Follow the Authors
Rodney Reeves
+ Follow
E. Randolph Richards
+ Follow
Rediscovering Jesus: An Introduction to Biblical, Religious and Cultural Perspectives on Christ Kindle Edition
by David B. Capes (Author), Rodney Reeves (Author), & 1 more Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
Who is your Jesus? Matthew's teacher? John's Word made flesh? Hebrews' great high priest? What if it turned out that your Jesus is a composite of your favorite selections from the New Testament buffet, garnished with some Hollywood and Americana?
Rediscovering Jesus takes us on a gallery tour of biblical portraits of Jesus, from Matthew through Revelation. Our expert guides point out the background and highlights of each New Testament image of Jesus. Then we hit the streets to visit other houses of worship and their scriptures, examining the Jesus of the Book of Mormon and the Qur'an. Popping into a bookstore, we browse the latest on the Gnostic and the historical Jesus. Then we're off on a walking tour of Jesus in America, followed by a film festival of Jesus movies.
All along the way our tour guides describe and interpret, but also raise questions: How is this Jesus different from other portraits? If this were our only portrait of Jesus, what would our faith be like?
Rediscovering Jesus is an enjoyable, informative and challenging look at how we encounter Jesus in Scripture and our culture. With ample sidebars exploring contexts and the "so what?" questions, it takes us beyond other surveys by probing how our understanding of Jesus can make a difference for faith and life. From the authors of Rediscovering Paul, this is a textbook introduction to Jesus that guides us in our pilgrimage toward seeing Jesus truly.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"(I) found myself deeply engaged in a beautifully written, biblically sound, and theologically informed book on the person of Jesus. . . . I highly recommend this book for audiences of all sorts. I can see myself using it as a supplementary textbook to a course on Jesus or the Gospels. I can also see this material being implemented in a local ministry setting at a book study or Bible study. Do yourself a favor and go order a copy."-- Mike Skinner, Cruciform Theology, September 12, 2015
"Although written as a textbook, this work will benefit pastors, church leaders, and all students―formal and informal―who wish to understand Jesus more deeply."-- Kelley Mathews, Bible Study Magazine, Jan/Feb 2016
"I recommend Rediscovering Jesus wholeheartedly. It was a phenomenally interesting read, and one which will challenge you to rethink how you have conceived of Jesus, while calling readers back to biblical portrayals. I can't really recommend it highly enough."-- J.W. Wartick, "Always Have a Reason", November 2, 2015 --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Review
"The more Jesus we present the more gospel we present. Rediscovering Jesus is on that list of what I can enthusiastically recommend that is pure gospel! In this book you will encounter one description after another that is shaped by and focused on Jesus himself. What a gift this book is to the church and school!"-- Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
About the Author
David B. Capes is professor of New Testament in the department of theology at Houston Baptist University. Rodney Reeves is dean of the Courts Redford College of Theology and Ministry and professor of biblical studies, Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. E. Randolph Richards is dean of the School of Ministry and professor of biblical studies, Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. Together they have also written Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters and Theology (IVP Academic).
Rodney Reeves (PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean of The Courts Redford College of Theology and Ministry and professor of biblical studies at Southwest Baptist University, both in Bolivar, Missouri. Previously a pastor with churches in Arkansas and Texas, Reeves is author or coauthor of A Genuine Faith: How to Follow Jesus Today, Spirituality According to Paul: Imitating the Apostle of Christ and Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to his World, Letters and Theology. His articles have appeared in journals such as Perspectives in Religious Studies, Biblical Illustrator, Southwestern Journal of Theology and Preaching.
E. Randolph Richards (PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean and professor of biblical studies in the School of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He is a popular speaker and has authored and coauthored dozens of books and articles including Rediscovering Jesus, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, Rediscovering Paul, The Story of Israel and Paul and First-Century Letter Writing. Early on in their ministry he and his wife Stacia were appointed as missionaries to east Indonesia, where he taught for eight years at an Indonesian seminary. Missions remain on the hearts of Randy and Stacia. Randy leads mission trips and conducts missionary training workshops and regularly leads tours of the Holy Land, Turkey, Greece and Italy. He has served as interim pastor of numerous churches and is currently a teaching pastor. He and Stacia reside in Palm Beach, Florida.--This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Read less
Product details
ASIN : B013U7NNWG
Publisher : IVP Academic (August 8, 2015)
Publication date : August 8, 2015
Language : English
File size : 1812 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 273 pages
Page numbers source ISBN : 0830824723
Lending : Not Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #1,403,555 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
#1,138 in Religious Studies - Comparative Religion
#1,280 in Christology (Kindle Store)
#1,298 in Jesus, the Gospels & Acts (Kindle Store)
Customer Reviews:
4.6 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
Videos
Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!Upload video
More about the authorsDiscover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Rodney Reeves
Follow
E. Randolph Richards
Follow
How would you rate your experience shopping for books on Amazon today
Very poor
Neutral
Great
Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
28 global ratings
5 star 78%
4 star 7%
3 star 7%
2 star 7%
1 star 0% (0%)
0%
How are ratings calculated?
Review this product
Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review
Read reviews that mention
new testament religious and cultural rediscovering jesus outside the bible david capes randolph richards rodney reeves highly recommend jesus outside cultural perspectives picture of jesus biblical religious second section historical jesus portrait of jesus view of jesus copy of this book jesus presented composite jesus jesus made
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
Sweetwater Larry
5.0 out of 5 stars 14 Different Views of Jesus in the New Testament and BeyondReviewed in the United States on November 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
In the first section of the book, the three Bible-professor authors show the New Testament has eight distinctive portraits of Jesus as painted by a variety of first century writers. This enables the reader to see the individual perspectives of the author of each Gospel as well as that of St. Paul, those who wrote other epistles, and the author of Revelation. In the familiar analogy of several witnesses to an accident or other public event, we can see different understandings of Jesus as each reporter tells things a bit differently from the others. Each chapter includes a section that asks how we would think of Jesus if this one writing were the only interpretation we had of Him. The second section follows a similar pattern with six post-biblical pictures of Jesus: Gnostics in the early Christian centuries who saw Jesus either as not truly man or not truly God; Muslim, Mormons, Enlightenment scholars who seek the historical Jesus outside the pages of the Bible; the Jesus of movies, and the All-American Jesus. The writers of this book combine scholarship and wit in their high view of the inspiration of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. Though written to answer questions their college students asked, thoughtful non-collegians can also read it with benefit.
3 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport abuse
JR. Forasteros
5.0 out of 5 stars Like Meeting Jesus for the First Time, All Over AgainReviewed in the United States on November 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
Everyone has a "composite Jesus". By reading each NT picture of Jesus separately, examining how this Jesus is unique, and then imagining how Christianity would be different if this were our only Jesus, the authors help us to see how we have constructed our own composite Jesuses (Jesi?).
The second section of the book is even more beautiful, as the authors examine non-Christian portraits of Jesus honestly and respectfully.
This is a great book that will cause you to reexamine your picture of Jesus, enrich your faith, and sharpen your ability to engage those whose belief differs from yours.
One person found this helpful
HelpfulReport abuse
dxrxkediri
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book full of insights, challenges and direction!! Highly recommend!Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Excellent book full of insights, challenges and direction. Thanks! I am giving this to our pastor so I expect some sermon insights in upcoming sermons.
One person found this helpful
HelpfulReport abuse
Lori
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United States on August 9, 2016
Verified Purchase
Thoroughly enjoying the book.
HelpfulReport abuse
David Shaffer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United States on October 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Excellent and thought provoking!
HelpfulReport abuse
Deb Mc
5.0 out of 5 stars Reid preach at our church and this book is wonderful!! Highly recommend itReviewed in the United States on August 17, 2016
Verified Purchase
We had the privilege of having Dr. Reid preach at our church and this book is wonderful!! Highly recommend it; the seller was quick to deliver and book was in great condition.
One person found this helpful
HelpfulReport abuse
sojotheo
5.0 out of 5 stars An inviting book that will make you ponder long and hard about your understanding of JesusReviewed in the United States on February 15, 2016
Rediscovering Jesus: An Introduction to Biblical, Religious, and Cultural Perspectives on Christ by David B. Capes, Rodney Reeves, and E. Randolph Richards is a calculated investigation into nearly every corner of today’s Christological landscape. The perspectives presented in this book are numerous and the presentation is everything but boring. From the opening pages, the authors captivate the reader with illustrative narratives that are easily relatable and appropriately placed.
Each chapter of the book has three specific parts. First, the authors seek to clarify who Jesus is in relation to a particular perspective discussed. Second, the authors aim to articulate the more unique features of Jesus from within that perspective and how it is distinctive. Third, the authors attempt to discuss a hypothetical situation where that perspective of Jesus is the only perspective available to the conversation.
Rediscovering Jesus is divided into two major parts: (1) Jesus in the Bible and (2) Jesus outside the Bible. In the former, the authors guide the reader through the New Testament as they examine the portrait of Jesus painted in (1) Mark, (2) Matthew, (3) Luke-Acts, (4) John, (5) Pauline literature, (6) Hebrews, (7) James, Peter, and Jude, and (8) Revelation. In the latter, the reader is guided through various sketches of Jesus in (9) Gnostic literature, (10) the Quran, (11) history, (12) Mormonism, (13) America, and (14) the cinema.
The authors are sensitive to the fact that the majority understanding of Jesus is traceable back to either Paul, John, or some closely knit combination of both. I found the work shown on this observation to be accurate and important to the topic. The authors provide excellent guidance through each New Testament book. The discussion is informative and displays a keen eye of surveillance regarding the variegated portraits of Jesus presented therein—especially when one considers some of the more unusual books surveyed.
As the attention is directed to religious and cultural views of Jesus outside the Bible. I personally found the selection of perspectives for this section interesting and well-intended. Each of these perspectives could be encountered with some level of frequency by the average Christian in America, and the conversation and examination are all too appropriate. Still, I would have loved to have seen a chapter on the Jehovah Witnesses or Judaism. Of course, I am well aware that perspectives of Jesus outside the Bible could produce a volume much longer than that here.
There are a number of things about this book that I really enjoyed. First and foremost, it was extremely readable and highly engaging. I found myself unable to put it down as I became more familiar with the format and anticipated the outcome of each chapter. Second, I really thought the authors made an excellent choice to wrestle with the hypothetical of each perspective being our only source of information about Jesus. It was well-thought and interesting to ponder. Third, each chapter has a number of call-out boxes that provide additional content on the specific perspective that is both informationally and practically oriented.
Rediscovering Jesus: An Introduction to Biblical, Religious, and Cultural Perspectives on Christ by David B. Capes, Rodney Reeves, and E. Randolph Richards is an easy candidate for a supplementary textbook for a seminary course. However, this does not mean that it is purely an academic work. In fact, you will find that it is quite the opposite. Rediscovering Jesus is an inviting book that will make you ponder long and hard about your understanding of Jesus—or lack thereof. If you are interested in a book that will challenge you to contemplate your answer to Jesus’ question—who do you say that I am?—then this is a book you will indeed not want to miss.
I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
4 people found this helpful
HelpfulReport abuse
