Quick answers to tough questions about Jesus' life, ministry, and divinity.

Is there archeological proof that Jesus existed? Did Jesus ever actually claim to be God? Is Jesus really the only way? There's a good chance that every Christian will be asked tough questions like these at some point in their lives, whether from combative skeptics, curious seekers, or even doubts in their own minds.

To help followers of Christ answer questions quickly and confidently, Josh and Sean McDowell adapted the wisdom from their apologetics classic Evidence That Demands a Verdict into an accessible resource that provides answers to common questions about Jesus.

Evidence For Jesus answers these questions and more:

• Is there evidence that Jesus was real?
• Did Jesus ever actually claim to be God?
• What makes Jesus unique from other religious figures?
• Is Christianity a copycat religion?
• What does the Old Testament teach about the coming Messiah?
• Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
• Why does the resurrection of Jesus matter?

Evidence for Jesus will equip brand new believers and lifelong Christians alike with time-tested rebuttals to defend their faith in Jesus against even the harshest critics.

A revolutionary new offering from Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, renowned psychologist and author of the global bestseller 12 Rules for Life.

In We Who Wrestle with God, Dr. Peterson guides us through the ancient, foundational stories of the Western world. In riveting detail, he analyzes the Biblical accounts of rebellion, sacrifice, suffering, and triumph that stabilize, inspire, and unite us culturally and psychologically. Adam and Eve and the eternal fall of mankind; the resentful and ultimately murderous war of Cain and Abel; the cataclysmic flood of Noah; the spectacular collapse of the Tower of Babel; Abraham’s terrible adventure; and the epic of Moses and the Israelites. What could such stories possibly mean? What force wrote and assembled them over the long centuries? How did they bring our spirits and the world together, and point us in the same direction?

It is time for us to understand such things, scientifically and spiritually; to become conscious of the structure of our souls and our societies; and to see ourselves and others as if for the first time.

Join Elijah as he discovers the Voice of God in the dictates of his own conscience and Jonah confronting hell itself in the belly of the whale because he failed to listen and act. Set yourself straight in intent, aim, and purpose as you begin to more deeply understand the structure of your society and your soul. Journey with Dr. Peterson through the greatest stories ever told.

Dare to wrestle with God.

Since the advent of the cinema, Jesus has frequently appeared in our movie houses and on our television screens. Indeed, it may well be that more people worldwide know about Jesus and his life story from the movies than from any other medium. Indeed, Jesus' story has been adapted dozens of times throughout the history of commercial cinema, from the 1912 silent From the Manger to the Cross to Mel Gibson's 2004 The Passion of the Christ. No doubt there are more to come.
Drawing on a broad range of movies, biblical scholar Adele Reinhartz traces the way in which Jesus of Nazareth has become Jesus of Hollywood. She argues that Jesus films both reflect and influence cultural perceptions of Jesus and the other figures in his story. She focuses on the cinematic interpretation of Jesus' relationships with the key people in his life: his family, his friends, and his foes. She examines how these films address theological issues, such as Jesus' identity as both human and divine, political issues, such as the role of the individual in society and the possibility of freedom under political oppression, social issues, such as gender roles and hierarchies, and personal issues, such as the nature of friendship and human sexuality.
Reinhartz's study of Jesus' celluloid incarnations shows how Jesus movies reshape the past in the image of the present. Despite society's profound interest in Jesus as a religious and historical figure, Jesus movies are fascinating not as history but as mirrors of the concerns, anxieties, and values of our own era. As the story of Jesus continues to capture the imagination of filmmakers and moviegoers, he remains as significant a cultural figure today as he was 2000years ago.

""'A painstakingly researched, meticulously documented, cogently reasoned and eminently readable book. It represents an important step forward in New Testament study which henceforward scholars, even if they do not agree with it will not be able to ignore.' Times Literary Supplement 'For those who are concerned to penetrate to the historical realities within the gospel records this is an extremely important book.' Expository Times 'Can only be described as epoch-making.' Jewish Chronicle"" In this, Geza Vermes' best known book, there emerges perhaps the closest portrayal that we have of a genuinely historical Jesus. Freed from the weight and onus of Christian doctrine or Jewish animus, Jesus here appears as a vividly human, yet profoundly misunderstood, figure, thoroughly grounded and contextualised within the extraordinary intellectual and cultural cross currents of his day. Jesus the Jew is a remarkable portrait by a brilliant scholar writing at the height of his powers, informed by insights from the New Testament, Jewish literature, and the Dead Sea Scrolls alike.

In this cultural and intellectual history, David Burns contends that the influence of biblical criticism in America was more widespread than previously thought. Burns proves this point by uncovering the hidden history of the radical historical Jesus, a construct created and sustained by freethinkers, feminists, socialists and anarchists during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. The result of this exploration is a new narrative revealing that Cyrenus Osborne Ward, Caroline Bartlett, George Herron, Bouck White, and other radical religionists had an impact on the history of religion in America rivaling that of recognized religious intellectuals such as Shailer Mathews, Charles Briggs, Francis Peabody, and Walter Rauschenbusch. The methods and approaches utilized by radical religionists were different from those employed by elite liberal divines, however, and part of a larger struggle over the relationship between religion and civilization. There were numerous reasons for this conflict, but, as Burns argues, the primary one was that radicals used Ernest Renan's The Life of Jesus to create an imaginative brand of biblical criticism that struck a balance between the demands of reason and the doctrines of religion. Thus, while radical religionists like Robert Ingersoll, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Eugene Debs were secular-minded thinkers who sought to purge Christianity of its supernatural dimensions, they believed the religious imagination that enabled modern day radicals to make common cause with an ancient peasant from Galilee was something wonderful. This provocative blend of reason and religion produced a vibrant countercultural movement that spanned communities, classes, and creeds and makes The Life and Death of the Radical Historical Jesus a book that deserves a wide readership in an era when public intellectuals and politicians on both the left and right draw rigid lines between the secular and the sacred.

The New Testament provides abundant evidence that Jesus frequented the temple; according to Acts, so did his followers after his death. But the Gospels also depict Jesus in conflict with temple authorities, and questions about his attitude to the temple swirl around what the Gospels label false accusations from his opponents and around the dramatic but inconsistent accounts of Jesus "cleansing" the temple.Jesus' attitude toward the temple is at the center of current historical Jesus research, yet those discussions are often not current with the latest archaeological and related findings regarding the temple and its history, architecture, liturgy, and function. James H. Charlesworth here gathers essays from world-renowned archaeologists and biblical scholars to address the current state of knowledge regarding the temple and to consider anew vital questions about its significance for Jesus, for his followers, and for New Testament readers today.

In this book, Colleen Conway looks at the construction of masculinity in New Testament depictions of Jesus. She argues that the New Testament writers necessarily engaged the predominant gender ideology of the Roman Empire, whether consciously or unconsciously. Although the notion of what constituted ideal masculinity in Greek and Roman cultures certainly pre-dated the Roman Empire, the emergence of the Principate concentrated this gender ideology on the figure of the emperor. Indeed, critical to the success of the empire was the portrayal of the emperor as the ideal man and the Roman citizen as one who aspired to be the same. Any person who was held up alongside the emperor as another source of authority would be assessed in terms of the cultural values represented in this Roman image of the "manly man."
Conway examines a variety of ancient ideas of masculinity, as found in philosophical discourses, medical treaties, imperial documents, and ancient inscriptions. Manliness, in these accounts, was achieved through self-control over passions such as lust, anger, and greed. It was also gained through manly displays of courage, the endurance of pain, and death on behalf of others. With these texts as a starting point, Conway shows how the New Testament writings approach Jesus' gender identity. From Paul's early letters to the Gospels and Acts, to the book of Revelation, Christian writings in the Bible confront the potentially emasculating scandal of the cross and affirm Jesus as ideally masculine. Conway's study touches on such themes as the relationship between divinity and masculinity; the role of the body in relation to gender identity; and belief in Jesus as a means of achieving amore ideal form of masculinity. This impeccably researched and highly readable book reveals the importance of ancient gender ideology for the interpretation of Christian texts.

Two major religions originated in Galilee: rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. Both of these religions stem from and lay claim to ancient Israelite traditions that were cultivated in Galilee as well as in Judea and Samaria. According to the Christian Gospels, Jesus, whose hometown was Nazareth, carried out his ministry primarily in Galilee. Following the Roman suppression of two widespread revolts in Judea, rabbinic traditions indicate that the rabbis and other Judeans relocated to Galilee where they established academies and compiled first the Mishnah and later the Jerusalem Talmud. The rise of Islam, of course, produced yet another religion whose faithful value this territory. Richard Horsley takes all of these developments into account in this commanding study of the basic political and economic relations that prevailed in Roman Palestine, with particular reference to Galilee and with particular sensitivity to the implications for the resident's lives. The outcome of his meticulous research, analysis, and reconstruction provides a more complete and precise sense of the historical Jesus and the Christian Gospel traditions.

Controversial new book by an internationally respected expert on Jesus and his time. Argues that Jesus' parables became the inspiration and model for the way he is presented in the Gospels.

What does archaeology tell us about Jesus and the world in which he lived? How accurate are the Gospel accounts of first-century Galilee and Judea? Has the tomb of Jesus really been found? Informed by the latest archaeological research, and illustrated throughout with photographs of key findings, this fascinating book opens up the subject for people of all religious backgrounds. It will help readers gain a much clearer and more accurate picture of life in the Roman world during first century, and enable them to understand and critique the latest theories - both sober and sensational - about who Jesus was and what he stood for.

Two thousand years ago the Lady Mary, the sacred 'Rose in the Heart', made pilgrimage to the mystical British Isles, with the boy Jesus, Naomi her daughter and Joseph of Arimathea. Her Holy Mission as designated by the Masters, was to reactivate the Cosmic Light at ancient Druidic sites, some which held an Atlantean Temple in the Etheric Realm. As 'instructed' by Mary and with Divine guidance, Caroline Harris has followed in her footsteps, travelling through ancient Dummonia - Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, performing sacred Ceremonies to revitalize that Light, and earth the ancient Temples. Intuitively received inspirational messages for the Aquarian Age, are offered from the Masters, Angelic Messengers and those from the Devic Kingdom. Among many subjects explored are: Britain - the New Jerusalem; Atlantis, Hyperborea and Lyonesse; the Ancient Wisdom; the Immaculate Conception; did Jesus die on the Cross?; the Lost Goddess; the Holy Grail; Celtic Christianity; Arthurian Tales; the Crystalline Grid; Ley Lines; Reincarnation; Unicorns; the Essenes; the Egyptian Mysteries; Aboriginal Wisdom, Thought Travel, plus Visions of Glastonbury. You will find this fascinating story, absorbing, enlightening and thought provoking, whatever your persuasion, and it will be of special interest to the dedicated Pilgrim and Light Worker.

Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history's most influential and enigmatic figures by examining Jesus within the context of the times in which he lived: the age of zealotry, an era awash in apocalyptic fervour. Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against historical sources, Aslan describes a complex figure: a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm themselves; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity secret; and the seditious 'King of the Jews', whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his lifetime. Aslan explores why the early Church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary, and grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself. Zealot provides a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told. The result is a thought-provoking, elegantly written biography with the pulse of a fast-paced novel, and a singularly brilliant portrait of a man, a time and the birth of a religion.

"Jesus Christ entered into the history of our world. Christianity, therefore, has historical basis. The backbone of history is chronology. Whereas history is a systematic account of events in relation to a nation, institution, science, or art; chronology is a science of time. It seeks to establish and arrange the dates of past events in their proper sequence. Thus chronology serves as a necessary framework upon which the events of history must be fitted. In this book (the author) attempts to establish certain fixed dates in our Lord's life." - Dr. Harold W. Hoehner. Dr. Hoehner has gathered a vast amount of data, both from Scripture and extrabiblical sources, to support his conclusions concerning key dates in the life of our Lord, among them: - The Date of Christ's Birth - The Commencement of Christ's Ministry - The Duration of Christ's Ministry - The Year of Christ's Crucifixion He carefully documents his position and compares the date available--including a study of Greek words, Roman law, and Jewish customs and prophecy.

For two centuries scholars have sought to discover the historical Jesus. Presently such scholarship is dominated not by the question 'Who was Jesus?' but rather 'How do we even go about answering the question, "Who was Jesus?"?' With this current situation in mind, Jonathan Bernier undertakes a two-fold task: one, to engage on the level of the philosophy of history with existing approaches to the study of the historical Jesus, most notably the criteria approach and the social memory approach; two, to work with the critical realism developed by Bernard Lonergan, introduced into New Testament studies by Ben F. Meyer, and advocated by N.T. Wright in order to develop a philosophy of history that can elucidate current debates within historical Jesus studies.

A proud and selfish tree, chosen to form the cross for Jesus's Crucifixion, is humbled as he watches the suffering Jesus endures.

The past thirty years have seen the emergence of a broad-ranging feminist theological critique of Christology. Speaking out of a range of Christian traditions, feminist theologians have exposed the androcentric character of classical Christology, drawing attention to the fact that women's voices in Scripture and in the history of theology have often gone and continue to go unheard. The theological consequences have been grave: Christ's liberating message of the full humanity of both women and men has been compromised by the patriarchal bias of its interpreters. Feminists have also argued that of all Christian doctrines Christology has been most often turned against women. Christological arguments have been used to reinforce an exclusively male image of God, and thus to legitimate men's superiority over women. Further, the image of Christ on the cross has contributed to women's acceptance of abuses of power, as it has often been interpreted as a model of passive submission to unjust suffering. Some feminists have argued for the total rejection of the doctrine of the cross. Others have concluded that Christianity and feminism are incompatible.
In this book, Arnfriour Guomundsdottir provides a lucid survey and analysis of the full range of such criticisms, as well as her own explicitly feminist retrieval and reconstruction of a theology of the cross. She argues that there is a redemptive message hidden in the cross of Christ that is valuable to women today. Despite its potential for abuse and its well-documented history of misuse against women, a theology of the cross can also affirm Jesus as a divine co-sufferer who brings good news to all who are poor and oppressed. Such a theology, Guomundsdottir contends, offers women meaning and strength from a God who takes human form and enters redemptively into their suffering."

The 'historical Jesus' still remains elusive. Who was Jesus? What really happened? How can we know for sure? The latest quest for the truth about him comes at a time marked by radical uncertainty and postmodern scepticism about master narratives, along with a loss of confidence in the traditional methods of historical analysis. In this context, Susan Lochrie Graham approaches the old debates from an entirely new direction. Armed with a 'metahistorical' approach adapted from the work of Hayden White, the philosopher of history, she reads the work of four representative historical Jesus writers: John P. Meier, N.T. Wright, Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza and John Dominic Crossan. The analysis brings to light the deep literary structures of their portraits, showing the differing plots and rhetorical concepts that shape them, and the types of argument that are deployed by each writer. This ground-breaking critical investigation exposes the theological and cultural meanings embedded in all historical Jesus writing, showing how narrative forms function ideologically. It concludes with fresh answers to questions both about the methods we use and about the social implications of the contemporary quest of the historical Jesus, and proposes different directions for future research.

The Resurrected God is an exciting, innovative examination of the resurrection of Christ and its relationship to the doctrine of the Trinity in the mature work of Karl Barth, particularly across the three parts of volume IV of the Church Dogmatics. John Drury argues that, for Barth, the subject and basis of Christ's resurrection is the triune God. The volume demonstrates that Barth explicated the doctrine of Christ's resurrection through a unique Trinitarian grammar and grounds the event of the resurrection in the eternal triune being of God. Closely expositing and analyzing Barth's deployment of this Trinitarian grammar in the fourth volume, the author turns to a constructive reconsideration of Barth's earlier doctrine of the Trinity in the first volume, examining that material in light of the concept of God operative in the later work. Thinking with and beyond Barth, the author concludes that resurrection is inextricably linked with the Triune life of the God who raises and is raised.

The interpretation of the phrase 'the testimony of Jesus' in the Book of Revelation has been the centre of much debate, with no clear consensus regarding its meaning. One of the most important but often neglected issues is whether or not the phrase can be read consistently across each instance of its occurrence. The opening lines of the Apocalypse clearly specify that 'the testimony of Jesus' is a moniker for the book of Revelation itself, indicating that the phrase is an internal self-reference to the book's own message. Nevertheless, most interpreters are reluctant to apply this interpretation to the phrase in other parts of the book, leading to varied and inconsistent interpretations of the phrase. Following the intratextual pattern of the apocalyptic books of Daniel and 1 Enoch we can see that it is entirely possible that 'the testimony of Jesus' is a reference to Revelation's own message, an interpretation which is then supported by Dixon's in-depth study of each of the passages in which the phrase occurs. The exploration of the rhetorical impact of interpreting the phrase in this way shows that 'the testimony of Jesus' is not just another title for John's writing, but is something that is given to and even characterizes those who hear the message of the Apocalypse.