Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee

by Mark Allan Powell

Here is the first comprehensive, balanced account of historical Jesus studies. Beginning with brief discussions of the early days of historical research into the person of Jesus and the methods developed by researchers at the time, Mark Allen Powell offers insightful overviews of some of the most important participants in the contemporary Jesus quests.

Genres: Religion, History, Biblical Studies, Nonfiction, Christianity

238 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kendall Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powell's introduction to historical Jesus is excellent. He is incredibly fair in his presentation of such a diverse group of scholars while bringing in his own analysis in ways that are helpful and assist the reader in making sense of the field.

The biggest strength of this book is how even-handed and descriptive Powell manages to be. He clearly knows the field exceptionally well and is an excellent guide through what can be a confusing mess of scholarship.

Another important strength of this book is Powell's attention to methodology an especially in comparing the methodologies of various scholars. For example, he points out that the Jesus Seminar and John P. Meier have extremely similar methodologies, but come to radically different conclusions because of only slight methodological differences.

The various names can get a bit confusing and overwhelming at times, but I believe that's partially unavoidable in something like this. It's also important to keep in mind that Powell does not and will not present a best method or viewpoint on Historical Jesus studies, but I believe he does give the reader the tools to make some of those decisions for themself.

[Jacob Cronauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powell provides a detailed look at several viewpoints in the historical studies efforts of Jesus Christ. He describes several methods of analyzing the historical person of Jesus, most of which overlap to an extent but all with their own unique differences. At times the chapters can get rather confusing and require re-reading for understanding. However, Powell does a great job of detailing what the viewpoint is, what the complimentary views towards the viewpoint are, and what the critiques of that viewpoint are. Powell throughout maintains systematic neutrality regarding his own views, which are helpful if the reader’s goal is to understand the viewpoints as a whole.

If the reader seeks this book from a standpoint of looking for apologetics work, this book may be less traditional. Powell’s intent is not apologetics, but he does provide an appendix that briefly touches on the role of apologetics in secular historical Jesus studies (spoiler: it’s complicated, and depends on your existing convictions about Jesus). Powell also includes footnotes if one is interested in his other works that are more centered around his own personal convictions and interpretations of some works presented in this book.

[Fred Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I was done with the historical Jesus, but Powell's textbook on the New Testament was so good I just had to read this as well. The problem for me in historical Jesus studies is so much of it seems like just so stories; long on conjecture and short on evidence. Maybe someday I will read Meier's multivolume work on the historical Jesus, but right now there are things that interest me more. One thing I found amusing was that Powell did not mention Richard Carrier at all in his appendix on Jesus mythicism; a remarkable snub. Was this an oversight, or deliberate?

[Mary]

I read most of this book. I bought it from Better World Books and someone had highlighted with a green marker which made it hard for me to read. So I skipped the NT Wrights chapter which was heavily marked up! Much was worth reading even if more detail than I may have wanted. I appreciated the Gaventa book more.

Powell believes in the Jesus of story--which he distinguishes from the Jesus of history or the post-resurrection Jesus.

[John Kight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Allan Powell is Robert and Phyllis Leatherman Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. Powell has a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary and is the Chair of the Historical Jesus division of the Society of Biblical Literature. Powell is the author of numerous books related to New Testament and Historical Jesus studies, including Introduction to the New Testament (Baker Academic, 2008) and the well-received survey, and focus of the present review, Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee, second edition (WJK Books, 2013).

Jesus as a Figure in History has been long praised for its balanced and unbiased approach to the study of the Historical Jesus. Now thoroughly revised and expanded, the second edition of this best-selling textbook brings the conversation up-to-date with the current trends within Historical Jesus scholarship. The book opens with a brief exploration of the conversation up to the present and provides strategic focus on some of the key players, contributions, criteria, and sources that have largely defined the discipline. For those unfamiliar with the issues and individuals surrounding the quest for the Historical Jesus, Powell has provided an excellent entry point into the conversation, and function as a type of prerequisite for the remaining chapters.

The substance of the book is spent unpacking (1) the method and approach used, (2) summary of the results, and (3) criticisms therein of major players in Historical Jesus studies. These players include Robert Funk and the Jesus Seminar, John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, E.P. Sanders, John Meier, and N.T. Wright. However, before these in-depth treatments, Powell provides what he calls “snapshots” of some of the more peripheral players and the images of Jesus that have arose therein, including, Jesus the social prophet (Richard Horsley), Jesus the charismatic Jew (Geza Vermes), Jesus the magician (Morton Smith), Jesus the sage (Ben Witherington III), Jesus the Cynic philosopher (F. Gerald Downing), Jesus the itinerant radical (Gerd Theissen), Jesus the millenarian prophet (Dale Allison), Jesus the mamzer rabbi (Bruce Chilton), and Jesus the purported Messiah (Paula Fredriksen).

The book concludes with summary and cross-referencing of key issues that remain within the scholarly conversation, both agreements and disagreements concerning method and context. Finally, Powell has included additional appendix material not found in the first edition, including, Did Jesus Exist?, Historical Jesus Studies and Christian Apologetics, and Psychological Studies of the Historical Jesus. Each of the appendixes are a welcomed addition to Powell’s overall treatment, especially the attention given to the marginalization of Christian apologists within the conversation, namely Darrel Bock and Craig Keener.

Jesus as a Figure in History is skilled in its investigation and presentation of the Historical Jesus material, and it remains surprisingly unbiased throughout. The reader will find that the content and organization of the volume is well oriented and intentionally curated for all background types and interest levels. In other words, Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee by Mark Allan Powell has provided nearly everything the interested reader would need to enter into or keep current on the developments of the discipline both past and present, and for this reason it comes highly recommended!

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A substantive and selective recapitulation of the work of several key contemporary historians and scholars who have worked to reconstruct what can be known about the historical Jesus. Powell presents key perspectives in the debate about the historical Jesus by first situating current scholarship in the context of its own historical development, the post-Enlightenment approaches to studying the historical Jesus - from Gospel Harmonies to the multiple recent "Quests." After a chapter examining the basic sources all credible historical scholars use, and recognizing the contributions of late 19th and early 20th century schoalrs that have influenced the current generation of historians, Powell offers 6 well organized chapters on the work of the Jesus Seminar, John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, E.P. Sanders, and N.T Wright that focus on methodological approaches, the basic outlines of each author's portrait of Jesus, and significant critiques. He closes with a good summary chapter of contemporary issues that emerge from the literature.



Although Powell himself is able to be seen in the book in the selections he has made and the way he presents the work of each author, overall the book is transparent and he allows each author his due. (Yes "his" due. Aside from a few mentions of feminist scholarship and a few female historians in the field, a big lack in this book is a more detailed analysis of either of these major contributing areas). Also, perhaps Powell is too transparent. His notion of "Jesus of story" is raised in the introduction and the conclusion of the last chapter, but, especially in the latter case, in a way that might allow a more hard-nosed historian to dismiss it as overly sentimental. An effort to put forward his perspective in a more substantive way would have added much.



As it stands, though, this a great introductory text to th study of the historical Jesus, and perhaps as a springboard to Christology. As a non-historian and theologian, I can say that it helps significantly with the latter task by reminding us to make sure that our truth claims as a Christian Church stand in proper relationship to the historical aspects of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

So not everyone is going to like this book, but I really loved it. It will not answer any of your questions about Jesus as a figure in history, but that is not its professed intent - rather, Powell seeks to give an introduction to the world of historical scholarship surrounding the figure of Jesus. In this sense, it is incredibly useful in providing an overview of key figures and moments in this study, the methodologies that these individuals represent, and how they have been critiqued. Very valuable for those just embarking on the journey of New Testament scholarship.

[Maryellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading and reviewing "Zealot" prior to publication via a free copy form NetGalley.com, I opted for the same opportunity with this book. While not at all disappointed with this updated edition of a previously published work, this book is is a far more scholarly work and better suited for those well versed in the field. It is well research and documented, but not an easy read, but dense with facts and references to both the bible, other historians and sources. While I recommend this book, it's one for study and not for "light" reading, the theology novice or learner.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides an excellent introduction to the subject of historical Jesus research. This book is a thorough survey of scholars, theories, methodologies, and determinations in the field of historical Jesus study. The book’s subtitle, “How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee,” defines its purpose – to afford the reader a general understanding of the field itself, a specific understanding of the most influential scholars in this field, and knowledge of where their arguments stand today.

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book for my New Testament class in college. The author did a great job in explaining the different views of the historical Jesus that are in the world today. However, I did not agree with most of the book. I believe that the Jesus of the Bible is the true Jesus. Most of the book does not follow this view.

[Thomas Irby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am new to the discussion of Historical Jesus research. By examining different scholars, this book gives a good overview of the different schools of thought and ways of approaching the conversation. However, I think that this book could probably use a newer edition. This first edition was published in 1998.

[Annabelle]

This book is dense, but it's got some very helpful information for anyone who is studying or in search of the historical Jesus. There are so many scholars, however, they all seem to end up blurring together!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the author did not present in a detailed manner the contributions of prominent German scholars to the subject, this book is a good scholarly review on the quest of the historical Jesus.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review forthcoming. For now I'll just say that this is an ideal introduction to the field of historical Jesus research for the thinking Christian.