The Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide

by Gerd Theißen, Annette Merz

In the continuing quest for the elusive but compelling figure of Jesus of Nazareth, Gerd Theissen and Annette Merz's authoritative yet engaging book is the single most helpful resource to date. Comprehensively detailing the sources for our knowledge of Jesus, Theissen and Merz fully explore the historical and social context of Jesus and his activity. They then unfold what we can know about Jesus' characteristics as a charismatic teacher, a Jewish prophet, a healer, a teller of parables, and an ethical teacher. Finally, they examine closely the historical questions surrounding Jesus' last supper, his violent death, the accounts of Easter, and the beginnings of Christology. Beholden to neither ancient dogma nor contemporary fantasy, written in a clear style with a variety of learning aids, The Historical Jesus will provide students, teachers, and other individuals with a fascinating and reliable guide into this most exciting field of Jesus research.

Genres: Religion, History, Christianity, Nonfiction, Reference

672 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Gerd Theißen (or Theissen; born 24 April 1943) is a German Protestant theologian and New Testament scholar. He is Professor of New Testament Theology at the University of Heidelberg.

Reviews

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A monster piece of work this is. A comprehensive guide is something of an under statement. A textbook is what it is. Two authors involved, Gerd Theissen (Prof. of New Testament Studies at Heidelberg Uni) and Annette Merz, published 1996.
After a brief introduction covering the quest for the historical Jesus, the text is divided into four parts; The Sources and their Evaluation; The Framework of the History of Jesus; The Activity and Preaching of Jesus and finally Passion and Easter. Each part is then divided into sections and sub-sections. Diagrams, tables, summaries, study exercises, bibliographies all help the student/reader through some complex topics. Theissen is certainly a thoroughly meticulous and interesting writer in this field.
I recently bought Shimon Gibson's 'The final days of Jesus', published 2009, which professes to reveal 'The surprising location of the trial of Jesus'. Theissen covers this same ground too!
So, certainly not a Goodread, but ein Lehrbuch.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A WIDE AND NONDOGMATIC GUIDE TO “HISTORICAL JESUS” RESEARCH

Authors Gerd Theissen and Annette Merz wrote in the Foreword of this 1996 book, “This comprehensive guide sets out to present the way in which scholars study Jesus---not only the results they arrive at but also the process by which they acquire their knowledge… Scholars do not say, ‘That’s the way it was,’ but, ‘It could have been like that on the basis of the sources.’ So we discuss all the relevant sources… not just the Christian texts which mention Jesus but also the non-Christian ones… on each important theme we have provided a brief survey of research… in the book there are frequent methodological and hermeneutical reflections… Our book sets out to communicate the different degrees of our knowledge of problems as clearly as possible… We have deliberately written a comprehensive guide suitable for study either in small groups or by individuals.” (Pg. vii-viii)

They note, “What is perhaps most irritating is the knowledge that… we know only a small section of the range of traditions about Jesus which existed e.g. in the year 150 CE… the selection that we have today … has been governed … by church-political processes like the canonization of the Synoptic Gospels and John and the deliberate elimination of ‘apocryphal’ Gospels… Only in a few very fortunate instances have the Jesus traditions of Christian groups which were regarded as heretical by the church … been preserved in such completeness that they can be of significant use in the historical reconstruction of the life and preaching of Jesus (above all the Gospel of Thomas).” (Pg. 60)

They acknowledge, “The contemporary non-Christian sources are largely silent about Jesus. Even where we would expect a note about Jesus, we do not find any report about him. Philo of Alexandria… a contemporary of Jesus, reports on Pilate… There is nothing about Jesus. Justus of Tiberius, a contemporary of Flavius Josephus, composed a ‘Chronicle of the Jewish Kings’ and a ‘History of the Jewish War.’ … he does not mention Jesus either…" (Pg. 93)

They point out, “Miracle stories are concentrated in antiquity on a few figures; not every itinerant preached attracted miracle traditions. In the New Testament period we know of Hanina ben Dosa (c. 70 CE), Elizer ben Hyrcanus (c. 90 CE) and the exorcist Eleazar… Finally, mention should be made of Apollonius of Tyana (c. 4-96 CE), of whom nine great miracles are narrated. More miracle traditions are concentrated on Jesus than on any other individual in antiquity.” (Pg. 113)

They acknowledge, “In Luke… the birth of Jesus under Herod (Lk 1:5) is made parallel to the census of Quirinius (2.1 f.) causes some difficulties. According to Luke’s account, the emperor Augustus ordered a first empire-wide census shortly before Jesus’ birth, at the time when Quirinius was governor of Syria. These two pieces of information cannot be harmonized: Nothing is known from non-Christian sources of an empire-wide levy of taxation under Augustus… Quirinius was governor of Syria only from 6 CE onwards. So the information that Jesus was both born under his rule AND under Herod involves a gap of at least ten years!... Quirinius made what was evidently the first Roman census in the course of the incorporation of Judaea into the province of Syria… One can reckon that Luke deliberately and falsely harmonized two chronological details which were not compatible… One can construct hypotheses to make it possible for the information in Luke to be essentially accurate, i.e. by maintaining that there was a Roman census in the Judaea of Herod the Great in which Quirinius played a role…” (Pg. 153-154)

They observe, “All four Gospels agree in saying that Jesus died on a Friday. However, it is disputed whether this Friday was the day of rest of the Passover feast (14 Nisan) as the Gospel of John presupposes… or whether the Friday of Jesus’ death fell on the first day of the Passover feast (15 Nisan), as the Synoptics report… [A. Jaubert] attempted to demonstrate that the apparent contradictions … are to be attributed to the use of different calendars… the differences between John and the Synoptics cannot be reconciled. It is hardly possible to make a decision, but the argument for the Johannine chronology are weightier.” (Pg. 157-159)

They suggest, “the authenticity of the sayings relating to a date is rightly disputed. They promise the advent of the kingdom of God … still in the lifetime of the hearers…. Initially it was said that everything would be fulfilled in this generation (Mk 13:30). Then the coming of the Son of Man was promised before the mission to Israel had ended. Finally. There were still a few of the first generation left [Mk 9:1]… Anyone who attributes the stimulus towards composing such sayings about a date to Jesus himself is thus arguing that the sayings caused perplexity in primitive Christianity, since they had not been fulfilled. They could only have been preserved because they were associated with the authority of Jesus.” (Pg. 255)

Of Luke 17:21, they comment, “The translation and meaning … are disputed. Is it to be understood in a spiritual sense… Or is [it] to be understood spatially, ‘in your midst’? That is the most widespread translation… But as a rule [‘entos’] means ‘within.’ That is shown by the only parallel in the New Testament … in Matt 23:26… In addition to the spiritual and local sense Luke also knows a dynamic interpretation in the sense of ‘the kingdom of God is at your disposal.’ … For the future interpretation, the kingdom of God is suddenly in your midst, is quite improbable. The suddenness of the coming of God is introduced by the following context. The saying remains a riddle.” (Pg. 260-261)

They say of Jesus’ education, “The HOME was an educational institution of decisive significance. Here elementary religious education took place … It must remain open whether Jesus went to an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL to learn to read and write… it is impossible to say whether in the early first century an insignificant village like Nazareth had its own school… However, there is literary evidence of a SYNAGOGUE in Nazareth… As such it possessed at least one Torah scroll, and… most likely a scroll of Isaiah [Lk 4:17], a Psalter and translations (Targums)… A series of indications makes it very probable that Jesus could at least read… We can only guess at how Jesus acquired further knowledge… Perhaps Jesus came to know the form and content of Jewish and Greek education as an itinerant craftsman in the synagogues and squares of the larger cities.” (Pg. 355-356)

They argue, “An intrinsic improbability tells against the identification of the last supper as a Passover meal. The Passover is celebrated annually. Had Jesus celebrated his farewell mean as a Passover meal, it would have led to the origin of an emphatically annual meal. But all Christians celebrated the Lord’s supper… every week… The interpretation in terms of a Passover arises only as a result of the context in which the words of institution stand in the Synoptic Gospels. The external improbability of an identification of the last supper and Passover meal is grounded in chronology: in our view the Johannine chronology has the better arguments on its side.” (PG. 426)

They explain about the basis for the Sanhedrin proceedings, “From Jer 26:1-19 on there is evidence that criticism of the temple was a crime punishable by death… could not the prophecy about the temple about the temple explain a death penalty is it is assessed as false prophecy and leading people astray?... The second point in the accusation given in Mark 14:61 f. is Jesus’ claim to be Messiah. However, apart from the passage there is no indication that a claim to be Messiah was a crime according to Jewish law or even amounted to blasphemy…. According to Mark 14:63 Jesus is condemned for ‘blasphemy.’ Even if Mishnaic law defines blasphemy as pronunciation of the name of Yahweh, in New Testament times the concept had a wider significance: it means… claiming a statue which only God has… While a claim to be Messiah was not intrinsically blasphemous, a claim to divine dignity was.” (Pg. 462-464)

They point out that the closing sentence of Mark’s Gospel is “an irresolvable paradox---for how could the evangelist have known about the events at the tomb except from the women, who allegedly said noting to anyone?” (Pg. 494) They add later, “the empty tomb cannot be either demonstrated or refuted with historical-critical methods. We must reckon with two possibilities. The resurrection faith called forth by Easter appearances led to a search for the tomb of Jesus… The New Testament tradition about the empty tomb then attached itself to this tomb. However, possibly people did know about Jesus’ tomb… The women found this tomb empty on Easter morning. They kept quiet, because they did not want to be accused of grave robbery… By contrast, most historical reconstructions which regard the story of the empty tomb as an unhistorical legend feel compelled to attack both the existence of an empty tomb and the burial of Jesus. For had it been known where Jesus was buried, it is hard to imagine how the Easter message could have been preached in Jerusalem without reference to this tomb.” (Pg. 502)

They conclude, “The quest for the historical Jesus was regarded as a failed undertaking by liberal theology. This book makes an interim stocktaking in a new orientation of theology which has come about in the second half of the twentieth century. It seeks to provide information about who Jesus was. And it also wants to make possible to him an access which is not distorted by authoritarian demands.” (Pg. 563) They add, “Historically and theologically, Jesus belongs in Judaism…Thus today he belongs to two religions… Their common theme is life in dialogue with the one and only God and ethical responsibility for the world and society. A Christianity which … is concerned with both these things can remain true to itself only if it remains true to its Jewish roots, if it perceives its social responsibility, and if it understands the Jesus tradition as a chance to keep beginning the dialogue with God all over again.” (Pg. 572)

This is an excellent summary of historical Jesus research, and will be of great interest to those studying the subject.

[Eloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose this book is intended for a course on the question of the Historical Jesus. It is clear it is not an introduction although includes basic topics are explained.

For me this is a great book because explains quite well historiography: what most relevants authors has written about this topic, who is who and why affirms what affirms: you will be able to understand the state of the art.

Methodology is another strong point of this book because it is very well explained. Theissen makes a big effot in explaining that historical critic research can not be reduced to the blind use of a few criteria and that the low level principles of contextual and effectual plausibility must be taken into account. The problema here, again, is that you can get a bit lost if you are not familiar with the subtleties of these arguments.

A great work is also done in explaining the different sources and its origins, although is not enough to achieve a look in depth (perhaps it is not a fair comparison, because I have in mind Meier's work of four books).

Finally it is very interesting the last chapter that explains how the beginnings of christology began. It is a complex world, in which pagan and jewish ideas merge, but of course, it is very interesting.

I strongly recommend, you don't need to read all, you can select the chapters you are most interested in, more or less they are quiet autonomous.

The book is plenty of exercises which can help you to better understand. Obviously, they are oriented to students, but they can help you to focus on the main ideas.

[Gerald Jerome · Rating 2 out of 5]

I approach this work as a layman on the subject and so some might consider me inadequate for assessing its value, especially if that value is taken into consideration under the lens of "academic value." I notice that the response to this publication is generally positive so I assume there must be something I'm missing. I did have trouble grasping everything being discussed throughout and while I'm sure it's easy to react dismissively that it's my own deficiency in theology and higher-level reading that's to blame, I feel as though I understood enough to know what an overdose of academia looks like.

Perhaps it's the translator's fault for the confusing and seemingly obfuscated discourse this book undertakes. I know the history of Jesus is being discussed. I know there's an attempt to divorce the history of Jesus from the myth of Jesus. I know there are multiple references to theological concerns and a critical analysis of the literature and culture of the time is taken into consideration. That being said, I can't help but feel that there is an easier manner in which to discuss these topics without the heavy-handed usage of terminology and publication references.

Maybe I was irritated by the title "Historical Jesus: A Comprehensive Guide" which led me to believe I would be surveying actual historical evidence as opposed to a telephone book of postulates and theories. Maybe it was even more irritating to have been seduced further in this direction by the synopsis on the back of the book, stating that it was, "Beholden to neither ancient dogma nor contemporary fantasy, written in a clean style..." I would definitely say it falls within the realm of "contemporary fantasy" and while it has a structure of a sort, it is most certainly not "clean."

A more proper title would've been "Theoretical Jesus: A Deconstructional Analysis Which Writes More Than It Says and Weighs Heavily the Realm of Personal Interpretation" What I did learn from this was a wealth of novel lexicon. I got a peek into historical critique and how I've taken for granted what we may think we know about the remote (and perhaps even proximal) past. I've seen how evidence can be in place for multiple interpretations but the author decides one fits his viewpoint better and so he casts aside any contradictory evidence or explains it away (no I'm not speaking from a religious standpoint).

So all that being said, it all came off to me as an exercise in intellectual self-indulgence, where we focus more on theoretical precedent of theologians and "historians" than what we can scrutinize from the evidence itself. Speculation and conjecture should be called out when it arises and should not be integrated into a greater narrative that is mostly fabricated in the imaginations of professors with too much time on their hands and an obsession with expounding for its own sake. Now I have "The Quest for Historical Jesus" to look forward to and from what I've read, my apprehension is that I'm in for 400 pages of much of the same.

[I give it credit for at least being comprehensive in some manner and being organized decently.]

[A YOGAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch löst die Gestalt Jesu mit methodischer Strenge aus den religiösen Überlieferungen heraus und bettet sie konsequent in den sozialen, politischen und religiösen Kontext des antiken Judentums ein.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most challenging book I have ever read, but I can’t deny learning more than I hoped. It will be a primary resource for me for years to come.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das ist ein extrem detailliertes und gehaltvolles Buch, aber wirklich sehr, sehr bereichernd.

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viele Laien kommen im Verlauf Ihrer Glaubensbiographie an den Punkt, an dem sie mehr über den "wahren", den historischen Jesus wissen möchten. Wer war Jesus wirklich? Was können wir über ihn wissen? Und wie verhält sich die spätere Entwicklung der Urgemeinde und die Kirche zu diesem "wahren" historischen Jesus?

Auf diese Fragen liefert das Buch eine ausführliche Antwort. Großer Wert wird auf die Darstellung der Forschungsgeschichte gelegt, sowohl übergreifend wie zu den einzelnen Kernthemen. Den Beginn bildet eine Zusammenfassung der Quellenlage, eine gut lesbare, ausführliche Einführung in diese Thematik. Daran schließen sich die Themenbereiche "Das Umfeld Jesu" sowie "Die Verkündigung Jesu" an, gefolgt vom Themenbereich "Passion und Ostern".

Für mich persönlich hat sich die Durcharbeitung des Werkes als sehr wertvoll erwiesen. Die historisch Interessierte wie auch die Gottsuchende in mir geben dem Werk fünf Sterne. Die Frage nach dem historischen Jesus wird durch dieses Werk so erschöpfend beantwortet, dass Raum für neue Fragen und Entwicklungen entsteht.

Eine theologische Beurteilung des Werkes kann ich nicht vornehmen. An der Seriösität des Versuches der Autoren, ein ausgewogenes Bild zu zeichnen, ohne auf klare Positionierung zu verzichten, kamen mir aber keine Zweifel.

[Henry Sturcke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this book 500 pages long, the text is highly compressed, conveying a great deal of information. This makes reading tough going for the student (the primary audience), even more so for the interested layman. Yet perseverance is rewarded. Basic issues are clearly analysed, there is an overview of the history of research to begin each chapter, and the chapters end with a summary and hermeneutical reflection, supplemented by assignments, which the student can profitably fulfil.
The authors have a clear guiding model for the reconstruction of what can be known about the historical Jesus, namely, that of a wandering charismatic; Theissen has set this out in many earlier publications. Yet alternate views are fairly presented. The book is firmly situated in the so-called Third Quest for the historical Jesus, one that seeks to factor in in a positive way the native culture of Jesus, the faith and practice of Israel. Exegetical approaches are supplemented by a social-historical approach, and the concerns of feminist criticism inform the treatment. The Jesus who emerges is identifiably a part of the history of Jewish religion. Highly recommended, especially for those confronted with currently popular mythicist treatment who might feel that the only alternative is a return to an ahistorical literalism.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good summary of scholarship into the historical Jesus and the various views on the evidence.
At times, it feels like Christian apologetics and often the bending of logic they engage in is frequently embarassing for what is supposed to be a critical look at the evidence

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Know now that this is not a book you will read straight through! It is a reference book, and it will tell you everything you ever need to know about Jesus from a historical perspective.