Harold Hoehner was an influence in his NT development, as were Martin Hengel and Otto Betz as he was a Humboldt scholar at Tübingen University multiple years.
Bock is a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society, and he is a member of the board of trustees of Wheaton College (Illinois).
He has served as a corresponding editor for Christianity Today, and he has published articles in the Los Angeles Times and The Dallas Morning News.
The book challenges the historicity of various extra-biblical ideas expressed in The Da Vinci Code, most notably the supposed marriage of Jesus to Mary Magdalene.
On May 17, 2006, immediately before the film The Da Vinci Code opened, Bock appeared on the TV show Nightline, talking about his book and about the movie.