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Craig R. Koester

Author of Revelation and the End of All Things

18+ Works 1,055 Members 3 Reviews

About the Author

Craig R. Koester is the Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota. His other books include The Word of Life: A Theology of John's Gospel, and he has also written a major commentary and widely used educational materials on Revelation.

Works by Craig R. Koester

Associated Works

The Blackwell Companion to The New Testament (2010) — Contributor — 47 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Birthdate
1953-08-25
Gender
male

Members

Reviews

One of the best Great Courses I've listened to; logical structure with an examination of the context and content first, and interpretations and fallout as followup. One of the most influential books of the Bible in terms of changing through the years to fit various theologies and politics, and the impact of those on subsequent history - there's a lot of meat to work with here.
 
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A.Godhelm | Oct 20, 2023 |
Koester is great at telling bible stories, and, especially for the Old Testament, this filled in some of my gaps in understanding the narrative. As a non-believer, however, very familiar with many of the inconsistencies and outright contradictions in the bible (as highlighted in several other Teaching Company courses), it was clear that he skipped over most of these in putting together a more consistent and somewhat blended narrative. Not much emphasis on the fact that Jesus told his followers, for instance, that many of them would see the kingdom of god on earth during their lifetimes--oops, didn't happen, so what does that tell us about the believability of the rest of the biblical narrative or the theology founded on it. Koester is coming from a Protestant (presumably Lutheran, since he teaches at a Lutheran divinity school) perspective, so he has no problem showing the terrible flaws of Israel's first kings, wife stealing and murder (or in the case of King David, combined) being just a couple of examples. So, overall, I enjoyed the course, but I was happy to have had the background gained from other courses and extensive reading before watching it. As lecturers go, Koester is very smooth, rarely stumbling over anything, and he seems like a good guy. His voice is never grating; he is reasoned and calm throughout, although he doesn't rank up their with the best Great Courses professors, he is probably in the top third. To his credit, he does point out problems such as 1st Timothy's treatment of women, although he only mentions some suggestions that Paul didn't write this book rather than saying that the scholarly consensus is that he didn't.… (more)
½
 
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datrappert | Jul 24, 2022 |
Koester is relatively conservative; his treatment of John won’t offend traditional Christians by travelling down esoteric or Gnostic highways. Nor does he present many original ideas. This is a book that covers the basics of John’s theology from a Christian viewpoint, and does so very well. That doesn’t hide the fact that John marches to the beat of his own drum. The fourth Gospel is very different in tone from the first three, and Koester is faithful in presenting John’s unique theology. Some examples …

On the meaning of sin: John’s Gospel portrays little interest in moral failings. Instead, “sin” is almost universally tied to belief. Sin means not seeing Jesus for who his is, believing in him. This leads to …

On the meaning of belief: Unlike Mark, there is no Messianic Secret in John. Instead, from its very beginning, John embarks on a crusade to help us believe. And what we are to believe is that Jesus is the Messiah.

On the meaning of life: What does “born again” really mean? “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me … has crossed over from death to life.” John alternates between future eschatology (eternal life to come) and present eschatology (eternal life is ours now) to the point of leaving us bewildered. Koester takes the conservative stance that John meant both; we have abundant life in human form, with the promise of eternal life to come.

On the meaning of the crucifixion: Jesus planned his death from the very beginning, and all signs led up to that “hour” when he would be “lifted up in glory.” This means lifted up on the cross, and it is the climax of Jesus’ victory over Satan.

As mentioned, I don’t think you’ll find many new revelations in this book, just solid research, focusing carefully on the text of the Gospel itself. It’s a book quite worth reading.
… (more)
1 vote
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DubiousDisciple | Mar 27, 2011 |

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Works
18
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Members
1,055
Popularity
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Rating
4.0
Reviews
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ISBNs
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