to Gentiles. His mission was to the lost sheep of Isreal, and thus to the gentile via the Jew. In Christian belief it was the Resurrection of Jesus by the Jewish God, that changed things as far as the Gentiles were/are concerned. The great commission and the missionary work of the early christians, especially Paul, are post Resurrection directives of Christian Faith. Christians must not forget that their faith is a Very Jewish one. The scandal of particularity,started with the Jewish claim of being the chosen people of God, to live out before the World, how the worlds Creator wants the world to live. Keck has caused me to do a lot of thinking, which is good. He would no doubt disagree with most of my thinking, but then again maybe not. Buy this book and study it, you will be doing yourself a favor.