A gathering of scholarly essays in response and tribute to James D. G. Dunn's influential book, Jesus Remembered, followed by a response from Dunn himself.

This is a different book about Jesus. It does not study the Gospels as sources for the historical Jesus, but reads them as memories about Jesus, each Gospel with its characteristic picture of Jesus. The book traces the transmission and growth of memories of Jesus in various contexts and in different historical periods. It also introduces readers to the little known counterstories to Christian memories in Jewish sources, as well as to the rival stories in the Quran. A central perspective in the book is the troubling fact that for centuries the memories of Jesus contributed to hate speech against the Jews in Europe. The passion narratives in the Gospels put the blame for the death of Jesus upon Jewish leaders, and these stories were transmitted across the centuries as historical truth. Memories of Jesus have served as identity markers not only for churches but also for societies and countries. The last chapters focus on how the memories of Jesus have played an important role in supporting the identity of oppressed and marginalized groups, in particular in the contemporary United States.

This groundbreaking work addresses the impact that the qualities of human memory would have had on the traditions of the historical Jesus found in the Synoptic Gospels.

This is a different book about Jesus. It does not study the Gospels as sources for the historical Jesus, but reads them as memories about Jesus, each Gospel with its characteristic picture of Jesus. The book traces the transmission and growth of memories of Jesus in various contexts and in different historical periods. It also introduces readers to the little known counterstories to Christian memories in Jewish sources, as well as to the rival stories in the Quran. A central perspective in the book is the troubling fact that for centuries the memories of Jesus contributed to hate speech against the Jews in Europe. The passion narratives in the Gospels put the blame for the death of Jesus upon Jewish leaders, and these stories were transmitted across the centuries as historical truth. Memories of Jesus have served as identity markers not only for churches but also for societies and countries. The last chapters focus on how the memories of Jesus have played an important role in supporting the identity of oppressed and marginalized groups, in particular in the contemporary United States.

An internationally renowned Jesus scholar rethinks our knowledge of the historical Jesus in light of recent progress in the scientific study of memory.

Memories of Jesus gathers essays from a variety of contributors that critically assess the influential book, Jesus Remembered, written by James D. G. Dunn, one of today’s most significant New Testament theologians. Considered a landmark in Jesus research, the book’s insights and impact are further explored by scholars including Craig L. Blomberg, Gary R. Habermas, and Charles L. Quarles who also receive a direct closing response from Dunn.

He did not fit into the conventional culture of his day. He questioned many of its core beliefs. He sought to empower the oppressed, and he paid the ultimate price for living this way. Yet 2000 years of tradition has replaced this revolutionary Jesus with an earthly prince - a ruler and hero - rather than the prophetic rebel who changed the course of history.