In response to the many recent claims to reveal the "real Jesus," Burton H.
Throckmorton, professor emeritus of New Testament at Bangor Theological
Seminary (Maine), discusses the significance of the witness to Jesus Christ
found in the Synoptic Gospels. The first three chapters explore the multiple
testimonies about the identity of the historical Jesus. Here, Throckmorton uses
historical and literary criticism to examine the sources of the Gospel stories,
contending that the half century that elapsed between the death of Jesus and
the first collected stories about his life is crucial to a clear understanding
of the difference between the historical Jesus and the church's creation of the
legend of Jesus. The heart of the book centers on one aspect of the teaching
and preaching of Jesus: the dominion of God. Throckmorton asserts that Jesus
himself was the earthly manifestation of God's dominion and that his followers
had to observe Jesus' actions closely and to hear his teachings clearly in
order to understand the new preaching of God's new kingdom. Far from John
Dominic Crossan's recent portrayal of Jesus as a Mediterranean Jewish cynic or
John P. Meier's portrait of Jesus as a "marginal Jew," Throckmorton paints his
traditionalist portrait of Jesus as apocalyptic prophet in broad strokes, but
it is just one more modern rendering that will have difficulty finding a place
in an already overcrowded gallery. (July)
