In this book Charles Puskas and David Crump provide a solid, student-friendly introduction to the four Gospels and the book of Acts. Leading students through the texts, highlighting the various literary devices and themes, and pointing out the historical and cultural contexts, An Introduction to the Gospels and Acts is a fruitful collaboration between a mainline scholar (Puskas) and a more evangelical scholar (Crump), who clearly articulate their own opinions while charitably engaging a wide spectrum of scholarship. The coverage of the Gospels and Acts throughout is clear, comprehensive, and well documented. Maps, charts, outlines, and tables round out the wealth of information offered here. Evenhanded and nonpolemical, this text will be valuable both for students with a previous foundation of biblical study and for those with little or no Bible background.

To Christians worldwide, the man Jesus of Nazareth is the centerpiece of history, the object of faith, hope, and worship. Even those who do not follow him admit the vast influence of his life. For anyone interested in knowing more about Jesus, study of the four biblical Gospels is essential.

An abridged edition of the bestselling textbook Four Portraits, One Jesus by Mark Strauss, this simple, easy-to-understand guide introduces the four biblical Gospels and their subject, the life and person of Jesus.

Like different artists rendering the same subject using different styles and points of view, the Gospels paint four distinctive portraits of the same remarkable Jesus. With clarity and insight, Mark Strauss addresses questions that surround the study of Jesus and the Gospels. What are the Gospels - are they history, theology, biography? Where did they come from? What do we know about their context? What does each Gospel uniquely teach us about Jesus? Finally, he pulls it all together illuminating what the Gospels together teach about Jesus' ministry, message, death, and resurrection, and how do we know we can trust their witness.

Including questions at the end of each chapter for group discussion or personal reflection, Introducing Jesus makes the words, history, and context of the Gospels come alive for readers.

Knowing the historical and cultural background of the Bible is crucial to properly understanding and interpreting it. But the passing of 2,000 years often prevents today's reader from fully understanding the significance of various actions and teachings of Jesus in the Gospels. For example, the radical nature of Jesus's healings on the Sabbath may go unnoticed without an awareness of first-century Jewish teaching on what was and was not permissible.

Pastors and other serious Bible students may not have access to important early writings that would provide this background, nor the time to wade through volumes of source material to find relevant tidbits. This unique reference work gathers into one handy volume the key extrabiblical texts that provide the necessary background for passages in the Gospels, along with introductory comments by the editors.

David Catchpole, a respected veteran scholar specializing in Jesus and the Gospels, believes lay people as well as scholars can profit from critical discussion presented in a clear and lively style. That is what he sets out to do in this challenging but engaging book. Drawing on recent scholarship but focusing on the Gospel texts themselves, Catchpole explores the origins of the Jesus movement in the community of Israel. Beginning with the mission of John the Baptist, he moves on to consider the costs and implications of discipleship, the centrality of prayer, attitudes toward Israel's way of holiness, the significance of the temple, and Jesus' understanding of his own death. Scholars, students, pastors, ministry workers, and those interested in the origins of Christianity will appreciate this work.

As most readers of the New Testament know, the words of Jesus are often spoken in riddles--in parables and other sayings that were and continue to be difficult to understand. In Jesus the Riddler, Tom Thatcher explains that Jesus may have been intentionally ambiguous, using riddles to establish his authority as a teacher and to encourage his followers to think more deeply about the nature of truth. Jesus' riddles, like riddles across many cultures, potentially refer to many different things, and they challenge those who hear them to decode the meaning the riddler intends. Figuring out the riddles in which Jesus spoke requires a depth of faith and close attention to the words of the gospel. With text boxes and other helpful features, this book guides readers through discerning these puzzling and important words.