Jesus & the Restoration of Israel: A Critical Assessment of N. T. Wright's Jesus & the Victory of God

"Jesus just won't go away," begins the editor of this collection of essays. Devoted to the massive and influential study by the theologian N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, this current volume assembles a dozen or so leading scholars to assess the importance--and accuracy--of Wright's 600-page study of the historical Jesus. More than a simple tribute to this English scholar, the writers in the volume, who are mainly assembled from the conservative wings of the church (with Marcus Borg representing the more liberal "Jesus Seminar" interpreters), clearly wish to clarify and deepen their own interpretations even while affirming the richness and depth of Wright's approach. As the editor states, readers here will find essays "by historians of Second Temple Judaism, Scripture scholars, systematic theologians and philosophers." As a result, even without reading Wright's own book, this volume can give the reader a very clear snapshot of much of New Testament studies as it (and we) begin a new millennium. --Doug Thorpe