The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus
Over the centuries, much of the writing, whether scholarly, popular, or devotional, about Jesus of Nazareth has been Christological rather than historical, the latter defined as an attempt to reconstruct the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth by critical historical methods in contrast to understanding the Christ of faith. A new scholarly quest for the Jesus of history has been gaining momentum of late. In this encyclopedia, some 227 entries address “all of the areas involved in the study of the historical Jesus.”   The discussion Divorce and remarriage serves as a good illustration of what this reference work seeks to accomplish. Three of the four canonical Gospels report a firm stance on the part of Jesus against divorce, a prohibition by and large reflected in Christian theology and canon law to this day. Historical analysis, however, shows this uncompromising position was out of step with Jewish and Greco-Roman culture at the time. By examining Jesus’ teaching in this context, scholars are now offering new possible interpretations of Jesus’ intentions and meaning. Other entries include such topics as literary genres and rhetorical styles of the period (e.g., Miracle story); institutions important in the lives of the Jewish people (e.g., Households, Jewish); geographic places associated with Jesus (e.g., Bethlehem); and the types and methods of historical criticism employed by scholars in this field (e.g., Authenticity criteria). The entries were written by a group of international scholars and conclude with supplemental bibliographies.   What distinguishes this encyclopedia from other biblical and theological reference works is its focus on the Jesus of history. Every entry must be viewed through that lens. Although the content of this encyclopedia is unique, it is also advanced and specialized. Appropriate for theological libraries and research collections. --Christopher McConnell--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.