Christology
Book Reviews by
The Lord of Glory: A Study of the Designations of Our Lord in the New Testament with Especial Reference to His Deity by Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield
Fred G. Zaspel
Warfield was above all else, a Christologian, and of all his many, many titles in which he treats the Person of Christ, this is his most thorough and best. As the subtitle suggests, Warfield surveys the entire NT scouring its pages for evidence of the deity of Christ in the thinking of the primitive church. It is the only work like it that I know of, and it is a most valuable work both for a study in Christology and for the formation of the Christological background to each of the books of the NT individually. Very highly recommended.
The Beauty of Jesus: A Portrait of the Perfect Human Character of Jesus by Clifford Pond (Grace Publications)
The title just has to interest you, and there are not many books at all on this theme. We are accustomed to hearing of Christ's deity, but seldom do we hear of his perfect humanity. Yet this subject too is both important and exciting. Clifford Pond presents here twenty-three brief chapters highlighting vital aspects of our Lord's human life -- such as his integrity, his victory over Satan, his love, his obedience, his humility, his servitude, his patience, his strength, his emotions, and his purity. Warm, rich, highly suggestive, and enjoyable reading.
The Claims of Truth: John Owen's Trinitarian Theology by Carl Trueman (Paternoster)
A first-class piece of work analyzing the theology of John Owen and showing it to be first and foremost a trinitarian theology. Neither Owen's theology nor his christology nor his soteriology are grounded in Aristotelian or medieval scholastic thought but in a thoroughly biblical trinitarianism forwhich the work of Christ is the focal point and climax. Trueman does not write to the average layman, but the work is well within the reach of the diligent student. An excellent exposition of Reformed trinitarian soteriology. (And by the way -- for those who think Owen's arguments for particular redemption are more logical than biblical, this is a must read.)
Cynic Sage or Son of God? by Gregory Boyd (Bridgepoint Book, Victor Press, 1995)
I have severe disagreemnts with Boyd in much of the work he has done of late in regard to his "openness" views of God. This kind of "scholarship" leads me to be suspicious of all Boyd's works. But this book is a happy exception. You have no doubt heard much of the "Jesus Seminar" – the latest attempt to explain way the New Testament Jesus under the guise of finding the "real" Jesus. John Crossan and Burton Mack are two such men whose revisionist views, touted as "scholarly," are receiving wide attention: Jesus was but a wandering sage of the old Cynic variety who, after his untimely and unfortunate death, was "deified" by his later followers. Any trace of supernaturalism in Jesus must be rejected out of hand on presuppositional grounds, and the Biblical writers who thus present Him must be understood as merely fabricating myth in order to preserve the relevance of the Jesus whom they knew. This kind of reconstruction is not new, and each time someone has to bother to deal with it for the sake of those who want answers – but who don't want to do all that work! Boyd has done it for us very well. In Part 1 of the book ("Jesus the Cynic Sage") he lays out the distinctive approaches of Crossan and Mack in clear and concise yet comprehensive way. He then provides a fair criticism of their methodologies (which he demonstrates to be purely speculative) and conclusions (which he demonstrates to be unwarranted). I am always grateful for men who do this work for us! Part 2 of the book ("Jesus the Son of God") is a sheer delight to read. His detective work is thorough and precise. It is also devastating – Crossan and Mack are soundly defeated on their own ground. His conclusion: to believe in the Jesus of the NT requires a faith that fits all the evidence; to believe in the Jesus of the "Seminar" requires a faith that evades all the evidence. Boyd is penetrating in his analyses and clear in his judgments. If you want an acquaintance with and analysis of the work of the leading figures of the Jesus Seminar, this is the book you'll buy – and you will not be disappointed.
God Crucified: Monotheism and Christology in the New Testament by Richard Bauckham (Paternoster Press, distributed in the US by Eerdmans)
If Jesus is God, then how does that fit within the OT's clear teaching of monotheism? Bauckham's work is impressive, sophisticated, and exegetically precise. Rather, Bauckham shows that the exegesis of the NT writers was impressive, sophisticated, and precise! The "high Christology" of Nicea and beyond did not originate in the fourth century. It was a vital part of the faith of the post-Easter Christian community itself. Bauckham demonstrates clearly that from the earliest days of the church, Jesus was recognized to share in the Divine identity -- that Jesus must be included in the one God of Israel. This is compelling and definitive reading in Christology. Highly recommended.
Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus by Murray Harris (Baker)
A masterful, careful, and detailed examination of the New Testament passages in which the Greek word theos ("God") is used in reference to Jesus. Students unfamiliar with the Greek language will have difficulty with this, and often the discussions are intricate and involved. But for the more advanced student, this is a gold mine of exegetical Christology.
The Lord from Heaven by Leon Morris (Eerdmans)
I don't think this book is in print, but if you can find a copy, get it. It is an extremely delightful study of the Person of Christ. Morris surveys the unfolding teaching regarding Jesus as it develops through the NT. I especially appreciate his treatment of the Gospels and Jesus' own teaching regarding himself, but the entire study is warm and rewarding. A marvelous guide for a series of studies for any pastor or teacher.
The Origins of New Testament Christology by I. Howard Marshall (IVP, 1990).
For myself, I don't at all enjoy interacting with radical critical scholarship -- it too often seems fruitless. But I do enjoy seeing how others have done it, and Marshall here is a good example. It has long been a popular idea among critics that the "high Christology" of the NT is a notion imposed upon Jesus by the early church -- the early Christian community and the NT writers "invented" it, and so this view of Jesus which has been passed down to us is a higher view than Jesus himself taught. Marshall meets the critics on their own ground (using passages and sayings of Jesus whose authenticity even the critics acknowledge) and shows lucidly and compellingly that our high views of Jesus do indeed trace back to Jesus Himself. The way he acted, the way he spoke, the things he said about himself -- in all this we see a Jesus who knew Himself to be the Christ, the Son of God. Not the easiest reading for the beginner, but an excellent source of Christological apologetic.
Three Crucial Questions about Jesus Christ by Murray Harris (Baker Books, 1994)
This is one of a dozen or so books in the Three Crucial Question series from Baker Books. The three questions considered (and answered affirmatively) here are: Did Jesus Exist? Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Is Jesus God? Harris is a good writer who is able to crunch lots of information into few pages. His apologetic is thorough yet concise, well thought out, and convincing. He does a good job of handling the primary Biblical passages involved as well as the leading objections of the critics. Valuable perhaps particularly for the college level student who is searching for real answers. Very readable, simple, clear, and helpful. Although this provides no theology of the significance or implications of Jesus' existence, death, and deity, this book is probably the simplest and best brief introduction to these questions from the standpoint of apologetics that is available. Highly recommended.
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