Life of Jesus: Who He Is and Why He Matters

by John Dickson

Overview

What really happened back in the first century, in Jerusalem and around the Sea of Galilee, that changed the shape of world history? Who is this figure that emerges from history to have a profound impact on culture, ethics, politics, and philosophy? Join historian John Dickson on this journey through the life of Jesus. This book, which features a self-contained discussion guide for use with Life of Jesus DVD, will help you and your friends dig deeper into what is known about Jesus’ life and why it matters. “John Dickson has done a marvelous job of presenting the story of Jesus, and the full meaning of that story, in a way that is both deeply faithful to the biblical sources and refreshingly relevant to tomorrow's world and church. I strongly recommend this study to anyone who wants to re-examine the deep historical roots of Christian faith and to find them as life-giving as they ever were.”—Tom Wright

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310889779
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	09/07/2010
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John Dickson (PhD, Macquarie University) serves as the Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of Biblical Evangelism and Distinguished Scholar in Public Christianity at Wheaton College. A speaker, historian, and media presenter, John is the author of more than 20 books, two of which became television documentaries. He also cohosted the documentary For the Love of God: How the Church is Better and Worse Than you Ever Imagined. He is an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Sydney, a Visiting Academic in the Faculty of Classics at Oxford University (2016-2021), and Distinguished Fellow in Public Christianity at Ridley College Melbourne. John presents Australia’s no.1 religion podcast, Undeceptions, exploring aspects of life, faith, history, culture, or ethics that are either much misunderstood or mostly forgotten.

Table of Contents

The Way We Believe (or What I Learnt from Aristotle) 11

Part 1 God's Signpost

Jesus As a Tangible Sign of God's Interest In Our World

1 The God-Question 17

2 The Obvious Next Question 24

3 Evidence for Jesus 32

4 Gospel Truth 40

Part 2 Christos

The Identity of Jesus and His Critique of "Religion"

5 More Than a Surname 51

6 Between Galilee and Tibet 58

7 The First Temptation of Christ 64

Part 3 Kingdom Come

Jesus' Vision of The Future and Its Relevance Now

8 A Teacher among Teachers 73

9 Signs and Wonders 81

10 Why Doesn't God Do Something about the Mess in the World? 92

Part 4 Judge and Friend

Jesus' Thoughts On "Religious Hypocrites" And "Rotten Sinners"

11 Hell-fire and Brimstone 101

12 Friend of Sinners 107

13 Jesus on Sin, God and Religion 112

Part 5 Cross Examination

Jesus' Death As the Source of Life

14 A Brief History of Crucifixion 129

15 The Reasons for Jesus' Death 134

16 Jesus' View of His Death 141

Part 6 The Resurrection

How Could It Happen? What Does It Matter?

17 A Serious Question 155

18 What Jesus Expected 164

19 Moving Forward 170

Discussion Guide For The Six-Session Video Curriculum

Introduction 175

Session 1 God's Signpost 178

Session 2 Christos 180

Session 3 Kingdom Come 183

Session 4 Judge and Friend 186

Session 5 Cross Examination 190

Session 6 The Resurrection 193

Life of Jesus Feedback Page 195

Leader's Helps 197

Notes 198

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

'John Dickson has done a marvelous job of presenting the story of Jesus, and the full meaning of that story, in a way that is both deeply faithful to the biblical sources and refreshingly relevant to tomorrow's world and church. I strongly recommend this study to anyone who wants to re-examine the deep historical roots of Christian faith and to find them as life-giving as they ever were.' — Tom Wright

'John Dickson is an engaging and gifted scholar whom I am privileged to work alongside in various global settings. His passion for history, keen knowledge of the Scriptures, and ability to communicate are truly inspiring. I am thrilled to see his unique work displayed in Life of Jesus and I know you will find this study equally fascinating.' — Ravi Zacharias, Author