A Varied Harvest of Books on Jesus Christ
Hundreds of books of all kinds have been written about the life and work of Jesus Christ The following list is a selected sampling of some very worthwhile, popular level books representing the various types of works that have been produced.
Perspectives Providing Overviews
Bock, Darrell. Jesus According to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2002.
Johnson, Luke Timothy. Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospel. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1999.
Johnson, Luke Timothy. The Real Jesus. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.
A good critique of the misguided “Jesus Seminar” people & other recent writers.
Miller, Calvin, editor. The Book of Jesus: A Treasury of the Greatest Stories and Writings About Christ. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.
A fascinating collection of hundreds of selections from writers of all eras of history. Miller brings together the best stories, poems, essays, and songs from a great variety of authors, all revealing their insights about the life of Jesus Christ.
Stein, Robert H. Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
Stott, John. The Incomparable Christ. Downers Grove, I11.: Inter Varsity Press, 2001.
This is a good overview of how the New Testament writers and writers throughout history have presented Jesus. It also describes the influence of Jesus through the centuries on significant people. The last part (based on Revelation) describes how the eternal Jesus challenges us today.
Artistic Views of the Life of Christ
Blosser, Don, Timothy J. Dailey, Randy Petersen, and Dietrich Gruen. Jesus: His Life and Times. Lincolnwood, Ill.: Publications International, Ltd., 2004.
Doares, Robert. Immanuel: God With Us: The Life of Christ in Art. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1995. A beautiful book of detailed, original works of art depicting the life of Jesus by Doares.
Hobbs, Herschel. The Illustrated Life of Jesus. Nashville, Tenn.: Holman, 2000.
Maus, Cynthia Pearl. Christ and the Fine Arts : An Anthology of Pictures, Poetry, Music, and Stories Centering in the Life of Christ. Rev. and enl. ed. New York: Harper, 1959. This older work is still useful as a resource of poetry and visual art on Christ.
Lives of Jesus
Anderson, Leith. Jesus: An Intimate Portrait of the Man, His Land, and His People. Minneapolis: Bethany, 2006.
Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 3rd ed. 2 volumes. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1967 (Originally 1886). A great classic work with an extensive life of Christ and much background material.
Guthrie, Donald. A Shorter Life of Christ. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2000.
In addition to a brief summary of the life of Christ, this book also surveys the background to his life, various approaches writers have taken, and the teaching and miracles of Jesus.
Harrison, Everett F. A Short Life of Christ. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1968.
A careful study of the life of Christ, his character, teaching and claims from a traditional, conservative viewpoint.
Stalker, James. The Life of Jesus Christ. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1949
(originally 1880).
A concise life of Christ written for the common reader and divided into brief
numbered sections. This book was reprinted many times because of its great
popularity & usefulness.
Swindoll, Charles. Jesus, the Greatest Life of All. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
Yancey, Philip. The Jesus I Never Knew. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1995.
A fresh look at the life of Christ by a popular contemporary author. Voted
Christian Book of the Year in 1995.
The Person and Work of Christ: Doctrinal Studies
Bateman, Herbert W., IV, Darrell L. Bock, and Gordon H. Johnston. Jesus the Messiah:
Tracing the Promises, Expectations, and Coming of Israel’s King. Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Kregel Publications, 2012.
Bowman, Robert M., Jr., and J. Ed Komoszewski. Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for
the Deity of Christ. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 2007.
Bruce, F. F. Jesus: Past, Present and Future- The Work of Christ. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1979, 1998. A brief, clear study by one of the best New Testament scholars in the last fifty years.
Carson, D. A. Jesus the Son of God: A Christological Title Often Overlooked, Sometimes Misunderstood, and Currently Disputed. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2012.
Denney. James. The Death of Christ. Revised edition. Edited by R. V.G. Tasker. London: The Tyndale Press, 1951 (originally 1902). A great classic work on the atoning death of Jesus Christ
Macleod, Donald. The Person of Christ. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998.
A study of this central doctrine of the faith with introductions to the issues that have been discussed over the centuries (Christ’s deity, humanity, sinlessness, virgin birth, pre-existence, and uniqueness).
Piper, John. Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ. Rev. edition. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2004.
Piper, John. What Jesus Demands of the World. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2006.
This excellent book does not focus on what Jesus can do for us, but rather on what Jesus demands of us. Piper studies the basic commands of Jesus and their practical application (e.g. repent, listen to me, abide in me, take up your cross, rejoice, etc.).
Stott, John R. W. The Cross of Christ. Downers Grove, III.: InterVarsity Press, 1986.
A great book on the meaning and centrality of the Cross. The author, John Stott was one of Christianity’s leading teachers and writers.
Current Issues:
Bird, Michael F. Jesus is the Christ. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2012.
Bock, Darrell, and Daniel B. Wallace. Dethroning Jesus: Exposing Popular Culture’s Quest to Unseat the Biblical Christ. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2007.
Evans, Craig A. Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels. Downers
Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2006.
Habermas, Gary. The Secret of the Talpiot Tomb: Unraveling the Mystery of the Jesus Family Tomb. Nashville, Tenn.: Holman Reference, 2007.
A brief book by an evangelical specialist on the Resurrection.
Hurtado, Larry W. Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2003.
Hurtado gives comprehensive proof that Jesus was worshipped as divine from the beginning of the church, and this was not a late development as some have claimed. See also, How On Earth Did Jesus Become A God?: Historical Questions About Earliest Devotion To Jesus. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2005.
Keener, Craig S. The Historical Jesus of the Gospels. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2009.
A good overview of historical Jesus research, the nature and background of ancient historical and biographical writing, and the reliability and preeminence of the New Testament Gospels (esp. the synoptics) for understanding the life of Jesus.
Komoszewski, J. Edward, M. James Sawyer, and Daniel B. Wallace. ReInventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 2006.
This is an evangelical work which addresses current issues like the DaVinci Code, but also has a very detailed defense of the reliability of the New Testament.
Quarles, Charles, ed. Buried Hope or Risen Savior. Nashville, Tenn.: B. & H. Academic,
2008.
Several authors lend their expertise to refute the Jesus Tomb theory.
Roberts, Mark D. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. Colorado
Springs, Colo.: Waterbrook Press, 2002.
Strobel, Lee. The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2007. See also The Case for
Christ. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1998.
Witherington, Ben, III. What Have They Done With Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories and
Bad History- Why We Can Trust the Bible. New York: HarperOne, 2006.
The Resurrection:
Craig, William Lane. The Son Rises: The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2000.
See also Craig’s Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection. Rev. ed. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2002. This is a more comprehensive study, but since it is very expensive, try to check it out at a library. For a debate format of Craig’s points, see: Copan, Paul, and Ronald Tacelli, eds. Jesus’ Resurrection: Fact or Fiction? A Debate Between W. L. Craig and Gerd Ludeman. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
Habermas, Gary. The Risen Jesus and Future Hope. Lanham, Maryland: Rowan and Littlefield, 2003.
Habermas, Gary R., and Michael R. Licona. The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 2004.
This is an excellent, practical presentation of the evidence for the resurrection.
Ladd, George Eldon. I Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1975.
Licona, Michael R. The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2010.
A careful and methodical presentation of the evidence for the resurrection from a historian’s perspective. One of the most important books on the resurrection.
Stewart, Robert B., ed. The Resurrection of Jesus: John Dominic Crossan and N.T. Wright in Dialogue. Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress Press, 2006.
Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Christian Origins and the Question of
God, vol. 3. Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg Fortress, 2003.
This in-depth study is the definitive study of the Resurrection. Wright establishes that the apostles meant that the Resurrection was a bodily resurrection, and that there is sufficient evidence for belief in the historical Resurrection.