This is the time of the year when many professors are thinking about textbooks for next year, and I’ve come across one for Jesus of Nazareth classes. I’m wondering, in particular, if anyone out there has used this book in a class for undergraduates. It is called Recovering Jesus and it is by Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld. This book has everything I’d like to have covered, but I wonder if the level is right.
Neufeld comes at everything from the “right” angle (Anabaptist!). He covers everything from the angle of the life and teachings of Jesus — kingdom, parables, enacting kingdom, living kingdom, and then he has stuff on John and baptism and temptation and the twelve — and then chps on the death and resurrection of Jesus. He finishes with a “who was Jesus?” chp. So, I like what he covers.
The book is shaped by pedagogy rather than conclusions and an overall argument to present Neufeld’s view of Jesus; so he gives views; stuff on methods; leaves questions unanswered. I like that in a textbook.
He has very good bibliographies at the end of each chp.
Anyway, I’m wondering if anyone has used it and has comments.