The Handbooks on the New Testament series focuses primarily on the content of the biblical books without getting bogged down in historical-critical questions or detailed verse-by-verse exegesis.Benjamin L. Gladd, series editor"Introductions to the New Testament often spend time on issues such as authorship, dating, and audience of the Gospels and provide only thumbnail sketches of what is most important, the text. Benjamin Gladd provides in this volume what teachers, students, and interested laypersons want and need. In this one volume, he admirably delineates the four Gospels' shared and unique perspectives on Jesus's ministry, death, and resurrection. The interpretation of the Gospel texts is comprehensive without getting tangled in the underbrush of modern debates. Gladd admirably gets to the heart of the matter, the narrative's roots in the Old Testament, historical veracity, context in Jewish life, and, most importantly, theological significance. The additional bibliography makes this book a marvelous resource for a wide variety of settings.
"-- David E. Garland , George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University"An accessible and theologically rich guided tour through the testimony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to Jesus the Messiah, Son of God and Savior of the world. In a style that is both engaging and clear, Gladd shows how the four evangelists' selection, arrangement, and presentation of Jesus's deeds and words, in fulfillment of Old Testament promises and patterns, display the many-faceted glory of Christ's person and his redemptive mission."-- Dennis E. Johnson , Westminster Seminary California (emeritus)"Gladd has provided students of all stages and pastors with a useful resource for reading, interpreting, and understanding the four Gospels. Offering a hybrid between big-picture introductions and technical commentaries, Handbook on the Gospels guides the reader through the rich contours of each Gospel in a way that skillfully unites the larger, canonical context of every passage with the specific nuances of its own narrative account. Gladd offers a prudent text-based exploration of all four Gospels by walking readers through the trails of their specific stories and sacred subject matters.
A welcome guide for pastor and parishioner, student and scholar."-- Edward W. Klink III , senior pastor, Hope Evangelical Free Church, Roscoe, Illinois; author of John in ZECNT.