A Handbook of the Jewish Roots of the Gospels

Is it even possible to say anything new about Jesus of Nazareth? Disciples and detractors alike have been weighing in for two thousand years. Scholarship in the last fifty years has been greatly enhanced by the recognition of the Jewishness of both the historical Jesus and the life and teachings of the apostle Paul. But the Gospels themselves, the texts that preserve the words and deeds of Jesus, have not been subject to the same level of consideration in this regard. Until now. This book surveys the historical, theological, and practical issues that arise when the Gospels are read as Jewish literature. So yes, there is something new here about Jesus.

The Jewish context of Jesus and his movement is better understood today thanks to archaeology, the ongoing publication of ancient texts, and changes in the way scholars think about Jewish society in late antiquity.

A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Gospels, whose contributors are well known in the field, updates all of the relevant topics relating to Jesus and the Gospels in light of these exciting new developments.

This book is split into five sections:

Extrabiblical Roots

Intertextual Roots

Narrative Roots

Theological Roots

Practical Roots

...and is a companion to A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith (Hendrickson, 2019).

Contributors are both messianic Jewish scholars and well-known evangelicals, including Daniel M. Gurtner, Darrel Bock, Craig A. Evans, Sheila Gyllenberg, Craig L. Blomberg, Eckhard J. Schnabel, Catherine S. Hamilton, David Mishkin, Mark L. Strauss, Michael Brown, and more.

About the Authors

Craig A. Evans (PhD, DHabil) is the John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Baptist University in Texas. He is a frequent contributor to scholarly journals and the author or editor of over eighty books, including Jesus and His Contemporaries.

David Mishkin (PhD) serves on the faculty of Israel College of the Bible in Netanya, Israel. He is the author of The Wisdom of Alfred Edersheim and Jewish Scholarship on the Resurrection of Jesus.