Studying the Historical Jesus: A Guide to Sources and Methods

by Darrell L. Bock

Interest in the historical Jesus continues to occupy much of today's discussion of the Bible. The vexing question is how the Jesus presented in the Gospels relates to the Jesus that actually walked this earth.

Studying the Historical Jesus is an introductory guide to how one might go about answering that question by doing historical inquiry into the material found in the Gospels. Darrell Bock introduces the sources of our knowledge about Jesus, both biblical and extra-biblical. He then surveys the history and culture of the world of Jesus. The final chapters introduce some of the methods used to study the Gospels, including historical, redaction, and narrative criticisms.

Bock, a well respected author, provides an informed evangelical alternative to radical projects like the Jesus Seminar. His audience, however, is not limited only to evangelicals. This book, written for college and seminary courses, offers an informed scholarly approach that takes the Gospels seriously as a source of historical information.

Genres: Theology, New Testament, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, History, Religion

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Darrell L. Bock is a New Testament scholar and research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, United States. Bock received his PhD from Scotland's University of Aberdeen.

Reviews

[Emily Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book studying the fact that there is a lot more to studying Jesus then just reading the Bible. One can dive into different modes of historical study by looking at the time, how the book was written, the words that were said and comparing the different Gospel accounts. Easy to understand language and a good read.

[Jason Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an academic arena where liberal scholars tend to emphasize doubt and skepticism and question even the slightest possibility that the Gospels include much if any of the historical Jesus, Darrell Bock's well researched perspective and presentation is well appreciated. He is not afraid to go into depth in discussing where the historical Jesus debate has come from while defending a more orthodox evangelical view.

[Dustin Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read part one of the book and didn’t explore into the second part of the book that talked about study methods.
The part that I read excellently put on a timeline the progression of thoughts in Judaism and the effects it had.

[Tyson Guthrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful introduction to Gospel studies. I would personally put less stock in historical understanding of the texts as an end in itself, but as a means toward a theological reading of the Scriptures, Bock has provided a valuable tool.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very basic, introductory overview of the various methodologies and techniques employed in historical Jesus studies. This book is a great port of entry to further research and study, rather than being a comprehensive introduction.

[Rob Steinbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction

A good introduction to the study of the Historical Jesus. For anyone wishing to enter this room of study and conversation this is a good book to orient you.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent overview and introduction to the study of Textual Criticism.

[Joel Opificius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful and well-researched.

[Wes McElheney]

school stuff.
skimmed a decent amount, but read enough of it to warrant a goodreads entry.

[Scott Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book as a start to looking at Jesus in history from a believer's point of view.

The book starts by looking at the culture, politics, and world that Jesus was born into. This is very useful in understanding why the reaction that Jesus got from both the Roman and Jewish establishment within the Gospels.

It also looks at the extra-biblical sources that speak of Jesus in history...showing that there is much more than is often given credit to.

Finally it shows methods on how to study the historical Jesus. It shows how those that are skeptical and wish to prove the Jesus of the Bible is not the Jesus of history use these methods. The author then uses these same methods to show where they are making a lot of presumptions that are wrong. He shows how believers can use the same methods to show that the Jesus of the Bible and the Jesus of History are the same.

[Brandon Giella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is concise and well organized, which is good for an academic book. Those books are often boring, so it's better to be short. Such was the case here, though I didn't find it all that boring. It was precisely the right length and structure. Overall, it's a great introduction into the historical setting of Jesus.

The book is broken up into two parts: Jesus in his historical context and the methods for studying the gospels. The former goes through the nonbiblical literary evidence for Jesus and places him in the first-century cultural setting. The latter goes through the various critical methods (e.g., historical, source, form, redaction, and so on).

[Andrew Murch · Rating 4 out of 5]

For an academic book, this was a compelling read. I really enjoyed Bock's treatment of this subject. There are a lot of myths surrounding this area of research, and Bock does a great job setting the record straight. He is thorough. He is honest. He is well-researched. He is straight-forward. Bock details the scholarly approaches to this area of study, and analyzes all the biblical and extra-biblical resources surrounding the historical Jesus. He goes through the gospel account, refreshingly giving them the credible scholarly approach they warrant. He also looks at the different schools of research and methodology surrounding all the sources he cites.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read the first half of this book. I would not have chosen to read this on my own, but I did learn some things from it. It was a bit dry and academic for my taste, but it was packed with information on the gospels.

[Danny Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read portions of it for Bock's class at DTS, he's very studious...

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ground clearing from a conservative scholar on the sources, history and method of studying the historical Jesus.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative with a tremendous amount of historical perspective on the different mechanisms employed by Bible scholars and historians. Great starting point to understanding this field of study.