‘Psychological Analyses and the Historical Jesus. New Ways to Explore Christian Origins’ by Bas Van Os is now available to the readers in the UK, and all those interested in the US will be able to read it at the end of February 2011.
As the author says: ‘This is not a theological study although it may yield some insights that theologians can use. Neither is it a historical-critical analysis of the Gospels, although some findings may be of importance to the methodology employed in such analyses. I am not looking for absolute truths or relatively certain facts behind the Gospels, although my findings could be relevant for that enterprise as well. Rather, this is an attempt to reintegrate psychology in the search for the historical Jesus and his earliest followers from an interdisciplinary and social-scientific point of view.’
Although this volume comes from our LNTS series and we usually do not solicit endorsements for books in this series, we have received four great blurbs for this title, which are posted below:
'Impressively interacting with advanced biblical scholarship, and cognizant of the dangers in moving too easily from psychobiography to historical studies, Bas van Os presents a major contribution to Jesus Research (which as I have emphasized is not driven by theology). He agrees with Albert Schweitzer who rightly protested any psychiatric study of the historical Jesus; yet, he demonstrates how recent psychology theory helps in Jesus Research. Employing psychobiology, Bas van Os demonstrates how psychological insights can make plausible what seemed impossible. Using modern research in conversion patterns, new religious movements, and social memory he demonstrates that, within the Jesus Movement, there is continuity between Jesus and his followers. This study is well informed and will be welcome to all who realize that all methodologies can help us avoid subjectivity as we advance Jesus Research.' - James H. Charlesworth, author of The Historical Jesus.
‘This book is a prodigious achievement, breaking ground simultaneously in three fields: historical Jesus research, psychological biblical criticism, and early church studies. With an impressive command of European and American scholarship, Bas van Os initiates us into the world between the historical Jesus and earliest Christianity with an intriguing thesis: that the effect of the former on the latter provides compelling psychological, anthropological, demographic, and sociological insight into the historical Jesus. The reader will not be able to put the book down as van Os initiates us into five disciplines new to most biblical scholars: attachment theory, rational choice theory, anthropological psychology, the psychology of coping with loss, and role theory, all of which open unexpected doors to a past that is constantly at work in the conscious and unconscious life of church and scholar.’ – Wayne G. Rollins, author of Soul and Psyche.
‘Bas van Os has given us a highly readable volume that defines the battle and picks the terrain for Jesus studies for the next century. It provides a framework for studying historical religious leaders and followers, new ways of assessing how Christianity arose and Jesus' self-consciousness developed, historical findings that illumine Paul's epistles and the gospels, and substantive information for faith and doctrine. He has taken what many of us have laboured with for decades, and cast it in a new perspective that makes it all make greater sense.’ – J. Harold Ellens, editor of Psychology and the Bible
‘I am amazed by this wonderful book. I did not expect to like it, being strongly biased against all forms of psychobiography. But Bas van Os rises far above that field's limitations and achieves a cautious and sensible study.’ – Rodney Stark, author of The Rise of Christianity
Hello,
could you please tell me what happened to the following titles, which were originally planned to come out in late 2010-early 2011 ?
They seem to have disappeared from the site!
Webb Robert L. – Goodacre Mark, Jesus as Restoration Prophet: Engaging the Work of E. P. Sanders.
Webb Robert L. – Powell Mark A., Jesus as Israel’s Messiah: Engaging the Work of N.T. Wright.
Webb Robert L. – Miller Robert J., Jesus as Peasant Sage: Engaging the Work of John Dominic Crossan.
Thanks!
Posted by: Johannes Weiss | February 18, 2011 at 02:26 AM
Just wondering if you could blog an update on the ICC of Joshua by Auld. It's appearing all over the web with a publication date of Feb 2011. And if it's about to hit the market, I WANT IT.
(Sorry this is off topic, but the email link didn't work)
Posted by: The Dave | February 20, 2011 at 04:55 AM
To Johannes Weiss - I am terribly sorry but these three titles have been cancelled
many thanks
anna
Posted by: Anna Turton | February 22, 2011 at 11:51 AM
Once again - I am terribly sorry but the ICC of Joshua by Auld has also been cancelled
many thanks
anna
Posted by: Anna Turton | February 22, 2011 at 11:53 AM