Jesus of Nazareth

Jens Schröter has written an excellent book about the historical Jesus. It not only avoids a radical skepticism and uncontrolled confidence in the historical reliability of the sources, but also makes clear why both positions can be derived from our sources. It is sensitive for our modern tastes and prejudices, but rejects the idea that historians shape their image of the historical Jesus merely by their own values. Although historical Jesus research depends on our changing knowledge of the historical context of Jesus and on our modern mentality, Schröter defends both the legitimacy of a theological access to Jesus and of historical Jesus research. Jesus of Nazareth is a very balanced book.

~Professor Gerd Theissen, Heidelberg

Jens Schröter is one of the most important and innovative Jesus scholars in the world. This translation thankfully makes one of his most insightful and accessible studies of Jesus available in English. Building from detailed knowledge of the literary and archaeological remains of Jesus' first-century contexts and a sophisticated understanding of the work of the historian, Jesus of Nazareth weaves a narrative that begins with the historical Jesus and his renewal movement for all Israel and ends with modern artistic depictions of Jesus. Students, lay readers, and scholars will all benefit greatly from this important work.

~Chris Keith, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, St Mary’s University, Twickenham

The three scholarly movements that we call the quests for the historical Jesus have all distinguished between the Jesus of history and the Jesus of faith by emphasizing the discontinuities between the two. Jens Schröter challenges this basic divide by pointing to continuities, not by a naïve understanding of historical criticism but by exploring how interpretations of the significance of Jesus arose in continuity with the historical Jesus. This is the most important statement in contemporary scholarship between the Jesus who was and the Jesus who is.

~Gregory E. Sterling, Reverend Henry L. Slack Dean and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament, Yale Divinity School

As informed and informative as it is thoughtful and thought-provoking, Jesus of Nazareth: Jew from Galilee, Savior of the World is highly recommended for community and academic library collections, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in a scholarly approach to the life and legacy of Jesus regardless of their denominational affiliation.

~Paul T. Vogel, Midwest Book Review

...This insightful, informative, well-written book carries forward the quest for the historical Jesus. it is suitablefor clergy, educated lay people, and New Testament scholars. Everyone interested in what can be known historically about Jesus should read it.

~Don Schweitzer, Touchstone

Schröter has given us a remarkably erudite and comprehensive study, admirable in many ways…

~Pieter J. J. Botha, Neotestamentica