In his Gospel, John presented Jesus as the Son of God by painting portraits, pictures, of him. The author of this volume displays twenty-nine of these portraits for us to look at and even study. The reader who observes these portraits carefully will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in new and deeper ways. After each portrait is examined, there are applications for daily living and simple study questions drawn from the portrait. This book is all about Jesus the Living Word set forth in the Written Word and is intended for individual and group use.

John's Gospel is best known for its presentation of Jesus as the Word of God made flesh. But as the narrative unfolds, readers discover that the identity of Jesus is surprisingly complex. He is depicted as a teacher, a healer, a prophet, and Messiah. He is Jewish and Galilean, a human being who is Son of Man and Son of God. Portraits of Jesus in the Gospel of John considers each of these roles in detail, showing how each makes a distinctive contribution to the Gospel's rich mosaic of images for Jesus. John's multifaceted portrait of Jesus draws on a broad spectrum of early Christian traditions, and the contributors to this collection of essays explore the ways in which these traditions are both preserved and transformed in the Fourth Gospel. The writers draw us more deeply into the questions of the way in which traditions about Jesus developed in the early church and how the Gospel of John might contribute to our understanding of that dynamic process.

Every aspect of the study of John is represented in this book, including the historical origins of the Johannine community, the religious traditions in the gospel within and beyond early Christianity, the Fourth Gospel's literary dimensions and theological concerns, and the distinctive challenges presented by the Gospel's interpretation.

This book provides a learning-by-doing approach to the study of the Gospels. It allows students to uncover literary patterns, theological issues, and interpretive problems through close readings of primary sources. Questions are asked along the way that help readers understand the shape of the narrative, and the themes important to each Gospel writer.

This is an introductory guide to the ways Jesus is depicted in the New Testament. Both college students and the general reader will find here a variety of New Testament understandings of Jesus that are rooted in critical reading of the four gospels and Pauline letters. This new edition adds historical context to the portraits of Jesus as each document is somewhat shaped by historical factors. This work presumes neither religious faith nor lack of faith; its aim is to inform and to stimulate some fundamental questions as well as to give the readers portraits as synthetic balance to the vital work of analysis.

"Four Portraits of Jesus is a Bible study guide based on the four distinctive portraits of Jesus in the four Gospels. Each chapter begins with a passage relating to a key theme for each particular Gospel and then addresses a series of questions designed to acquaint readers with important issues related to that Gospel and its audience. The all-in-one volume incorporates detailed lesson plans for the teacher or study leader, course reading material and worksheets for the participant, and biblical background information for both."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In his Gospel, John presented Jesus as the Son of God by painting portraits, pictures, of him. The author of this volume displays twenty-nine of these portraits for us to look at and even study. The reader who observes these portraits carefully will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in new and deeper ways. After each portrait is examined, there are applications for daily living and simple study questions drawn from the portrait. This book is all about Jesus the Living Word set forth in the Written Word and is intended for individual and group use.

To Christians worldwide, the man Jesus of Nazareth is the centerpiece of history, the object of faith, hope, and worship. Even those who do not follow him admit the vast influence of his life. For anyone interested in knowing more about Jesus, study of the four biblical Gospels is essential. The second edition of Four Portraits, One Jesus has been updated throughout to meet the needs to today's students. It is a thorough yet accessible introduction to the four biblical Gospels and their subject, the life and person of Jesus. Like different artists rendering the same subject using different styles and points of view, the Gospels paint four highly distinctive portraits of the same remarkable Jesus. With clarity and insight, Mark Strauss illuminates these four books addressing the following important areas: First he addresses the nature, origin, methods for study, and historical, religious, and cultural backgrounds of the Gospels. He then moves on to closer study of each narrative and its contribution to our understanding of Jesus, investigating things such as plot, characters, and theme. Finally, he pulls it all together with a detailed examination of what the Gospels teach about Jesus' ministry, message, death, and resurrection, with excursions into the quest for the historical Jesus and the historical reliability of the Gospels. This textbook together with its workbook, video lectures, and laminated sheet gives students everything they need for a thorough and enriching study of Jesus and the Gospels.

When Mark, Matthew, and Luke decided to give a written account of Jesus Christ, they were faced with a formidable challenge. How could they tell the story of the man who spoke and acted like God? They used several titles, such as 'prophet', 'Messiah', 'Son of God', 'Son of Man', 'Servant of the Lord', and even 'Lord' itself. But none of these really did justice to the person of Jesus. Through a carefully crafted narrative, the synoptic evangelists painted pictures of Jesus that went beyond all of Israel's expectations and showed a man who was God's humble, suffering servant and at the same time God's equal. Sigurd Grindheim shows how the Synoptic Evangelists reinterpreted Israel's hopes in light of the Jesus story. He shows how they went beyond Old Testament and Jewish material regarding the messiah, drawing heavily upon the expectations of God's own intervention in history. The result is a picture of Jesus who fulfills all of Israel's hopes, not only those relating to God's eschatological agent, but also those pertaining to God himself.

'John is a remarkable Gospel, utterly different from the other three. It reflects the unique insights of the man who was closest to Jesus while he was on earth, and is full of concern that we should not just know about what Jesus did, but should also realize who he was. It reflects, too, John's burden the believers in Jesus should not be side-tracked by erroneous teaching, whether concerning Jesus' identity or the veracity of his claims. He wanted believers to be absolutely sure that eyewitnesses, Jesus' own words and his astonishing works all point to one who was truly God come in the flesh, the living Word, the very glory of God among humanity. John's collected evidence and proof all make the most compelling testimony to Jesus' right to demand our on-going trust and obedience.'