The Words and Works of Jesus Christ: A Study of the Life of Christ

by J. Dwight Pentecost, John Danilson

The life of Jesus Christ takes on fresh clarity and meaning in this masterful work by Dwight Pentecost. The words, the miracles, and overarching message of the Messiah come alive in flowing and detailed chronology, set against the cultural, political, and religious setting of his day. The Words and Works of Jesus Christ will give you a new and deeply biblical understanding Above all, you'll acquire a deeper appreciation for the love that guided his path, beginning in a manger in Bethlehem, leading through three and a half years of ministry that ended abruptly at the cross on Golgotha, and blazing forth in eternal triumph at the resurrection. Drawing liberally on the works of others who have written about Christ, such as Alfred Edersheim, J. W. Shepherd, W. Graham Scroggie, and Frederick Faraar; Dr. Pentecost reveals in his own writing a familiarity with the subject that comes from years of teaching. Yet he writes, not as one who knows all there is to know about Christ, but with the restraint of one who knows that Jesus is to be worshiped and adored as the great King, and that no book can do more than begin to tell all the wonders of his being and his love. Journey with him on this study of the life of Christ.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Reference, Christianity, Biblical Studies, New Testament, Christian Non Fiction

640 pages, Hardcover

First published July 19, 1981

About the author

J. Dwight Pentecost is Distinguished Professor of Bible Exposition, Emeritus, at Dallas Theological Seminary where he has served since 1955. He holds a B.A. from Hampden-Sydney College and both the Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary. His nearly twenty books include Design for Discipleship: Discovering God's Blueprint for the Christian Life; Your Adversary, the Devil; and The Divine Comforter: The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.

Reviews

[Emily Boyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels wrong to give more than 3 stars to a book that wasn’t read for pleasure and caused me great stress considering it was for a college class😂 I learned alot and was shocked at how many little things I had never heard before. I will say the book does not use KJV, but I definitely recommend it. 3.8⭐️

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first life of Christ which I have read, so I had no background against which to set Pentecost's book. The narrative was straightforward, but the prose was not in itself compelling (which is not the point of a book like this). The view was Christocentric, but because this was a life (on this earth) of Jesus, the focus was very much on what he did and said, as the second Adam. One thing a book like this does is stand against Docetism, though through content and position rather than polemic or apologetic. "Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ..." 1 John 4.2b. Finally, the book is a good resource for commentary material tied to the events of the life of Christ.

[Alison Pulliam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great, easy to read, chronological commentary on the Gospels. However, the author included many lengthy paragraphs from other sources. It would have been better if more of the work was original.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review is for the Kindle version. Reading this book on Kindle, you lose the major benefit of this book, the ability to read the same event as recorded in different gospels. Get the physical book and skip the Kindle version.

[Michael Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some things I disagree with, but, overall, Pentecost did a very thorough job on this book. I appreciate his scholarship.

[Charles Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best commentaries you’ll ever read. Worth owning to look up individual verses. Worth reading through. It is loaded with nuggets to bolster teaching and preaching

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pentecost's massive tome serves as a harmony of the life of Christ that is certainly a solid resource for the student of the word of God. The writer takes on a strong conservative approach to the passages at hand and offers the reader excellent exegetical, historical, and cultural insights on the text at hand. Pentecost offers a method of harmonizing the Gospels while still appreciating each evangelist's unique perspective. My one contention with this book is that it contains very little truly original material. Far too often the page that the reader surveys contains a majority of block quote. Pentecost engages too often, for this reviewer's preference, in the practice of wholesale quoting from other writers' works rather than summarizing and analyzing in his own words. For this weakness, the work still maintains its value to the reader who seeks to gain a conservative understanding of the history of the life of Jesus Christ.

[Gary Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful commentary on the Gospels and the Life of Jesus Christ. The book acts like a harmony of Gospels, discussing everything in chronological order.

One critique commonly leveled against Pentecost's book is that so much of it is comprised of quotes. I would estimate that half (maybe even less) of the book is original material by Pentecost. However, I don't think this is a very fair charge against the book. On the back cover it says "drawing liberally on the works of others." Therefore, I prefer not to think of it as just a harmony of the gospels, but also a harmony of research done on the Gospels. In my opinion the quotes are the best part of the book. They help point you in the direction of more research for personal study.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is laid out as a harmony of the Gospels, but it is more than that. Pentecost adds commentary to the different sections plus quotes and footnotes from various scholars to the pertinent sections. He deals with harmonization difficulties by sometimes presenting different views and considering their merit. This is a valuable resource for studying the Gospels and the life of Jesus. I highly recommend it for your study library.

[Andy]

0010

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talbot Course: Life of Christ

Very similar in concept to Blomberg's book; thorough, but not as deep as I would like

[Jay Risner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive.

[Jason Poe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish, with the mind of Pentecost, the book dove in deeper on some topics, such as some I the parables. Overall, a good resource.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thorough treatment of the words and works of Jesus, but Pentecost quotes others extensively when a paraphrase would have served his purposes better and shortened the book.

[Nancy Henrichs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading again. Love this book.

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably one of my favorite things to read...

[Tom Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to dig deep verse-by-verse into the Gospels, this is the book for you. Great insights. The format is very academic, so it takes some time to get used to.