Critical Book Review

5. CRITICAL BOOK REVIEW (20%)
The student will write a 7.5–8 page critical review of Jesus According to the New Testament by
James D. G. Dunn. Your goal in reviewing this book is to provide a brief summary and careful
evaluation. A good review should include the following components:
1. Identify the purpose and overall structure of the book;
2. Briefly explain some of the main points of the book. Explain how the book addresses New
Testament issues and differing perspectives of the historical Jesus;
3. Briefly evaluate the clarity and organization of the book; and
4. Evaluate whether this book has provided insight into the subject and achieved its stated
purpose. Does the author satisfy my curiosity about the subject with the questions he raises
and the answers he gives to them? Is the author’s research sound and has it drawn valid
conclusions? Does the author use primary sources? Is the author consistent and logical? Do
biases (and be sure to realize that you, the reader, also have biases) influence the author’s conclusions? Be sure to critically evaluate the book, giving specific examples from the book
and a detailed argument substantiated from primary resources (New Testament itself).
Format for Critical Book Review: Double-spaced, 1-inch margins, Times New Roman 12-point font.
Submissions must be Microsoft Word documents only. The choice of formatting style (e.g., SBL, APA,
MLA, Turabian) is at the student’s discretion, so long as there is consistency. Use inclusive language.
The title page must contain the following: title; student’s name, email address, course name and
number. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the instructor receives an electronic submission of the research paper correctly uploaded to Moodle.