The Historical Jesus For Dummies Rating :
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20 of 26 people found the following review helpful.
HJFD Not Just for Dummies
By Frederick J. Parrella
The Historical Jesus for Dummies is a tour de force of scholarship in history, sociology, and theology. It is not just for "dummies" but for anyone who wants to discover the real Jesus of Nazareth or review some of the best current thinking on the subject. This book is informative, readable, and most of all, accurate. It challenges readers to go beyond what they thought they knew about Jesus and find out what history really tells us.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Strong and simple overview of who Christians believe Jesus was
By Derek Murphy
Jesus Potter Harry Christ: The Surprising Parallels that Expose the Truth about the Historical Jesus, the Christ Myth, and the Secret Origins of Christianity
I love the "For Dummies" series - usually they are clean, objective and unbiased. However in the case of historical Jesus research, it's exceedingly difficult to review the evidence without sneaking into the territory of apologetics. Dr. Catherine Murphy, associate professor of Santa Clara, does a fine job in laying out the evidence for the historical Jesus, and the things that modern biblical scholars belief/infer about him. However in a topic as polarized as "Who was the historical Jesus", it would have been nice to at least point out that many researchers and writers have doubted whether Jesus existed at all, how much of the bible is fact and how much literature, which portions of the gospels refer to Jesus the man and which portions were either copied from Jewish/Pagan traditions or later generated by theologically-specific views of early Christian communities.
Murphy does present an excellent overview of the ground "orthodox" researchers stand upon. Whether or not this ground is as firm as they imply is questionable.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful.Balanced Insight on the Historical Jesus
By L. Mirek
It's often hard to separate fact from fiction when watching cable television PBS specials on religion or reading literature. This book does an excellent job addressing many of the controversial aspects surrounding Jesus and debunking what is supported by historical evidence and what is not. It considers the geopolitical influences, the various cultures, as well as corroborating and noncorroborating literature at that time in history. It was written with insight, balance, and a sense of humor.
Product Description
Was Jesus of Nazareth a real person? Did all of the events described in the gospels really happen? How was the world Jesus lived in different from our own? In The Historical Jesus For Dummies, you'll discover the answers to these questions and hundreds more.
This accessible, plain-English guide to the life and times of Jesus paints a vibrant picture of his world, examining records in the New Testament and Roman history as well as recent archeological finds that shed new light on his life. You'll find informative explanations of Jesus's birth, infancy, and childhood; meet his followers and enemies; learn about his teachings and miracles, and discover how modern scholars and historians have arrived at these conclusions. This fascinating primer to the real-life Jesus explores:
- The different stories of Jesus in the gospels
- The three quests for the historical Jesus
- The miracles of Jesus
- Jewish society and the influence of
- The Roman practice of crucifixion
- The politics of Roman-occupied
- What people though of Jesus when he was alive
- The Gnostic gospels and other non-biblical texts of the time
- The top controversies surrounding Jesus
- Portrayals of Jesus in art and film
Complete with a concise account of the spread of Christianity throughout the world, The Historical Jesus For Dummies puts you in touch with the human Jesus who walked the earth and whose teachings changed the world.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #313070 in Books
- Published on: 2007-12-05
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.20" h x.76" w x6.12" l,.91 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 320 pages
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