A Different Type of Biography

Jesus of Nazareth is arguably the most pivotal figure in history, He split history. But as a Christian He is so much more than that to me. I enjoy reading not just the Bible, but books about the life, historical background, and teachings of Jesus. Jesus: A Theography is a new book about Jesus, starting from the premise that Jesus story is throughout the entire Bible, not just the Second Testament.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There are times where I wish Sweet and Viola had explained how they reached their typological conclusions, beyond just footnoting resources. But for the most part they did a good job exploring the story of Jesus.

One of my favorite sections was the chapters they did on the so-called “missing years” of Jesus. They pointed out that Scripture tells us that Jesus had a ordinary youth. Jesus spent His youth learning the Scriptures, and being trained by His adoptive father Joseph, not just to work with wood, but stone as well:

Since it was the practice of a father to teach his son his trade or skill, we can assume that Joseph trained Jesus for the vocation of being a tekton. (The fact that Matthew 13:54–56 says Joseph was a tekton and Mark 6:2–3 says Jesus was a tekton confirms this.) The Greek word tekton used in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 has been commonly translated “carpenter.” However, the wide consensus among Greek scholars today is that the word means “artisan”—someone who works with stone and wood.

While this seems like a minor detail, its one way Sweet and Viola really fleshed out the life of Christ. Building on the foundation of the Gospels, and the rest of Scripture, His life is fleshed out with details about what is known about the world of the 1st century. Its definitely worth reading!

I read this book in ebook format and found it to aid in reading due to the extensive amount of footnotes.

Kindle Book Link

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See larger image Jesus (Kindle Edition) By (author): Leonard Sweet, Frank Viola Jesus says, “The Scriptures point to me!” (John 5:39 NLT). But what does that mean exactly? The twenty-seven books of the New Testament are largely a commentary on the Old Testament, and each part of the Bible is a signpost to Jesus. Once this is properly understood, everything changes, including our own identities. In this magisterial work you will discover a Jesus who is larger, more glorious, and more challenging than most of us have ever imagined. Biographies of Jesus generally have been written by those trying to investigate the historical Jesus with little attention given to the grand narrative of Scripture. On the flip side, those interested in tracing the theology of Scripture are typically disinterested in historical Jesus studies. These two approaches have yet to converge...until now. Jesus is written for the average reader as well as scholars. Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola (authors of Jesus Manifesto) unfold the greatest story ever told in a fresh and invigorating way. So whether you are a seasoned Christian, a new believer, or someone who is intrigued by Jesus, this book unveils the discoveries of a lifetime, transforming the tired and familiar way we have read the Bible into an electrifying journey of rediscovering Christ. Introducing a new kind of Jesus biography. In this compelling work, authors Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola reclaim the entire Bible as a gripping narrative about Jesus Christ. Virtually every other “Jesus biography” begins with the nativity account in Bethlehem. In this groundbreaking book, Sweet and Viola begin before time, in the Triune God, and tell the complete interconnected story of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus: A Theography is the first book ever written to combine historical Jesus studies with biblical theology, crafting together one breathtaking saga that tells the Jesus story in both Old and New Testaments. This flagship book demonstrates clearly that every bit of Scripture is part of the same stunning drama, what the authors refer to as the theography of Jesus Christ. New From: 0 Out of Stock Used from: Out of Stock