Historical Christ and the Theological Jesus

by Dale C. Allison Jr.

Overview

Informally presents and evaluates complex--sometimes troubling--issues in scholarly discussion of Jesus Christ.

"Whatever one makes of these pages, they are the stammerings neither of an apologist nor of a skeptic but instead of an oft-confused Protestant who has come to his conclusions, modest as they are, quite gradually, and who may alter his uncertain mind about much tomorrow. Of two things only do I feel assured. The first is that, as unchanging things do not grow -- rocks remain rocks -- informed changes of mind should be welcomed, not feared. The second is this: the unexamined Christ is not worth having."
-- from the introduction

In this book, which he describes as "my personal testimony to doubt seeking understanding," Dale Allison thoughtfully addresses ongoing historical-theological questions concerning Jesus. What should one think of the modern quest for the historical Jesus when there is such enduring discord among the experts, and when personal agendas play such a large role in the reconstructions? How much history is in the Gospels, and how much history does Christian theology require that there be? How does the quest impinge upon conventional Christian beliefs, and what might it contribute to contemporary theological reflection? The Historical Christ and the Theological Jesus is the personal statement of lessons that a respected participant in the quest has learned throughout the course of his academic career.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802862624
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	02/01/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	138
Sales rank:	551,962
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Dale C. Allison Jr. is the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. His numerous books include Night Comes: Death, Imagination, and the Last Things and The Luminous Dusk: Finding God in the Deep, Still Places.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: A Brief Overview 1

1 The Problem of Theological Utility 6

The Enduring Discord of the Experts 8

The Enduring Challenge of Personal Predilection 15

The Perceptions of Others and Personal Identity 22

2 Disputed Questions 31

How Much History Does Theology Require? 32

How Should We Treat Our Texts? 40

How Might One Come to Know Jesus? 45

3 How to Proceed 53

The Wrong Tools for the Wrong Job 54

The General and the Particular 61

Miracles Here, There, and Everywhere 66

4 Some Difficult Conclusions 79

Christology: Too Low and Too High 80

Eschatology: Here to Stay 90

Context: Gone for Good 101

5 Some Personal Impressions 104

Contradiction: Divine Love and Human Woe 105

Imagination: Ought over Is 113

Synthesis: The Coincidence of Opposites 116

Index of Modern Names 120

Index of Scripture 122

Editorial Reviews

Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Princeton Theological Seminary
"With his singular combination of learning, wit, honesty, and humility, Dale Allison here reflects on the theological limitations and implications of the study of the historian's Jesus. Students at every level will find themselves instructed and even provoked by Allison's comments, but they will also come away agreeing that 'the unexamined Christ is not worth having.' ""

Scot McKnight, North Park University
"In the last 125 years there have been five truly epochal thinkers who altered the course of Jesus research: Martin Kähler, Albert Schweitzer, Rudolf Bultmann, Ernst Käsemann -- and the fifth one is Dale Allison."

Christian Century
"The very title of Allison's brief but engaging book signals that just as believers cannot be completely indifferent to the historical study of the Gospels without closing their faith to new challenges and insights, so historians, even if they are unbelievers, cannot escape the deeply theological nature of the life and teachings of Jesus. Allison is both refreshingly robust in his appraisals of the work of colleagues and disarmingly honest in his self-criticisms."

From the Publisher