Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus of Nazareth continues to fascinate. From antiquity onwards countless people have found meaning for their lives through Jesus' teaching. His life led to the establishment of a community that subsequently grew into what is today the world's largest religion. At the center of the Christian faith stands the confession that this Jesus is both "true human being and true God." In Jesus of Nazareth , noted German New Testament scholar Jens Schröter directly addresses the connection between Jesus' humanity and divinityâhow the historical Jesus can also be the Christ of confession. Schröter begins by looking at the modern quest for the "historical Jesus" from its beginnings down to the present. In the process Schröter isolates key questions of historical methodâhow can we reconstruct the past? What is the relationship between these reconstructions and past reality itself? Schröter then examines the words and deeds of Jesus, including his death and resurrection, in their Galilean and Greco-Roman contexts. Schröter finally measures the impact that Jesus has had in literature, film, music, and the fine arts. Jesus of Nazareth thus narrates the remarkable story of how a Jew from Galilee became the savior of the world, how Jesus can be said to be both God and human, and how this Jesus continues to exert influence.

"Jens Schroter is one of the most important and innovative Jesus scholars in the world. This translation thankfully makes one of his most insightful and accessible studies of Jesus available in English. Building from detailed knowledge of the literary and archaeological remains of Jesus' first-century contexts and a sophisticated understanding of the work of the historian, Jesus of Nazareth weaves a narrative that begins with the historical Jesus and his renewal movement for all Israel and ends with modern artistic depictions of Jesus. Students, lay readers, and scholars will all benefit greatly from this important work." -- Chris Keith, Professor of New Testament & Early Christianity, St Mary's University, Twickenham, "The three scholarly movements that we call the quests for the historical Jesus have all distinguished between the Jesus of history and the Jesus of faith by emphasizing the discontinuities between the two. Jens Schroter challenges this basic divide by pointing to continuities, not by a naive understanding of historical criticism but by exploring how interpretations of the significance of Jesus arose in continuity with the historical Jesus. This is the most important statement in contemporary scholarship between the Jesus who was and the Jesus who is ." --Gregory E. Sterling, Reverend Henry L. Slack Dean and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament, Yale Divinity School, "Jens Schroter has written an excellent book about the historical Jesus. It not only avoids a radical skepticism and uncontrolled confidence in the historical reliability of the sources, but also makes clear why both positions can be derived from our sources. It is sensitive for our modern tastes and prejudices, but rejects the idea that historians shape their image of the historical Jesus merely by their own values. Although historical Jesus research depends on our changing knowledge of the historical context of Jesus and on our modern mentality, Schroter defends both the legitimacy of a theological access to Jesus and of historical Jesus research. Jesus of Nazareth is a very balanced book." --Professor Gerd Theissen, Heidelberg, As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, Jesus of Nazareth: Jew from Galilee, Savior of the World is highly recommended for community and academic library collections, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in a scholarly approach to the life and legacy of Jesus regardless of their denominational affiliation. -- Paul T. Vogel -- Midwest Book Review, ...This insightful, informative, well-written book carries forward the quest for the historical Jesus. it is suitablefor clergy, educated lay people, and New Testament scholars. Everyone interested in what can be known historically about Jesus should read it. -- Don Schweitzer -- Touchstone

Jens Schröter is Professor for Exegesis and Theology of the New Testament and New Testament Apocrypha at the Faculty of Theology at the Humboldt-University in Berlin. Wayne Coppins is Associate Professor of Religion at the University of Georgia. S. Brian Pounds is Adjunct Instructor of Religion at the University of Georgia.