Tilling announced it, Nijay Gupta did it, Rick Brannan followed suit, and now here I am jumping on the bandwagon. But my list will be shorter than 20, in fact, it’s another or my many top 10 lists, ok, really 5. I like a lot of scholars, but relatively few have been influential to me. So here are the top 5 scholars who have influenced me:
1. Larry Hurtado
His work on early Christian devotion to Jesus is unmatched. To call him erudite is an understatement, as he has exhibited a depth of knowledge and a breadth of research unsurpassed by anyone that I have read. His work also lays a foundation for really delving into my favorite topic, the doctrine of the Trinity. Where to start? I say go with the big book, Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity.
2. J.N.D. Kelly
Kelly helped me to realize the vital importance of the Patristic writers. As someone who worships in a ‘low church’ context, I never really even had a sense of my own denomination’s tradition, let alone the tradition of the Church proper. Reading Kelly changed that and he got me interested in the development of Christianity’s core and most distinctive doctrine: the doctrine of the Trinity. Where to start? That’s easy, start with Early Christian Doctrines.
3. Craig Evans
It was Evans who caused me to take a serious look at my belief in inerrancy. Here was a conservative scholar, who affirmed the simple fact that one need not believe the Bible to be inerrant in order to believe it was inspired. That was revolutionary for me. Where to start? Go with my favorite popular level apologetic book of 2 years ago, Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels.
4. Michael L. Brown
As someone who has had a lot of contact with orthodox Jews over the last 6 years, Brown’s work on answering Jewish objections to Jesus has been more than helpful. The clarity with which he writes and speaks is amazing, but I’m even more impressed by the spirit in which he presents his material. Out of anyone I have ever heard debate on any given topic, Brown has consistently been the most gracious, the most prepared, and the most wellspoken. Where to start? Pick any of of the four volumes in his Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus series. I’m partial to Volume 3: Messianic Prophecy Objections.
5. Darrell Bock
I’ve always appreciated the way in which Bock can write so effortlessly for the scholar and layman alike. His Studying the Historical Jesus played a large role in my interest in the subject, and his Blasphemy and Exaltation in Judaism helped to solidify my understanding of Jesus’ trial in Mark 14 and support it with scholarly research and arguments. Where to start? That’s a tough one since he’s a prolific writer and writes on so many topics. I particularly enjoy his Jesus According to Scripture so I’d start with that one. It’s a good book to teach an adult Bible study with.
I’d love to include Gordon Fee, James Dunn, F.F. Bruce, and Bart Ehrman. I love all of these scholars and I have benefited greatly from what I’ve read of them. But I haven’t read as much as I think I would need to in order for me to really be influenced by their work. Out of all of them, Fee has me seriously reconsidering Wisdom Christology, which I once held to unapologetically.
B”H
Categories:
