Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels

by Joel B. Green (Editor), Scot McKnight (Editor), I Howard Marshall (Editor)

Recipient of a Christianity Today 1993 Critics Choice Award! Third Place Winner of Christianity Today's Book of the Year list award! The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels is unique among reference books on the Bible, the first volume of its kind since James Hastings published his Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels in 1909. In the more than eight decades since Hastings our understanding of Jesus, the Evangelists and their world has grown remarkably. New interpretive methods have illumined the text, the ever-changing profile of modern culture has put new questions to the Gospels, and our understanding of the Judaism of Jesus' day has advanced in ways that could not have been predicted in Hasting's day. But for many readers of the Gospels the new outlook on the Gospels remains hidden within technical journals and academic monographs. The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels bridges the gap between scholars and those pastors, teachers, students and lay people desiring in-depth treatment of select topics in an accessible and summary format. The topics range from cross-sectional themes (such as faith, law, Sabbath) to methods of interpretation (such as form criticism, redaction criticism, and death of Jesus) to each of the four Gospels as a whole. Some articles--such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbinic traditions and revolutionary movements at the time of Jesus--provide significant background information to the Gospels. Others reflect recent and less familiar issues in Jesus and Gospel studies, such as divine man, ancient rhetoric and the chreiai (aphorisms). Contemporary concerns of general interest are discussed in articles covering such topics as healing, the demonic and the historical reliability of the Gospels. And for those entrusted with communicating the message of the Gospels, there is an extensive article on preaching from the Gospels. The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels presents the fruit of evangelical New Testament scholarship at the end of the twentieth century--committed to the authority of Scripture, utilizing the best of critical methods, and maintaining dialog with contemporary scholarship and challenges facing the church.

Genres: Reference, Theology, Christian, Biblical Studies, New Testament, Dictionaries, Nonfiction

959 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Joel B. Green (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of New Testament interpretation and associate dean of the Center for Advanced Theological Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Prior to moving to Fuller, he taught at Asbury Theological Seminary for ten years. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Theological Interpretation and has authored or edited numerous books, including the Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics.

Reviews

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reference work certainly lives up to its name as a “Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship.” It is detailed on a wide range of subjects and topics throughout the gospel accounts. As a graduate textbook, this helped me interact and practice discernment with a lot of views about this wide range of topics. I grew frustrated with the stances of many of the authors, but again, it helped me practice discernment.

[Kingsley Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely marvellous reference for this subject.

[Brian LePort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource.

[Marc Axelrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super awesome

[Tim Norman]

If you are studying the Gospels, the articles in this collection are invaluable. Most of these authors could write a book on the article topic at hand, but here they are limited to 3–10 pages. For a seminary student who is writing a paper on a topic in one of the Gospels, this is the place I would start. Each article outlines the topic and engages in primary sources (NT, OT, intertestamental writings, DSS, contemporary Greco-Roman sources) and the important voices on the topic. A lengthy bibliography concludes each article.

The late Dr. Grant Osborne told me I needed to read the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels back in 2001. Now, I've read the second edition, which is a completely new edition.

[Dan Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the kind of book you sit down and read cover-to-cover but I have been using it over the years when I study Christ and the gospels. It is at a fairly scholarly level but it is accessible to college level students and intelligent lay people. While most of the contributers are basically evangelical, much source criticism and higher criticism assumptions have been adopted in these articles but for the discerning reader, this is still a very valuable tool.

[Julie Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource. I use it quite a bit in my study.

[Seth Channell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great reference work for the gospels. Read many of the articles in this work and found them to be informative and helpful. A comprehensive work.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This is one of the greatest repositories of Jesus and Gospel scholarship ever produced."  While this statement could be challenged by modern scholarship, when Jesus and the Gospels was produced it was the one of the greatest repositories.  Unfortunate for everyone this once proud dictionary had fallen in stature due to a girth of new scholarship.  Thankfully it is now in it's second edition which a plethora of updated scholastic interaction.  Which is why this volume of the IVP Bible Dictionary series, is not only helpful to academia but to pastors in the pulpit.

When I entered seminary, this was one of the first books I checked out of the library, it helped me gain a knowledge, a scholarly treatment of the Gospels, that I could not have even dreamed of before.  It examines the cultural context of the Gospel's in a way that could only be examined by reading hundreds of books.  Thankfully IVP commissioned this volume which not only collects all of this information into one place but it is written in such a way that even a uneducated pastor would be able to read and glean valuable knowledge from. This is one of the greatest volumes in the series, and is the oldest as well.  This volume is not just a book which looks great on a pastor's shelf but one that will be used again and again any time a pastor preaches through any of the Gospels.

This book was provided to me free of charge from IVP Academic in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

[Andrew Bondurant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I own and have used the 1992 edition over for papers over the last few years which has been an excellent resource, so I was skeptical when I was required to purchase the 2nd edition for a class. While I have not read the entire dictionary, I have been very impressed with the 200+ pages worth of articles I have read. The updates that are in the 2013 edition are beneficial as there have been many contributions to the fields of Jesus and Gospel studies since 1992. One of the strengths and challenges of this series is the diversity in contributors. There are scholars from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and traditions, which I have found to be very helpful. The diversity in authors also requires the reader to be aware of this fact while reading and, as with all academic reading, to read critically. The bibliographies for the articles alone make the dictionary with the price for the biblical studies student. I also think this work is a resource pastors should consider as the brief articles provide a glimpse into areas of study that can be daunting, such as historical Jesus studies and discussions surrounding genre.

[Sharon Gilpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have used this book throughout my Masters degree program on Biblical Studies. No serious student of Scripture will want to be without this book. I used this book throughout the New Testament but also I could equate it to the Old Testament Scripture as well. It guides you on themes and major hermeneutical issues in the four Gospels. Note: the contributors within this book is a list of who's who in the evangelical Gospels scholarship. This is my go-to reference book.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a great resource for NT studies, published in 1992 with recent research, voices of many scholars with references to source works, straight-forward language, readable, more than 900 pages, many articles of interest to me. I can see referring to it for many years.

Moving to "read," even though I truly haven't read it all. Again, great resource!

[Tyler Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a helpful resource! IVP Dictionaries are one of the most beneficial tools for background research I have found. Their thorough research into the key terms/ideas/words/places/people is formatted so well making it is easy to use. Their bibliography at the end of each section helps you find more resources if you want to go deeper. Essential for any Bible nerd library.

[Daniel Alvers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read all of this book. However i read a ton of it for New Testament I. Excellent book that I will use many times in my ministry. Good for deep questions about scripture and historical backgrounds. Good discussions.

[David Campton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reference book from an unashamedly evangelical, but thorough-going academic perspective... But anyone who says they have read it all is telling porkies... With the possible exceptions of the authors!

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talbot Course: Exegesis of the Gospels
Excellent Dictionary! Must have! Very easy and quick to use, but thorough!

[Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensational. I've used this for many research projects and lessons.

[Kirk Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative.
Very useful.
Not the most engaging reading; but that's expected.

[Nathan Whitley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great addition to any biblical library.

[George sato · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is helpful in understanding the Bible.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great reference.

[Nathan Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for studying the background of scripture.