Sep
23
2008
Top 4 Books on the Gospels
Are you interested in some indepth study in the Gospels? Let me point you to four books that will help you in your study.
1. Jesus and the Gospels
Craig Blomberg (Broadman and Holman, 1997)
One of the best evangelical resources on the Gospels. Blomberg does a terrific job of acquainting his readers with information on the scholarly/historical debates surrounding the Gospels, while also offering a survey of the life of Jesus. The final chapter attempts to summarize the “theology of Jesus” and is by itself worth the price of the book.
2. Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ
Robert H. Stein (IVP Academic, 1996)
Bob Stein’s survey of the life of Christ stands out among other works on the Gospels in the way he summarizes both the teaching and the life of Jesus. It is remarkable how much helpful material Stein is able to include in a relatively brief book.
3. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels
Edited by I. Howard Marshall, Joel B. Green, and Scot McKnight (IVP, 1992)
I am excited to hear that this Dictionary is currently being revised and will eventually be re-released. That said, as it stands, the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels is an important contribution to evangelical scholarship that provides a wealth of important information for Gospels scholars. If you are looking to study the Gospels in detail, you need to have this book on your shelf.
4. Synopsis of the Four Gospels
Compiled by Kurt Aland, (United Bible Societies, 1982)
It is helpful to study the Gospels “horizontally,” that is – in comparison to one another. No other resource better aligns the Gospel material than Kurt Aland’s Survey. Any time I teach on the Gospels, I pull out this resource and compare and contrast the different accounts in order to clearly see the emphasis of each Gospel author.