The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith: Marcus Borg and N. T. Wright in Critical Dialogue
Ebook
The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith examines the conflicting views of Marcus Borg and N. T. Wright on the long-standing question of the relationship between the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth and the Christ of faith as depicted in the New Testament. Demetrion has created a study designed to supplement and expand on the discussion laid out in Borg's and Wright's widely read, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Views. While the author is more empathetic to Wright's emphasis on the continuities between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith, as illuminated throughout the New Testament, he is critical of Wright's overemphasis on history. In placing his interpretive emphasis on the revelatory dynamic of the canonical Scripture and the Great Tradition of Christian orthodoxy, Demetrion calls for a fourth quest for the historical Jesus that starts from a position firmly rooted in biblical faith and works backwards in search of historical roots. In this, he draws on the Pauline vision of "God . . . reconciling the world to himself in Christ" (2 Cor 5:19) as his underlying hermeneutics. In exploring the broad range of issues that underpins the continuity/discontinuity question, Demetrion has provided a resource designed to span a wide audience, from Christian adult study groups interested in tackling books like The Meaning of Jesus to graduate level seminary students and professors.
"By means of his insightful comparison of the views of Borg and
Wright on the historical Jesus, George Demetrion addresses the
central questions surrounding the interplay of history and faith in
our knowledge of Jesus. Demetrion's reading of both authors is
empathic and generous, as he attempts to build bridges between
postliberalism and evangelicalism. This is a stimulating book. . .
. Highly recommended!"
--Donald A. Hagner, George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New
Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary
"Demetrion provides an insightful analysis and critique of two very
different visions of the historical Jesus. This book is a
helpful tool for navigating the philosophical foundations of
historical Jesus studies. Demetrion proposes a middle way,
where historical research is not ignored but builds on the solid
foundation of God's self-revelation through Scripture."
--Mark L. Strauss, PhD, University Professor of New Testament,
Bethel Seminary San Diego
"Demetrion has done us a great service. He invites us into his own
informed exploration of this perennial question of the truth about
Jesus. His strategy is both humble and informed. . . . [T]he
questions engaged in this little book are far from trivial, and
warrant our close reading."
--Glen G. Scorgie, from the foreword
Product Details
- Title : The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith: Marcus Borg and N. T. Wright in Critical Dialogue
- Authors:
- Demetrion, George
- Scorgie, Glen
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Publication Date: 2017
- ISBN: 9781532603297
George Demetrion is a self-educated Christian scholar who has audited courses at Hartford and Bethel Seminaries. He is a writing tutor at Capital Community College and an Adult Basic Instructor at the 1199 Training Fund in Hartford, Connecticut. He formerly worked as an adult education program coordinator at the Saint Vincent de Paul Village in San Diego, California, and teaches courses in the Online Adult Literacy Certification Program at the Virginia Commonwealth University. In addition to his two books published by Wipf and Stock--In Quest of a Vital Protestant Center: An Ecumenical Evangelical Perspective (2014) and The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith: Marcus Borg and N. T. Wright in Critical Dialogue (2017)--he is also the author of Conflicting Paradigms in Adult Literacy Education: In Quest of a US Democratic Politics of Literacy (2005).