Familiar Stranger: An Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth (Bible in Its World)
The timing of this book--in the wake of the Ash Wednesday emergence of Mel Gibson's Jesus as a box-office idol--couldn't be better, for it provides an Easter overview, as it were, of the scholarly encounter with a complex Jesus in an even more complex context. Writing for a popular audience, McClymond faithfully summarizes "recent historical research on the life of Jesus"; successfully avoids any dumbing down in his presentation; and, furthermore, in his notes guides the interested to the "piles of books" produced by the scholarly encounter with Jesus. After a "thumbnail portrait" and historical overview, nine chapters are devoted to sources, methods, and issues. The last two chapters turn directly to questions of identity and contemporary conceptions of Jesus. Those inspired by the particular, cinematic vision of Christ's Passion to learn more about the person of Jesus and the passionate responses competing versions of his story continue to evoke may find this book a good first read.Steven SchroederCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved