Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ Paperback – Illustrated, August 31, 2007

Robert Bowman and Ed Komoszewski have written a very useful guide to what the New Testament says about the divinity of Jesus. They use the mnemonic "HANDS" (honors, attributes, name, deeds and seat) to explain their ideas, which appear to have been motivated by a desire to quash the modern impression in certain quarters that the concept of Jesus as divine is a modern invention, or at least an invention of a later time such as the Council of Nicea. They do not attempt to paint a new portrait of the "historic" Jesus, rather they take us back to the words of the gospel and explain them in their proper context. A quote, attributed to NT scholar Martin Hengel, captures the essence of what the book is saying (page 30): "more happened in the development of Christian beliefs about Jesus in the twenty years between his death and Paul's earliest epistles 'than in the whole subsequent seven hundred years of church history'".Among the more critical reviews of this book are diatribes against Christianity; they attack the veracity of Christian beliefs rather than commenting on the extent to which the authors have achieved their purpose. I consider such criticism to be misplaced - it is written for the express and rather narrow purpose of affirming that the gospel proclaimed the divinity of Jesus not as a general apologetic for Christianity.I found the book highly readable and enjoyable; it remains true to the text of the New Testament and handles difficulties such as Matthew 24:34-36 and Mark 13:30-32 comprehensively. It is not a book for those who reject Christianity and the Bible but for those who are uncertain or confused about what the Bible says about Jesus. To that readership, it seems to me that the book performs a valuable service.

As a Christian debater who primarily defends the deity of Christ, let me say this - I love this book! Here's what I like about it most: although the authors are presenting the information in a way that is accessible to laypeople, it is definitely not a cursory treatment. The book is not hasty with details; it elaborates on its arguments with ample depth, making sure to include exceptions and underlying possible areas of contentions. This is often glossed over in popular publications, especially because it often makes the text tedious and not reader-friendly. However, this book has managed to get the best of both worlds: smooth reading for interested beginners with details enough for incorporation by debaters and theologians.The "HANDS" acronym keeps the information organized in the readers' minds, and thus not only helps to categorize the arguments, but also to instill them into our memories providing a useful tool for evangelism and/or debate. For anyone who believes that the New Testament does not teach the deity of Christ, the arguments in this book prove to be worthy of sincere consideration - their strength cannot be ignored in good conscience. To the believers in Christ's deity, this is a much needed book at a time when one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity has come under fire, and thanks is due to its authors.Combine solid theology, strong apologetics, and an easy-to-follow, fun-to-read writing style, and you end up with what's sure to be a great resource for Christians of all levels of interest and purposes.

I am pleased with Robert Bowman and J. Ed Komoszewski's treatment on the deity of Jesus. I have read a number of books on the person of Jesus, but I have never read one as chock-full of biblical documentation as this. Of course, none of the information in this book will come as a surprise to the committed Christian, as the deity of Christ is the cornerstone of our faith. But when one considers ALL the evidence compiled in this book, it baffles me how the Jehovah's Witness (and those belonging to other faiths that claim to uphold biblical authority) can say this was a doctrine made up by Constantine and Co. in the 4th century. Jesus is not just "a god," He's not an angel, He not the spirit brother of Lucifer. No, this is the God-man, Immanuel, and how fortunate we are that He dwelt among us. All of this is there for anyone to see. I love the acronym "HANDS" and the many resources we've been given, including the appendix A that includes many dozens of verses to support the claims made in this book. One final note: Because this book is very thorough, it is not easy to skim through and get full benefit. I suggest you go slowly, absorb the many verses found within its pages, and remind yourself how Jesus is both Lord and God forevermore!

WOW! Stunningly awesome! This to me is a multi-volume set condensed in an average size book for the defense of Christ's deity. Very powerful and effective usage of the acronym H.A.N.D.S.!!!Compelling for the believer! Challenging for the unbeliever! Lots to unpack and digest - - for the fan, friend, or foe (theologically speaking) of the writings of Robert Bowman Jr.Co-authoring this book is yet another apologetic-impacting material Bowman has written, in addition to "Why You Should Believe in the Trinity" and "The Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Christ, and the Gospel of John." (The detractors have their work cut out for them, e.g., Jehovah's Witnesses, Iglesia Ni Cristo [Philippines], etc.) Finally, strongly recommended for daily devotion: Brought me to my knees, literally, to ascribe PROSKUNEO to Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God, who is of identical essence (Godhead) with, yet separate in person (relation) from, the Father and the Holy Spirit! Bless and Praise the Tri-Une God!!!P.S. - Among others, could "Putting Jesus" be a reason why Gregg Stafford's "Jehovah's Witnesses Defended (3RD ed.)" remains unpublished?? The JWD 3rd ed. was going to be available this year, but for some reason it's still in the works. Hopefully, Stafford will address some key issues found in "Putting Jesus." I can't wait to see how Stafford will respond.

Esse é um importante livro que chega pra acrescentar para nós , a favor da natureza de Cristo!

Sehr gut

Great book five star!!!

This is an excellent book, though it is a very great shame that it has no Index of Subjects and Authors Quoted. However, I shall not reduce my 5-star rating. There is a full Scripture Index of the Old Testament source texts (from Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel ... ) which are actually quoted or otherwise resonate throughout the New Testament, and of the New Testament texts which depend on these Old Testament references.The whole purpose of the authors is to show that the Christian belief in the Deity of Jesus, that Jesus Christ is God, is rooted in the fact that the New Testament's witness to Jesus Christ ascribes equally to him all the divine features that the Old Testament ascribes to the Lord God, Yahweh.There are many recent books which make a compelling case for the specialness of Jesus Christ. They analyse and stress that he is not a mere Jewish holy-man or teacher or prophet or even miracle-worker, nor a mere restorer of a weakened Torah-based worship, nor a mere purifier or perfecter of pharisaism, or sadduceanism, or Essenism, nor a freedom-fighter, nor any other kind of Jewish saint who could be completely described and interpreted in the context of the `intertestamental' Judaism (say from 200 BC to 140 AD) which developed the Qumran literature, Essenism, etc. Nor, even less, is Jesus correctly described or interpreted as a typical secular Greek-style `cynic' philosopher,or as a mere copy of one or more of the pagan gods whom the Greco-Roman-Egyptian-Babylonian world before him had invented. All of these excellent studies concentrate, more or less, on the difference between Jesus and these other figures.The value of this book is that it roots the analysis of the New Testament Jesus almost totally in the texts of the Old Testament. It is striking that, contrary to the almost universal practice of New Testament books on Jesus, the book's Scripture Index is limited rigorously to the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments. It is not broadened to include `Other Ancient Writings', whether Intertestamental Jewish like Enoch, Qumran, Philo and Josephus, or Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek or Roman philosophy and theology. (I do miss a comprehensive index.)This approach, the fundamental and dominant rooting of Jesus in the Old Testament Jewish background, is one that I have long felt totally at home with. Our authors here structure their book round a consideration of five aspects or properties of Deity that we find in the Old Testament, and which are all found attributed, often explicitly, to Jesus Christ. In addition, hundred of times more, continuously throughout the New Testament, no less compellingly, through a recall or an echo of an Old testament text or situation, a seemingly unspectacular New Testament text is only properly understood when it is seen to be echoing or fulfilling or reproducing a divine activity of the Old Testament God. I believe that it is impossible to overstress the importance of this fact, that practically every text of the New Testament, even when there is not a direct quotation, has a reference to and a resonance of one or more Old Testament texts. There is an essential role for biblical scholars here. They must bring out these links between the Old and the New Testament, between the God of Israel and Jesus Christ. It seems to me that even when praising the constant personal reading and study of the Bible, as a message to them personally in their religious lives, scholars should remind committed Christians that there is a huge content in the Bible that needs and is enlivened by informed explanation. Such, for example, are the Prologue of John's gospel, the first chapter (indeed the whole book) of Hebrews, Philippians 2.6-11, the book of Revelation, etc. Also, the sovereign authority and power often claimed by Jesus for his teaching (e.g. the Sermon on the Mount, but also almost all the seemingly more casual parables and instructions), and his miracles and exorcisms, are capable of yielding endless further meaning when they are related to their Old Testament precursors. This inter-penetration of the two Testaments is of course indicated in every edition of the Greek New Testament (e.g. Nestle-Aland, the Bible Society), which give the principal Old Testament sources alongside every New Testament text; but reading any book such as the one under review, or any commentary on a New Testament book in one of the many scholarly biblical series, will powerfully illustrate and confirm this.For completeness, I add the briefest summary of the five areas where, for our authors, Jesus fulfils aspects of Deity which the Old Testament has attributed to the God of Israel. Jesus shares the HONOURS due to God; Jesus shares the ATTRIBUTES of God; Jesus shares the NAMES of God; Jesus shares in the DEEDS that God does; Jesus shares the SEAT of God's throne. These italicised words provide the acronym HANDS for remembering the book's message. The book has in-depth exegesis of a great number of key texts. Excellent.

This truly is a remarkable book. Many examples are clearly shown how Jesus Christ fulfills the role that YHWH had in the Old Testament. The entire book is excellent but I particularly liked Chapter 6 - the physical existence of God in Christ; Chapter 7 - the preexistence of Christ before the universe; Chapter 8 - how Christ was involved in the history of the children of Israel; Chapter 9 - Christ is not created, refuting those who say he is a created or lesser being; Chapter 12 - Jesus is Immanuel, the Word of God portrayed in the Gospel of John.It would be my desire that those who declare Jesus to be a mere prophet, a false Messiah or those who place faith in various demi-gods or god-men would read this book and accept that Jesus Christ is Lord and the only true hope for this darkened world.