Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus

Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus PDF Author: Thomas L. Brodie
Publisher: Sheffield Phoenix Press Limited
ISBN: 9781907534584
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
In the past forty years, while historical-critical studies were seeking with renewed intensity to reconstruct events behind the biblical texts, not least the life of Jesus, two branches of literary studies were finally reaching maturity. First, researchers were recognizing that many biblical texts are rewritings or transformations of older texts that still exist, thus giving a clearer sense of where the biblical texts came from; and second, studies in the ancient art of composition clarified the biblical texts' unity and purpose, that is to say, where biblical texts were headed. The work of tracing literary indebtedness and art is far from finished but it is already possible and necessary to draw a conclusion: it is that, bluntly, Jesus did not exist as a historical individual. This is not as negative as may at first appear. In a deeply personal coda, Brodie begins to develop a new vision of Jesus as an icon of God's presence in the world and in human history.

Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus

Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus PDF Author: Thomas L. Brodie
Publisher: Sheffield Phoenix Press Limited
ISBN: 9781907534584
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book

Book Description
In the past forty years, while historical-critical studies were seeking with renewed intensity to reconstruct events behind the biblical texts, not least the life of Jesus, two branches of literary studies were finally reaching maturity. First, researchers were recognizing that many biblical texts are rewritings or transformations of older texts that still exist, thus giving a clearer sense of where the biblical texts came from; and second, studies in the ancient art of composition clarified the biblical texts' unity and purpose, that is to say, where biblical texts were headed. The work of tracing literary indebtedness and art is far from finished but it is already possible and necessary to draw a conclusion: it is that, bluntly, Jesus did not exist as a historical individual. This is not as negative as may at first appear. In a deeply personal coda, Brodie begins to develop a new vision of Jesus as an icon of God's presence in the world and in human history.

Proving History

Proving History PDF Author: Richard C. Carrier
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1616145609
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 361

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Book Description
This in-depth discussion of New Testament scholarship and the challenges of history as a whole proposes Bayes’s Theorem, which deals with probabilities under conditions of uncertainty, as a solution to the problem of establishing reliable historical criteria. The author demonstrates that valid historical methods—not only in the study of Christian origins but in any historical study—can be described by, and reduced to, the logic of Bayes’s Theorem. Conversely, he argues that any method that cannot be reduced to this theorem is invalid and should be abandoned. Writing with thoroughness and clarity, the author explains Bayes’s Theorem in terms that are easily understandable to professional historians and laypeople alike, employing nothing more than well-known primary school math. He then explores precisely how the theorem can be applied to history and addresses numerous challenges to and criticisms of its use in testing or justifying the conclusions that historians make about the important persons and events of the past. The traditional and established methods of historians are analyzed using the theorem, as well as all the major "historicity criteria" employed in the latest quest to establish the historicity of Jesus. The author demonstrates not only the deficiencies of these approaches but also ways to rehabilitate them using Bayes’s Theorem. Anyone with an interest in historical methods, how historical knowledge can be justified, new applications of Bayes’s Theorem, or the study of the historical Jesus will find this book to be essential reading.

The Quest of the Historical Jesus

The Quest of the Historical Jesus PDF Author: Albert Schweitzer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description


Jesus Outside the New Testament

Jesus Outside the New Testament PDF Author: Robert Van Voorst
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802843685
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
Presents evidence and information, aside from the Christian scriptures, on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Features excerpts in Roman correspondence and the early Christian writings known as the "New Testament Apocrypha.".

What are They Saying about the Historical Jesus?

What are They Saying about the Historical Jesus? PDF Author: David B. Gowler
Publisher: Paulist Press
ISBN: 080914445X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description
"This book summarizes, analyzes, and critiques current influential portraits of Jesus. It concludes that any portrait of the historical Jesus must come to terms with Jesus as both an apocalyptic prophet and a prophet of social and economic justice for an oppressed people."--BOOK JACKET.

Did Jesus Exist?

Did Jesus Exist? PDF Author: G. A. Wells
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1615923802
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
Professor Wells argues that there was no historical Jesus, and in thus arguing he deals with the many recent writers who have interpreted the historical Jesus as some kind of political figure in the struggle against Rome, and calls in evidence the many contemporary theologians who agree with some of his arguments about early Christianity. The question at issue is what all the evidence adds up to. Does it establish that Jesus did or did not exist? Professor Wells concludes that the latter is the more likely hypothesis. This challenge to received thinking by both Christians and non-Christians is supported by much documentary evidence, and Professor Wells carefully examines all the relevant problems and answers all the relevant questions. He deliberately avoids polemic and speculation, and sticks so far as possible to the known facts and to rational inferences from the facts.

The Historical Jesus in Context

The Historical Jesus in Context PDF Author: Amy-Jill Levine
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140082737X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 455

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Book Description
The Historical Jesus in Context is a landmark collection that places the gospel narratives in their full literary, social, and archaeological context. More than twenty-five internationally recognized experts offer new translations and descriptions of a broad range of texts that shed new light on the Jesus of history, including pagan prayers and private inscriptions, miracle tales and martyrdoms, parables and fables, divorce decrees and imperial propaganda. The translated materials--from Christian, Coptic, and Jewish as well as Greek, Roman, and Egyptian texts--extend beyond single phrases to encompass the full context, thus allowing readers to locate Jesus in a broader cultural setting than is usually made available. This book demonstrates that only by knowing the world in which Jesus lived and taught can we fully understand him, his message, and the spread of the Gospel. Gathering in one place material that was previously available only in disparate sources, this formidable book provides innovative insight into matters no less grand than first-century Jewish and Gentile life, the composition of the Gospels, and Jesus himself.

Finding God Beyond Harvard

Finding God Beyond Harvard PDF Author: Kelly Monroe Kullberg
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830837205
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
Engaging narrative and provocative content come together in this mind-stretching and heart-challenging journey. Come with Kelly Monroe Kullberg on an intellectual road trip as The Veritas Forum explores the deepest questions of the university world and the culture at large. Discover that Veritas transcends philosophy or religion and instead brings us to true life.

The Historical Jesus: A Guide for the Perplexed

The Historical Jesus: A Guide for the Perplexed PDF Author: Helen K. Bond
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0567125106
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
The introduction to this new guide sets out the sources (Graeco-Roman, Jewish and Christian), noting the problems connected with them, paying particular attention to the nature of the gospels, and the Synoptic versus the Johannine tradition. A substantial section will discuss scholarship on Jesus from the nineteenth century to the explosion of works in the present day, introducing and explaining the three different 'quests' for the historical Jesus. Subsequent chapters will analyse key themes in historical Jesus research: Jesus' Galilean origins; the scope of his ministry and models of 'holy men', particularly that of prophet; Jesus' teaching and healing; his trial and crucifixion; the highly contentious question of his resurrection; and finally an exploration of the links between the Jesus movement and the early church. Throughout, the (often opposing) positions of a variety of key scholars will be explained and discussed (eg. Sanders, Crossan, Dunn, Wright, Brown).

Why Study the Past?

Why Study the Past? PDF Author: Rowan Williams
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802829900
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
In this small but thoughtful volume, a respected theologian and churchman opens up a theological approach to history.