A Three-Dimensional Jesus - Print

A Three-Dimensional Jesus: An Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels.

By Clifton Black

Soft cover, 175pp.
ISBN 9780664265526
Westminster John Knox Press (2023)

[Allow 4 weeks].

A concise, approachable study of the New Testament’s first three Gospels viewed from multiple angles – historical, sociological, literary, theological – with attention paid to their history of interpretation. Black invites readers to better understand and appreciate the Synoptics, while guiding them to learn even more.

Black offers a fresh, critically sympathetic reading of the New Testament’s first three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Intelligent and accessible, conversational and whimsical, this volume helps readers consider the questions that are basic to the Synoptic Gospels’ interpretation.

He addresses:

• their literary genre and origins
• portrayals of the figure of Jesus and other central characters
• the relationships among these three books, and
• the social, political, and religious worlds from which they emerged and to which they were addressed.

Individual chapters on each Gospel highlight their likely audiences, literary structures, and primary theological themes. Throughout, Black’s presentation is clear and engaging, making use of topical sidebars, charts, and illustrations as well as wit and good humour to draw readers into these Gospels’ interpretations.

The volume also includes conversations with other well-established scholars, which help the reader appreciate a range of perspectives on topics like the historical Jesus and the Gospels’ depiction of women, and interviews of experts on these Gospels’ afterlife in the history of Christian thought, sacred music, fine art, and preaching.