Jesus Christ - Hardcover

Porter, J. R Professor

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 190013117X ISBN 13: 9781900131179

Publisher: Duncan Baird Publishers, 1999

Synopsis

Concentrates on Jesus' life, his social and political context, his teachings and the various perceptions of Jesus by his contemporaries and by subsequent generations right up to the present day. The book looks at the biblical and other evidence to disentangle many of the mysteries and confusions surrounding the life of the historical Jesus.

About this title

Review

At first sight this book might easily be dismissed as no more than a coffee-table book: A4 in size, with hundreds of beautiful colour photographs and most subjects taking up a single spread. But it is much more than that. JR Porter is Professor Emeritus of Theology at Exeter University and his text is both authoritative and very readable, written for the general reader rather than the specialist. The sub-title of the book indicates that this is not a simple pastoral work for believing Christians: "The Jesus of History, the Christ of Faith". Throughout the book Porter makes it clear that the two are not the same. First, he is careful to place the historical Jesus firmly in his setting, describing the geographical, political, religious and socio- economic background of 1st-century Palestine. Only then does he go through the life and teachings of Jesus as described in the Gospels, showing through basic scholarly analysis that a simplistic acceptance of their accuracy and supposedly inspired nature cannot really be countenanced. And yet his approach, while not reverential, is certainly sympathetic to the Christian faith. This book should not offend any but the most fundamentalist Evangelicals and should be of great value to Christians of all persuasions. --David V. Barrett

About the Author

The late J. R. Porter was Professor Emeritus of Theology at the University of Exeter and a former Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. He served for twenty years as a member of the General Synod of the Church of England. His many books included The Illustrated Guide to the Bible and Jesus Christ.

Edition details

• Publisher: Duncan Baird Publishers
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 190013117X
• ISBN 13: 9781900131179
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Gower Neil
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240