I have always wanted to use these two words in a sentence: "encyclopedic" and "magisterial." So here's my chance.
Anyone interested, really interested, in what is known about the death of Jesus should have the work of Catholic biblical scholar, the late Raymond Brown in their library: The Death of the Messiah, From Gethsemane to the Grave, A Commentary on the Passion Narrative in the Four Gospels (Volume 1 and 2).
From the arcane to the obvious, this two volume set, first published in 1993, is truly magisterial and encyclopedic. The paperback edition logs in at a combined page count of 1,664. Heavily footnoted and with a massive bibliography, this is not the kind of book that you sit down and read cover to cover; it is simply overpowering in its detail. The scope of Brown's research is amazing.
Save up your pennies and get this into your library. You'll be using it for years to come.
1 comment:
Oh my, John! That is a lot of pages! I have Brown's The Birth of The Messiah, so I know he is really worthwhile--so thorough. It looks like this one will have to wait until I retire or at least until summer. So many books and so little time! Keep 'em comin', Rev. I really enjoy your blog.
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