The aim of this study is to show that the Evangelists, to an extent hitherto unrecognized, wrote narratives which set out to distinguish Jesus's time from their own. Such an effort, Professor Lemcio explains, went beyond their merely putting verbs in past tenses and dividing their accounts into pre- and post-resurrection periods. Rather, they took care that terminology appropriate to the Easter appearances did not appear beforehand, and that vocabulary used prior to Easter fell by the wayside afterwards. The author shows that words common to both eras bear a different nuance in each, and that the idiom used is seen to suit the time. These are not routine or incidental expressions, but reveal what Jesus the protaganist and the Evangelists as narrators believed about the Gospel, the Christ, the messianic task, and the nature of salvation. This much becomes apparent from a study of the internal evidence, and by next turning to data outside the Gospels, the author attempts to show how biographical and historical writings of the ancient world may prove useful in separate efforts to reconstruct the course of Jesus's life. Lemcio shows how expectations for idiomatic and linguistic verisimilitude in Graeco-Roman historical and biographical writing were met and often exceeded by the Evangelists. His study thus makes a valuable contribution towards our understanding of the literary art of the Gospel narratives, and highlights a literary sensitivity on their writers' part which has failed to receive the critical attention it deserves.

'A Man of Many Parts' is an inspired homage to the life and thought of John Bowker, cleric, lecturer and broadcaster. Author of 'The Sense of God', 'Is God a Virus?' and 'The Sacred Neuron', Bowker is an independent thinker of profound erudition with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding. This collection of essays is a study in responses to the work of an exceptional scholar whose humane spirit and empathetic approach to theology has influenced countless people. Bowker has striven for years to reconcile faith and belief with reason, and to find the truth behind religious thought. 'A Man of Many Parts' continues in his intellectual tradition, with essays from Rowan Williams, Jane Shaw, William J. Abraham and others tackling his body of work from a wide variety of perspectives. Whether re-examining the Son of Man in the context of the life of the prophet Daniel, or discussing how both neuroscience and theology seek to map the vastness of human nature, these essays build on Bowker's rigorous analysis in the highest possible accolade to his bibliography. This collection is a priceless treasure trove for anyone with a love of learning, an original mind and a limitless breadth of interests.

Synopsis: Not a reference tool, this unique work is a teaching-learning guide to studying the earliest Gospel. The focus is on showing how rather than on telling what. "Maps" followed by leading questions and statements help both faculty and students to see how the Evangelist adopted and adapted his sacred texts (as well as Jewish and Greco-Roman resources) in light of his convictions about and experience of Jesus. Noticing the dominance of words and themes leads one to discover the primary concerns of the Author and his readers. Observing how St. Mark internally arranged his materials provides a clue as to the kind of work it is and how it was meant to function. Endorsements: "In design and execution, this pedagogical aid is unique. Instead of drowning his reader in data, Lemcio offers carefully constructed charts with which the student may begin to intelligently navigate Mark. Amidst well-honed comments, Lemcio poses incisive questions that continuously return us to the primary text. The result is a valuable collection of maps for the gospel that calls disciples to position themselves properly: following the way of Jesus." --C. Clifton Black, Professor of Biblical Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary Author Biography: Eugene E. Lemcio is Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Seattle Pacific University, where he taught for thirty-six years. His writings about Canonical Hermeneutics, the Gospels, the Son of Man, and the Unifying Kerygma of the New Testament have appeared in leading academic publications in the field. He is the author of Navigating Revelation: Charts for the Voyage (Wipf & Stock, 2011)

The aim of this study is to show that the Evangelists, to an extent hitherto unrecognized, wrote narratives which set out to distinguish Jesus's time from their own. Such an effort, Professor Lemcio explains, went beyond their merely putting verbs in past tenses and dividing their accounts into pre- and post-resurrection periods. Rather, they took care that terminology appropriate to the Easter appearances did not appear beforehand, and that vocabulary used prior to Easter fell by the wayside afterwards. The author shows that words common to both eras bear a different nuance in each, and that the idiom used is seen to suit the time. These are not routine or incidental expressions, but reveal what Jesus the protaganist and the Evangelists as narrators believed about the Gospel, the Christ, the messianic task, and the nature of salvation. This much becomes apparent from a study of the internal evidence, and by next turning to data outside the Gospels, the author attempts to show how biographical and historical writings of the ancient world may prove useful in separate efforts to reconstruct the course of Jesus's life. Lemcio shows how expectations for idiomatic and linguistic verisimilitude in Graeco-Roman historical and biographical writing were met and often exceeded by the Evangelists. His study thus makes a valuable contribution towards our understanding of the literary art of the Gospel narratives, and highlights a literary sensitivity on their writers' part which has failed to receive the critical attention it deserves.