Book
Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld, Recovering Jesus: The Witness of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2007
Reviewer
Jacob W. Elias, Professor of New Testament, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Indiana
With popular interest in Jesus fanned by recent epic films, best-selling novels, and announcements about the discovery of ancient gospels and artifacts, one is not surprised by the appearance of yet another book on Jesus. However, in the bewildering mix of sensationalizing declarations and novelistic embellishments of the story of Jesus, Recovering Jesus comes as a refreshing resource. As the sub-title indicates, this book intends to facilitate serious encounter with the New Testament witnesses to Jesus.
Yoder Neufeld wrote this book having in mind students in his college classroom, who come with a range of prior attitudes toward Jesus “whether religiously indifferent, highly skeptical, or passionately Christian” (9). He writes as a scholar and teacher eager to guide students in their study of Jesus and the various first-century claims made about him.
The author also writes within a confessional faith commitment to Jesus as Lord. Both the scholar and the believer are everywhere evidenced in what he communicates. A foundational hermeneutic of trust in the scriptural sources does not deter the author from asking the tough historical questions, nor does his scholarly enterprise cause him to refrain from theological reflection and exploration of ethical implications.
The title of the introductory chapter asks, “One Jesus or Many Jesuses?” In chapter 2 Yoder Neufeld turns to the field of archeology for an evocative metaphor. As 21st-century readers we are invited to “dig through the layers” of developing traditions from the present through the Enlightenment, the Reformation era, the creeds, the NT canon, and eventually the individual writings themselves.
The third chapter on “One Jesus – Four Gospels” profiles each of the four canonical gospels and their respective portraits of Jesus. Chapter 4 provides a sweeping overview of the historical, geographical, political, and cultural dimensions of the world into which Jesus was born and in which his life and ministry unfolded.
Having dealt with these introductory matters, Yoder Neufeld proceeds to focus on Jesus’ beginnings, public ministry, and death and resurrection. He devotes chapter 5 to a consideration of the nativity narratives in Matthew and Luke. In chapter 6 he returns to background issues in a treatment of the Kingdom of God theme within the Hebrew Scriptures and in Jewish literature contemporary with Jesus.
The rubric of “Kingdom” continues in chapters 7 through 10 in a survey of how the NT witnesses depict Jesus’ proclamation, teaching, ministries of compassion, and ethical instruction. In chapters 11 and 12 the focus is on Jesus’ death and the resurrection. Chapter 13, “Jesus – Christ and Lord,” moves into the realm of Christology, an exploration of the phenomenon whereby Jesus became the object of religious devotion.
Several features of the book are self-consciously pedagogical in their intent, obviously constructed to facilitate student exploration and learning. Each chapter includes an inset listing but not defining some “Key Terms and Concepts” pertaining to its primary subject. Brief bibliographies at the conclusion of each chapter point students to resources for further reading. Helpful charts and diagrams appear throughout the book.
Recovering Jesus will potentially have an audience beyond the college students for whom it was written. Scholars may wish for more documentation of the grounds for Yoder Neufeld’s conclusions, or they might find his hermeneutic of “humility and awe” (122) before the witness of the NT writers lacking in precision, but they will find in this volume a remarkably comprehensive discussion of interpretive issues in current debates about Jesus.
Interested and motivated youth and adults in congregational study groups will find this to be a compelling guidebook to help them sort through the maze of competing interpretations currently promoted by scholars and the media. Pastors and teachers can also benefit from consulting this book, especially because of the breadth of its scope in discussing Jesus and his world.
The index could have been constructed in ways more beneficial for readers. In particular, an index of ancient sources would assist teachers, pastors, and other interested readers to locate the many treasures buried in the book’s pages.
In sum, Yoder Neufeld models a remarkable integration of scholarly clarity and Christian conviction. His model has the potential of furthering a recovery of Jesus and his vision of liberation in our fractured world.