New from Peter Williams: The Surprising Genius of Jesus

Peter Williams's new book, The Surprising Genius of Jesus: What the Gospels Reveal about the Greatest Teacher (Crossway, 2023), is now available to buy. We hosted a UK book launch at Tyndale House to celebrate. 

The book looks at the genius of Jesus's teachings, with a particular focus on the parable of the prodigal son as an example of how much detail and creativity Jesus packs into one simple story. 

“Jesus’s parable of the prodigal son is a masterpiece in the history of storytelling. Not only does it make a powerful impact on people of all cultures, it is intricately and poetically composed and rife with allusions to Old Testament narratives, especially about Jacob and Esau. Other parables demonstrate these same characteristics. Whoever composed them deserved to be called a genius, and Jesus (rather than one of his followers) is the best candidate for that individual. The Surprising Genius of Jesus, though a little book, is chock-full of observations about Jesus’s teaching that should make readers admire him even more than they may already do.”
Craig L. Blomberg, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Denver Seminary

“A study at once scholarly and gripping of a man who was—whatever else you may believe him to have been—clearly the most brilliant and influential short-story teller of all time.”
Tom Holland, Presenter, Making History; author, Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World

Click here to listen to Peter talk about the book with Collin Hansen on his Gospelbound podcast.