Ed McMahon used to introduce Johnny Carson with “Here’s Johnny!” I’m swiping that introduction to introduce my PhD supervisor’s newest book, and it is a book that truly does introduce readers to the big ideas in Jimmy Dunn’s many long books. The book is called Jesus, Paul, and the Gospels, and is made of nine chapters — Jesus, the transition from Jesus to Paul in the gospel, and then the “Bimillennial Paul.” If you are a student or a pastor, and you want to know how this Dunn fellow thinks, read this book first. One of the highlights of this book is that Jimmy wrote a brief academic history of his own ideas and development in the “Personal Introduction.”
Today we want to sketch the contours of his first chp: “Fact or Fiction? How Reliable are the Gospels?”
Which of Dunn’s books most influenced you?
But don’t be turned off into thinking this will be a skeptical approach to historical questions. In fact, the chp doesn’t get into proving what happened but instead, on the basis of his oral tradition hypothesis, sketches what Jesus was like. He is interested in the characteristic Jesus. The impression Jesus made upon his followers permits us to see the stamp that made the impression.
Here are the main features of the stamp:
Jesus began his ministry with an encounter with John the Baptist and it ended on a Roman cross.
Jesus was a Jew; a Jew whose ministry was in Galilee, and all of his ministry was shaped by that kind of Judaism.
Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God/the royal rule of God both as coming to full effect soon and as already active through his ministry.
Jesus regularly used ‘son of man’ as a way of speaking of his own mission and of the expectations of that ministry.
Jesus was a successful exorcist and knew it.
Jesus’ mode of teaching was parabolic and aphoristic. Jesus used ‘Amen’ to emphasize of the high importance of what he was saying.
Jesus reacted strongly against the tendency to dismiss fellow Jews too lightly as ‘sinners’.
Why is the apostle Paul holding a light saber in the picture on the book cover?
This summer I’ve got to get through “Jimmy’s” *Jesus Remembered* and *Beginning from Jerusalem.*
Thanks for letting us know about this one, Scot! Looks good!
@Waylon – LOL
Dang. I sure wish this were available as an e-book.
Christology in the Making.
I enjoy the simplicity of the structure of the book. It’s been awhile since I read it, though.
I bought Dunn’s THE THEOLOGY OF PAUL THE APOSTLE for $16.50 on the seconds shelf at Eerdmans like week 2 of the start of my MDiv at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. That book has give serious shape to my understanding of Paul. Since then I’ve also read through his BEGINNING FROM JERUSALEM (another second for $25!), which has helped shape an understanding of his background and context. His JESUS REMEMBERED has also shaped my reading of the gospels.
I so appreciate Dunn’s work and ideas!
The most influential for me (to this point) has been his BNTC commentary on Galatians. It was an awesome read. I have #The Theology of Paul# book but haven’t got too deep into it yet. This looks like another necessary addition to my library.
“Jesus and the Spirit” has been the most influential book I’ve read in the last 2 years. It gave me a framework for understanding the Spirit’s work in my own life in a reasonable way I could embrace as real.
Love Dunn. The man writes in his sleep. Thx. for making us aware of this new work. I like his “Unity and Diversity” and “NT Theology in Dialogue.” Never have forgotten this statement of his: “The clergy-laity tradition has done more to undermine New Testament authority than most heresies.”
Waylon,
it’s the “low tech” light saber, a sword
It’s an allusion to the passage in Hebrews 4 about the word of God being like a sword. Up until recently, most scholars believed Paul wrote Hebrews. So it’s a pictorial identification of Paul with that great bulk of scripture that came through his pen.
Dana
Did the First Christians Worship Jesus? arrived this week. Professor Dunn’s influence on me has been mostly indirect, though his theme of the diversity in the NT has been formative.
I first encountered James Dunn through his Romans commentary, but it was Jesus Remembered that got me hooked. I have since read a number of his books and articles. The Theology of Paul the Apostle is my favorite. It got me to rethink how I read Paul and eventually “converted” me to the New Perspective.
Scot,
I am gonna order this book right now. I am curious about how Dunn differs from Wright? I listened to their conference on the New Perspective a couple years back and I got the vibe that Dunn has a Wesleyan influence. Is this right? How else would they differ (in broad strokes of course).
Yes, Kurt, Jimmy is Wesleyan … Dunn’s approach to the New Perspective was through the lens of the works of the law issue and the Judaism/religion issue. Tom entered it through the righteousness of God and Romans issues, on top of course of the Judaism/religion issue.
Scot, thanks for your answer here. I just got the book in the mail today. peace.