October 28, 1996
Stein, professor of New Testament at Bethel Theological Seminary, here attempts to remove the study of the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth from the realm of historical-critical study that has marked the quest for the historical Jesus from Albert Schweitzer to the Jesus Seminar. Stein declares that Jesus' supernatural nature, confirmed through Jesus' miracle-working ability, is the proper starting point for a study of the life of Christ. It is necessary, he argues, to speak of the Jesus of faith rather than merely a historical figure whose life may be dissected by the scalpel of academic criticism. Rather than engage in polemics, Stein very carefully examines every episode in the life of Jesus, from his birth through his boyhood to his death and resurrection, in a quest to understand the life and ministry of Jesus in its first-century context as well as its meaning for 20th-century culture. Stein's thoroughly researched and well-informed study of the life of Jesus offers a good introduction for any reader interested in the historical Jesus.