The Gospels as Stories

Most of the time, we read just a passage from the gospels. This may help us digest what is said, but can lead to us missing the whole picture. We need to see them as a complete story, not bits gathered here and there. In The Gospels as Stories, Jeannine Brown shares both how to see the whole picture and why it is important to do so.

This book is thorough and does a good job of explaining the point. There were times that I had to read more slowly, and even re-read a passage, but that is because there is so much to take in. The Gospels as Stories would be a good addition for anyone that wants to dive deeper into how the gospels share the life and ministry of Christ and how they fit together.

I don’t know how many times I’ve read in the gospels, but I know that it’s never been in one sitting. I knew that they are meant to be seen as a whole, but it isn’t something that I apply when I read. Looking back, I can see a lot of times that I took the passages as individual pieces. After reading this book, I am going to keep an eye on my reading so that I don’t lose sight of the entire story.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

My review of The Gospel as Stories from Jeannie K. Brown.

What does this book offer the Church?
In general, at least in my experience, the Church is not really sure what to do with the four Gospels that sit at the beginning of her New Testament. For the most part, in terms of Christian living and preaching, I think most churches stray into strictly Pauline territory, preferring exposition to narratives. In scholarly circles, over the past century, the focus has shifted to text-criticism and historical Jesus studies, rather than focusing on the content of the Gospels. But when the Gospels purport to show us the very life of Jesus, how can the Church avoid it forever?

Jeannie Brown’s excellent The Gospel as Stories is designed to help readers, laity and scholars alike, understand the Gospels in a fresh way: as narratives. Of course, the Gospels are clearly narratives, but we may not be sure what to do in light of that. In light of this, Brown teaches readers how to read narratives, how to study narratives, and illuminates the ways in which narratives shape the way we read texts over the way we would read, say, the epistles.

How successfully does this book meet its goals?
Spoiler alert: I’m going to tell you that this book is worth picking up.

Without being hyperbolic, the framing of this discussion is rather ingenious. Brown has identified the core aspects of reading a narrative as plot and plotting, character and characterization, intertextuality, and how to do narrative theology. Brown then explains these four concepts through the lens of a single Gospel. That means that we both see narrative reading in action, alongside a brilliant scholarly reading of a Gospel, helping us understand both the reading frame AND the individual Gospel better. The discussion in the book concludes with the continuing importance of reading the Gospel as a narrative within the life of the Church and the individual lives of every Christian.

Brown’s writing is lucid and engaging, and I felt as if every chapter was giving me new insight into reading the Gospels with more understanding. Even areas that other scholars have covered, such as Richard Hays on intertextuality, still brim with insights, and are worth re-covering familiar ground in light of the narrative reading framework.

I was more excited to read the Gospels after reading this book, and I say that as a huge credit to Brown. I think that we as a Church have forgotten how to read well at all, making us miss crucial elements in the life of Jesus. In reading this, we come to understand better the story of Jesus. In light of this review, I would say that the book successfully hands the Gospels back to the Church as inspired literature, able to be understood even more deeply, and seen as even more relevant in the life of the Church.

If you would like to learn more information about the book, please check the Baker website. You can purchase this book from Christian Book, Barnes and Noble, your local bookstore, or Amazon.com.

Often when we read or study the Bible, we focus on the meaning of a specific passage or pericope. While knowing that understanding how the passage fits into the overall story of the Bible, it seems like too often we focus intently one one particular puzzle piece rather than looking at the picture as a whole. We often forget that individual books of the Bible are entire literary texts that were originally read as one story. In her new book The Gospels as Stories, Bethel University professor Dr. Jeannine K. Brown emphasizes looking at the whole story.

Brown begins The Gospels as Stories: A Narrative Approach to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John by examining a variety of critical methods used in studying the Bible with specific attention given to narrative criticism. This individual chapter does a wonderful job of both setting the stage for the remainder of the book and providing a wonderful introduction to the landscape of current Bible scholarship. After laying this important groundwork, Brown goes on to expand on various concepts within narrative criticism. Each aspect of narrative criticism is described in a chapter using examples from all four Gospels followed by a chapter which examines that aspect in a specific Gospel. This combination of a chapter delving into the specifics followed by a chapter demonstrating how the information is used in a Gospel provides a wonderful look at how to apply narrative criticism.

Reading The Gospels as Stories reminds you that each Gospel is a story and as such includes a plot and character development. The authors had a particular audience in mind and would include information that connected with the specific audience in order to emphasize specific aspects of who Christ is and his purpose. While and after reading this book, you will wish to sit down and read an entire Gospel from start to finish--in fact, I would encourage you to do so while reading this book. The Gospels as Stories will be a wonderful book for use in a class on the Gospels, New Testament, or Introduction to the Bible. Beyond its use in a classroom setting, Brown's work is readable and accessible to a wider audience of educated individuals who wish to better read and understand the Bible. Highly recommended!

I received a complementary copy of The Gospels as Stories from Baker Academic/Brazos Press via NetGalley.