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T
O LIST ALL THE
resources that have helped me understand the New Testament since I entered the Jesuits would make this book far too long. So I have limited this list to resources I used specifically in writing this book. First, let me single out several that were my constant companions and that I recommend for further exploration.
The Sacra Pagina series, edited by Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, was, after the Bible, my bible. Each book in the superlative series provides not only a line-by-line analysis of the New Testament, but also solid theological exegesis, so that you are able both to study the Jesus of history and to come to know the Christ of faith. The series is learned, wise, balanced, thoughtful, and well organized. It grounds itself on what is known and can be proven, and its use of Greek is helpful for both scholar and newcomer. The authors of the four books on the Gospels are: Daniel J. Harrington, SJ (Matthew); John R. Donahue, SJ, and Daniel J. Harrington, SJ (Mark); Luke Timothy Johnson (Luke); and Francis J. Moloney, SDB (John). I cannot recommend this series highly enough or thank the authors enough for their scholarship and industry.
Let me also recommend three other books on Jesus that I kept close at hand.
A Marginal Jew
, by the Rev. John P. Meier, a massive, multi-volume study of the historical Jesus, offers a wealth of information and the most detailed analysis of Gospel texts from a historical standpoint you will find anywhere. His first volume has an especially good chapter on the tools of historical analysis of the Gospels.
Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was
, by Gerhard Lohfink, is a superb book that beautifully combines the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith.
The Misunderstood Jew
, by Amy-Jill Levine, provides an overview of Jewish practices from the time of Christ and corrects some common errors in the “standard” ways that we look at Jesus and “the Jews.”
Several relatively brief books on Jesus were also very useful. To my mind these are the best short books on Jesus for the general reader
. Jesus: A Historical Portrait
, by Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, is a concise and popular treatment of what we can know about Jesus historically.
The Historical Figure of Jesus
, by E. P. Sanders, is a somewhat longer version of the same topic, and a bit more academic.
Consider Jesus
, by Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, looks at Christology and has an especially interesting chapter on Jesus's self-consciousness.
Fully Human, Fully Divine
, by Michael Casey, OCSO, is particularly strong on how the two “natures” of Jesus work together. Gerald O'Collins, SJ, has written a fine book,
Jesus: A Portrait
, which looks at Jesus in his various roles, for example, as “healer,” “storyteller,” and “Lord.” The fine volume
Jesus Our Brother
, by Wilfred Harrington, OP, looks at the human Jesus, and
Jesus: A Gospel Portrait
, by Donald Senior, CP, is particularly good on Jesus in his Jewish context. And although I didn't use his book in my research for this work, Albert Nolan's
Jesus Before Christianity
, the first book I read in the Jesuit novitiate on the historical Jesus, is a fine introduction to the historical Jesus.
As more devotional titles about the Christ of faith that I've enjoyed and used in this book, let me cite two authors from the past and one from more recent times. William Barclay's
Daily Study Bible
not only offers an analysis of the Gospels, but also draws spiritual lessons from it. (Barclay's approach is methodical and creative; he offers you, for example, three insights from a particular passage and then illustrates with an example from real life. Barclay's books
The Mind of Christ
and
Crucified and Crowned
are also fine.) F. J. Sheed's
To Know Christ Jesus
, one of the first books on Jesus I read in the novitiate, retains its power more than fifty years after its publication. Though some of the historical research is outdated, it still ushers us into the life of Christ in a powerful way. More recently,
Jesus of Nazareth
, by Pope Benedict XVI, is an inspiring three-volume series, each book designed for both the scholar and the curious, with an emphasis on Christ of faith. (A longer list of the books that have inspired me to come to know the Risen One would take several pages.)