Abstract
Building on the prequels, The Final Days of Jesus (2014), and The First Days of Jesus (2015), Andreas J. Köstenberger’s, The Jesus of the Gospels (2020) rounds out his trilogy on the biblical Jesus. While the previous two serve as bookends to Jesus’ birth and cross work, this third volume bridges the gap, providing a survey of the entire life of Jesus as presented in the canonical Gospels. Steering clear of both pedantic tomes and sensationalist fads, Köstenberger explains the idea for the volume was prompted by a search for something ‘suitable’ for his college-age children, a book ‘informed by sound scholarship but accessible and jargon-free’ (p. 11).
Mirroring the Gospels’ canonical order, the book is structured around five chapters, the first situating it in the history of Jesus research (pp. 17–30). An important entry point to what follows, the chapter briefly surveys different ‘quests’ for the historical Jesus mostly against the backdrop of Schweitzer and his immense net casted on modern Jesus studies. Contrary to dichotomous historical reconstructions or forced harmonies, Köstenberger advances the legacy of Adolf Schlatter viewing history and literature as God’s combined troupe for divine revelation (p. 23). It is this conviction that furnished the book’s title as the author refuses to divide biblical portraits of Jesus into either history or faith categories, choosing to focus the volume’s entirety simply on ‘the Jesus of the Gospels’ (p. 25). The remaining four chapters trace each of the Gospels’ respective storylines and theological emphases, girded by an approach consisting of five conservative theses outlined in chapter one. Customary prolegomena matter begins each chapter followed by explanations of main themes respective of that Gospel. Notably, all chapters include a unit-by-unit exposition accompanied by sidebars of content and helpful recaps along the way. Furthermore, the book’s footnotes on virtually every page provide interested readers with more than enough sources informed by sound scholarship—many with personally added content highlighting historical, exegetical, and/or theological insights (e.g., pp. 49–52; 188–190; 298–99; 368–70).
Köstenberger does not break new ground with The Jesus of the Gospels, something he admits in the preface (p. 12). Written through the perspective of a seasoned conservative scholar, the book’s goal is more modest, remaining focused on the Gospels’ divine integrity along with their call for response to Jesus. The book’s utility is, therefore, best placed as a survey-style commentary on each of the canonical Gospels, not on how they may have developed. Those interested in historical-critical matters will be better served by Köstenberger’s The Hersey of Orthodoxy co-authored with Michael J. Kruger (2010) or The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown co-authored with L. Scott Kellum and Charles L. Quarles (2016). Because of its lack of jargon, pastors and informed church laity will welcome the The Jesus of the Gospels as a valuable tool for sermon prep, Bible study lessons, or devotional reading. Moreover, its accessibility and notes for further research interspersed throughout makes the book ideal for budding college students.