The Synoptic Gospels

“New Testament scholars often talk about “oral tradition” as a means by which material about Jesus reached the writers of the Gospels; but despite the recent flowering of interest in oral tradition, the study of memory, and the role of eye-witnesses, the latest scholarly advances have yet to fully penetrate the mainstream of academic Gospels scholarship, let alone the wider public. There is no convenient book-length treatment that can be used by students, or indeed by anyone else wishing to be informed about this crucial topic. Behind the Gospels fills this gap, both by offering a general theoretical discussion of the nature of oral tradition and the formation of ancient texts, and by providing a critical survey of the field, from classical form-criticism down to the present day.” – Fortress Press

Does the resolute defense of their beliefs prove that the Christian proto-communities’ earliest documents about Jesus’ life did not have the discrepancies, contradictions, and conflicts which exegetes argue existed in the four Gospels? Their presence has divided the Gospels into the Synoptics and John, declared by most contemporary exegetes to be originally Greek in their composition. Geis claims that the various differences in Synoptic accounts can be explained by the evidence that reveals they were originally, whole or in part, Hebrew documents that were later translated into Greek. The texts lexically provide a basis for this Hebrew undercurrent. Exegesis and the Synoptics also maintains, against current exegesis, that Matthew’s role as a tax collector and a record keeper makes the claim that he kept a contemporaneous written account of the Lord quite credible.” – University Press of America

“‘Jesus and the Eyewitness’ argues that the four Gospels are closely based on the eyewitness testimony of those who knew Jesus. The author challenges the assumption that the accounts of Jesus circulated as ‘anonymous community traditions’, asserting instead that they were transmitted in the name of the original eyewitnesses. To drive home this controversial point, Bauckham draws on internal literary evidence, the use of personal names in first-century Jewish Palestine, and recent developments in the understanding of oral tradition. Jesus and the Eyewitnesses also taps into the rich resources of modern study of memory, especially in cognitive psychology, refuting the conclusions of the form critics and calling New Testament scholarship to make a clean break with this long-dominant tradition. Finally, Bauckham challenges readers to end the classic division between the ‘historical Jesus’ and the’Christ of faith’, proposing instead the ‘Jesus of testimony’ as presented by the Gospels.” – Eerdmans

“In this highly readable introduction to the Gospels, Edward Adams demonstrates how the four canonical Gospels function separately—as unique accounts of Jesus’ life—and as narrative renditions of a shared story: the Fourfold Gospel. Building on the premise that the Gospels are ancient biographies or “lives of Jesus,” Adams examines parallel Gospel passages, highlighting the similarities and differences between them. He begins by approaching the four Gospels generally, then looks at each of them individually, and finally considers six key Gospel passages to further explore the unity and plurality of the Gospels in a more focused way. Adams’s lucid prose helps to make this text ideal for beginning students of the Gospels.” – Westminster John Knox Press

“This revised and expanded introductory text introduces students of the Bible to the layers of meaning that can be uncovered by serious study of the synoptic gospel texts. Included are two new chapters introducing ideological exegetical approaches to the gospels and a concluding chapter that helps the student synthesize the exegetical discoveries they have made using the methods taught in the book.” – Chalice Press

“The four gospels are a central part of the Christian canon of scripture. In the faith of Christians, this canon constitutes a life-giving witness to who God is and what it means to be truly human. This volume treats the gospels not just as historical sources, but also as crucial testimony to the life of God made known in Jesus Christ. This approach helps to overcome the sometimes damaging split between critical gospel study and questions of theology, ethics and the life of faith. The essays are by acknowledged experts in a range of theological disciplines. The first section considers what are appropriate ways of reading the gospels given the kinds of texts they are. The second, central section covers the contents of the gospels. The third section looks at the impact of the gospels in church and society across history and up to the present day.” – Cambridge University Press

“The followers of Jesus are to be different,” writes John Stott, “different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture.” In the Sermon on the Mount, the “nearest thing to a manifesto” that Jesus ever uttered, we find Jesus’ own description of what he wanted his followers to be and do. In this Bible Speaks Today volume, Stott guides readers through Jesus’ well-known but often poorly understood teachings in Matthew 5 through 7. He identifies key themes in the Sermon that demonstrate its ongoing relevance to believers: a Christian’s character, influence, righteousness, piety, ambition, relationships, and commitment. Leading us to listen carefully to the meaning of each verse in its context, Stott also confronts the challenges this text raises for today’s Christians and draws out practical applications. A seven-session study guide at the end of the book will help you more deeply ponder the message of the Sermon on the Mount and how it speaks to your life. If the church truly lived by the standards and values Jesus set forth in this passage, Stott declares, it would be the authentic alternative society that he always intended it to be–showing a dark world what human life looks like under the gracious rule of God.” – InterVarsity Press