Cover of The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

One of the best known and most important references on the life of Christ ever written, Alfred Edersheim's "The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah" is a storehouse of information on the background of the New Testament. This classic work successfully portrays the streets, the marketplaces, the religious conflicts, the people, and the places of Jesus' earthly ministry.

Read more

Edersheim divides his work into five sections, or books:

Book 1 "The Preparation for the Gospel"

Introductory historical, religious, political, and cultural material based on the author's extensive knowledge of Jewish lore and customs.

Book 2 "From Bethlehem to Jordan"

The background of Herod and his reign, St. John the Baptist and his message, and the birth and baptism of Jesus.

Book 3 "From Jordan to the Mount of Transfiguration"

Thirty-seven chapters explore the miracles and teachings of Jesus' early ministry.

Book 4 "The Descent into the Valley of Humiliation"

A history of the latter part of Jesus' ministry from the Transfiguration to the journey to Jerusalem.

Book 5 "The Cross and the Crown"

A chronicle of each day of Passion Week, from Palm Sunday to the Resurrection.

Appendices

Valuable background material on Jewish history, tradition, and law"

Audience
adult
Length
epic · 1136 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Jesus and the Victory of God Shares theology, biblical studies, Christian
  2. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels Shares theology, biblical studies, Christian
  3. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship Shares theology, biblical studies, christianity
  4. Paul Among the People: The Apostle Reinterpreted and Reimagined in His Own Time Shares theology, religion, Christian

“People who read The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah tend to reach for these next.”

  1. Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek
  2. Annals of the World
  3. Greek New Testament
  4. Jesus and the Gospels

“If you want more of the same (history about religion), start with these.”

  1. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Volume II - Mentor, Message, and Miracles
  2. Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History
  3. A High View of Scripture?: The Authority of the Bible and the Formation of the New Testament Canon
  4. Crucifixion

“If it was the theology that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. The New Testament and the People of God
  2. Reformation for Armchair Theologians
  3. Saving the Bible from Ourselves: Learning to Read and Live the Bible Well
  4. How the Bible was Built

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Understanding Jesus: Cultural Insights into the Words and Deeds of Christ
  2. God So Loved the World: The Final Days of the Savior's Life
  3. Backgrounds of Early Christianity
  4. Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels