Product Description

'The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels' is unique among
reference books on the Bible, the first volume of its kind since James
Hastings published his 'Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels' in 1909. In
the more than eight decades since Hastings our understanding of Jesus, the
Evangelists and their word has grown remarkably. New interpretive methods
have illumined the text, the ever-changing profile of modern culture has
put new questions to the Gospels, and our understanding of the Judaism of
Jesus' day has advanced in ways that could not have been predicted in
Hastings's day. But for many readers of the Gospels the new outlook on the
Gospels remains hidden within technical journals and academic monographs.

'The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels' bridges the gap between scholars
and those pastors, teachers, students and lay people desiring in-depth
treatment of select topics in an accessible and summary format. The topics
range from cross-sectional themes (such as faith, law, Sabbath) to methods
of interpretation (such as form criticism, redaction criticism,
sociological approaches), from key events (such as the birth, temptation
and death of Jesus) to each of the four Gospels as a whole. Some articles
- such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbinic traditions and revolutionary
movements at the time of Jesus - provide significant background information
to the Gospels. Others reflect recent and less familiar issues in Jesus
and the Gospel studies, such as divine man, ancient rhetoric and the
chreiai.

Contemporary concerns of general interest are discussed in articles
covering such topics as healing, the demonic and the historical reliability
of the Gospels. And for those entrusted with communicating the message of
the Gospels, there is an extensive article on preaching from the Gospels.

'The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels' presents the fruit of evangelical
New Testament scholarship at the end of the twentieth century - committed
to the authority of Scripture, utilising the best of critical methods, and
maintaining dialog with contemporary scholarship and challenges facing the
church.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #284748 in Books
• Published on: 1992-03-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 933 pages

From the Publisher
This superb volume of over 200 in-depth articles with
extensive bibliographies is destined to become the indispensable work of
reference on the gospels well into the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews

An excellent reference source
I agree with the previous reviewer that this is more of an encyclopedia than a dictionary. The articles are in-depth focusing on major topics in the Gospels, with up to date referenced articles by experts in the field. However, the articles are still usable by those of us with no formal theological training. I use it for background information when preparing Bible Studies. The book on Paul and the Letters is of a similar high standard. I'm off to buy the latest two. And by the way, the International Bible Standard Encyclopedia is an old stalwart - great if you could find a cheap copy second hand.

Excellent refference and background reading.
An easyly accesable sourse of in deapth information. More an encyclopedia than a dictionary, as most articles take up several pages. It is well presented, and clear. Useful for me as a reader and for my daugter doing A level R E. Very good value.

Utterly indispensable for New Testament study
IVP's `Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels' (DJG) is a fabulous, `must have' resource for studying Jesus himself as well as the Gospels. IVP have long been ardent supporters of biblical and theological study, offering a plethora of excellent books, and some software. DJG is just one of these titles.

Remembering that this dictionary focuses quite specifically on `Jesus and the Gospels', it's 900-page, large format size alone shows the breadth of modern scholarship available. (The list of contributors stretches to well over two pages.) However, since this is a dictionary it does not need to be read cover-to-cover, it can be just dipped into it whenever it's needed.

Although the scholarly input is dizzyingly enormous, none of the vast array of articles are "dry academia", they are all vibrant and modern (even though this is now 17 years old - gasp!) whilst still covering all the theological angles. This means you get the meat of the theology but can still follow the arguments; no mean feat and hugely important.

For instance: if you look up `Gospel', you may be surprised to find three entries: `Gospel (Genre)', `Gospel (Good News)' and `Gospels (Apocryphal)'. The first looks at what `category or type of literature [a Gospel is], such as biography or novel'. A five page investigation reveals that the Gospels are closely linked to a type of literature called `Greco-Roman... biography, but they also form a distinctive group [of their own]'. In other words, a Gospel is contemporary with its time but is also quite unique. Hurrah!

Following each article there is a `See also' note which lists other especially relevant articles within the dictionary, as well as a (usually) massive bibliography.

If you are serious about understanding Jesus, his life, death and resurrection, as well as about the four Gospels of the New Testament, this dictionary is indispensable: I cannot recommend it enough. If you have more cash and want to go further (within the superb IVP family of dictionaries), these are just as good and as valuable:

Dictionary of Paul and his Letters
Dictionary of New Testament Background
Dictionary of the later New Testament and Its Developments

All of these are also available digitally, as part of the stunning and wonderful Essential IVP Reference Collection CD-ROM (or on download from Logos Bible Software). This digital collection represents fantastic value for money - and if you get the an older version of the collection, it may be even cheaper.