Who is Jesus? An Introduction to Christology by Michael Glazier - Christian Theology Book for Bible Study, Seminary Courses & Spiritual Growth

If like me you believe that Christology is at the epicenter of the study of Christian theology, then you cannot do better than Rausch's book as an excellent introduction to this always fascinating subject. Rausch touches all the important topics, from his well-written explanation of the three quests for the historical Jesus to his explanation of the Jesus movement and beyond. The helpful glossary in the book gives straightforward definitions of theological terms such as "eschatology" and "soteriology," a great help for those just beginning to delve into a structured study of Christ.Rausch is a Jesuit priest. I had the benefit of Jesuit education in both high school and college, and I couldn't help thinking while reading the book that Rausch must be a great teacher, as so many of my Jesuit teachers were, and I admit to being a bit envious of the students fortunate enough to have Rausch as a teacher now. Despite his Catholic pedigree, however, Rausch never favors Catholic interpretation or Catholic biblical scholars over Protestant and Jewish interpretation and scholars. He gives a fair, balanced, and comprehensive survey of Christology, and if he didn't have "S.J." (i.e., Society of Jesus) after his name, the reader would be hard pressed to know that a Catholic priest had authored the book.In addition to the excellent writing and the logical organization of the book, Rausch provides well chosen cites to his sources. He doesn't overdo the citations--something that can often numb the eyes and stunt the flow of a scholarly text--instead, as one newsprint reviewer of the book has said, Rausch makes the reader eager to explore the sources as the next level of inquiry into Christology.While the question "Who is Jesus?" can never be answered with certainty or in full, Rausch has provided a very worthwhile introduction to Christology and a very helpful overview of the state of current thought about the subject. Even the seasoned student of theology will know more about Christ after reading this book than he or she knew before.