Gospel According to Luke

Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus of Nazareth according to the writer Luke. Who was Jesus? Who was Luke?

REQUIRED READING

Please feel free to use any edition of the New Testament that you already possess.  But this edition, the New Jerusalem Bible, paperback edition of the New Testament is particularly useful and well designed. This paper edition is now out of print, but there are many used copies available from Amazon at very low prices. I will be using this edition in my lectures.

RECOMMENDED READING

In our second week of study when we were reading Genesis, I recommended Richard Friedman's book Who Wrote the Bible? Now this week when we come to Christianity we need another book to give us some background on both the Old and New Testaments. And I have just the book for you: Jeffery Sheler, Is the Bible True?(ISBN 0-06-067542-X, paperback,$15.00). Sheler is the religion writer for US News. Over the years he has covered all the latest debates in the world of Biblical criticism, and two years ago he wrote this wonderful summary of all he has learned over the last years. It is a total pleasure to read. It is clear and well organized and provides the best survey available in the complex world of New Testament criticism (He also provides a good summary of the issues raised in Friedman's book.)

MORE RECOMMENDED READING: HISTORICAL FICTION

Here are two wonderful novels that tell about the world of early Christianity; both deal with Luke. The Taylor Caldwell novel, Dear and Glorious Physician, is the best possible way to come to know the whole world of Luke and Paul, other than reading Luke and Acts.  You will love these books if you are a fan of historical fiction.