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Four Gospels, One Jesus - Literary approaches to the texts
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Literary approaches to the texts
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Literary approaches to the texts Narrative and readers If the authors of the four gospels are not just preachers and theologians, but also skilled literary artists, then we must use the tools developed in the study of literature throughout our culture. Such literary approaches in…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Living under the shadow of his wings
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Living under the shadow of his wings
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Living under the shadow of his wings Like most animals, the eagle rushes into conflict when protecting its young, yet the same instinct causes it to exhibit tender care. Moses’ final song compares God’s concern for Israel to an eagle ‘hovering over its young . . . bearing them al…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Mountains
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Mountains
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Mountains For some strange reason, human beings connect mountains with God. In many ancient religions, worship took place on the ‘high places’. Even today, we talk of ‘mountain-top experiences’, despite having left behind the notion that mountains are closer to God’s supposed dwe…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Plurality within limits
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Plurality within limits
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Plurality within limits If we return to our initial comparison with Churchill, then certainly Lady Churchill believed that there were limits with regard to portraits of her husband, although the criteria seem subjective. Graham Sutherland’s tapestry of Christ can still be seen at…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Preface and Acknowledgements from the First Edition
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Preface and Acknowledgements from the First Edition
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Preface and Acknowledgements from the First Edition ‘I think you should read the gospels,’ my spiritual adviser pronounced, gazing into the roaring log fire as he swirled the golden liquid around his glass. It was a cold Christmas, and we were on retreat at Launde Abbey in the de…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Preface to the Revised Edition
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Preface to the Revised Edition
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Preface to the Revised Edition I am constantly amazed and humbled by the impact which this little book seems to have had over the last ten years since it was first published. It has been reprinted a number of times on both sides of the Atlantic and sells all around the world. The…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Preface to the SPCK Classics Edition
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Preface to the SPCK Classics Edition
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Preface to the SPCK Classics Edition It is hard to believe, looking back over more than twenty years, how the idea for this account of the four gospels’ portraits of Jesus first came to me and how the chapters almost seemed to write themselves…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Righteousness, morality and judgement
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Righteousness, morality and judgement
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Righteousness, morality and judgement Matthew’s Teacher is concerned about moral teaching; one of his key words (occurring seven times in Matthew, once in Luke, and never in Mark) is dikaiosune, justice or righteousness, with its adjective dikaios (fifteen times in Matthew; once …
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Strength to bear the burdens
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Strength to bear the burdens
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Strength to bear the burdens Luke’s spirituality As well as a patient steady plodder, carrying heavy loads, the ox was a very religious symbol for Jews, being used for sacrifice, and its horns representing the power of God. If Luke is the evangelist who depicts Jesus as the beare…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Talons bared for conflict
Four Gospels, One Jesus - Talons bared for conflict
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
Talons bared for conflict The Book of Signs and “the Jews”, John 2—12 In Tolkien’s stories, Numenor is an Atlantis-like land blessed by Iluvatar (God) which overreaches itself and turns to evil. Its doom is presaged first by eagle-shaped clouds and then by eagles themselves; few …
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The beast of conflict
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The beast of conflict
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The beast of conflict Opposition and ministry, Mark 1—8 One thing is clear about lions in every age and culture: they are powerful fighters with a keen sense of territory. After the opening flurry of chapter 1, Jesus starts to roam far and wide around the northern territories by …
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The bounding lion
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The bounding lion
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The bounding lion Mark’s style, structure and narrative technique Whenever Aslan does appear in the Narnia stories, he dashes from place to place as he is needed in great leaps and bounds: ‘he rushes on and on, never missing his footing, never hesitating’ (The Lion, the Witch and…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The four living creatures
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The four living creatures
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The four living creatures The allocation of the symbols to the gospels What are the four portraits of Jesus, and how can we get away from the mixed-up amalgam? A traditional visual aid has been to use the four living creatures found in Ezekiel’s vision of God (Ezek. 1.10). In the…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The four symbols as visual teaching aids
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The four symbols as visual teaching aids
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The four symbols as visual teaching aids Reasons and explanations Clearly, the allocation of the symbols resulted from applying Ezekiel to one’s customary order of the gospels – and the explanations followed on later, some of which are rather strained. The reasons given are all d…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The hour of glory
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The hour of glory
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The hour of glory The Passion, John 18—19 The sight of an eagle climbing up into the sky is glorious. So, too, for John, the death of Jesus sets him free of the earth to return to his Father on high; the hour of his Passion is also the hour of glory. This is the supreme irony. As…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The human face
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The human face
by SPCK - Richard A Burridge
The Teacher of Israel – Matthew’s Jesus ‘The human face Symbolism and meaning Our detailed consideration of Mark has demonstrated the person-centred reading of the gospels as biographies. About 90 per cent of Mark (around 600 verses) is repeated in Matthew, slightly abbreviated i…
Four Gospels, One Jesus - The identity of Jesus