From Jesus to His First Followers examines to what extent early Christian groups were in continuity or discontinuity with respect to Jesus. Adriana Destro and Mauro Pesce concentrate on the transformation of religious practices. Their anthropological-historical analysis focuses on the relations between discipleship and households, on the models of contact with the supernatural world, and on cohabitation among distinct religious groups. The book highlights how Matthew uses non-Jewish instruments of legitimation, John reformulates religious experiences through symbolized domestic slavery, Paul adopts a religious practice diffused in Roman-Hellenistic environments. The book reconstructs the map of early Christian groups in the Land of Israel and explains their divergences on the basis of an original theory of the local origin of Gospels' information.

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.

Is there credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God? Former atheist and Chicago Tribune journalist Lee Strobel says yes! In this revised and updated bestseller, The Case for Christ, Strobel cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools such as Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis, asking hard-hitting questions - and building a captivating case for Christ's divinity.

Strobel challenges them with questions like, How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?

Winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award and twice nominated for the Christian Book of the Year Award, Strobel's tough, point-blank questions read like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction. It's a riveting quest for the truth about history’s most compelling figure.

The new edition includes scores of revisions and additions, including updated material on archaeological and manuscript discoveries, fresh recommendations for further study, and an interview with the author that tells dramatic stories about the book's impact, provides behind-the-scenes information, and responds to critiques of the book by skeptics.

As The Case for Christ and its ancillary resources approach 10 million copies in print, this updated edition will prove even more valuable to your spiritual journey.

For the first time classic readings on Jesus from outside of Christianity have been brought together in one volume. Jesus Beyond Christianity: The Classic Texts features significant passages on Jesus from Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The fifty-six selections span two millennia of thought, including translated extracts from the Talmud and the Qur'an, and writings by Mahatma Gandhi and the 14th Dalai Lama.
The volume features fresh translations of important texts, 'Key-Issues' introductions, questions for discussion and guides for further reading. Importantly, each set of readings ends with an entirely fresh reflection from a leading scholar in the field. Every care has been taken to present these often controversial passages in a manner consistent with the aims of their authors; accompanying notes directly address challenging issues.
This unique collection of readings promises to become an essential resource in the study of the world's religions, providing rich guidance for anyone seeking to understand the central convergences and debates between religious traditions.

Who was the "real Jesus"? Given the historical unreliability of the gospels and other ancient sources, can this question ever be answered? Is it possible that a historical Jesus never existed? These questions and more are addressed in this collection of expert essays based on the latest research in New Testament scholarship. All of the authors are participants in the Jesus Project, a new investigation into the origins of Christianity. The editor describes the project as a beneficiary of its history, building on the work of prior inquiry and acknowledging important advances in the reconstruction of Christian origins in the last two centuries. It is "new" in advocating a faith-free approach to the sources and greater attention to method than previous inquiries. The scholars represented in this volume are among the finest in the world. Included are not only experts in New Testament studies but also specialists in archeology, legal history, intertestamental Judaism, educational studies, Near Eastern studies, philosophy, and classics. The first fruits of this scholarly collaboration are gathered together in this excellent anthology, which will be a welcome addition to the libraries of anyone with an interest in Christian origins.

This work covers ancient beliefs about life after death from Homer's Hades to ancient Jewish beliefs, from the Bible to the Dead Sea Scrolls and beyond. It examines early Christian beliefs about resurrection in general and that of Jesus in particular, beginning with Paul and working through to the start of the third century. It explores the Easter stories of the Gospels and seeks the best historical conclusions about the empty tomb and the belief that Jesus did rise bodily from the dead.

An examination of the uniqueness and universality of Jesus Christ and what this might mean in today's plural world. These days there are tremendous pressures on Christians to conform to a libertarian vision of a multifaith society where no one makes truth-claims about their faith. In such a situation, Christians need to think afresh about the uniqueness and universality of Jesus Christ and what this might mean in today's plural world. In this book, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali shows how Jesus' understanding of himself and his work bears on contemporary cultures and their values: what does the gospel affirm, what does it fulfil and what does it challenge? How does our understanding of the crucified and risen Lord affect our view of the human condition? How can we evaluate the different religious traditions of the world in the light of Christ? How can we be welcoming and hospitable but also committed to that conversion and transformation of individuals and of human societies which has been revealed as God's purpose in Christ? Christian claims of uniqueness have a direct bearing on what informs the social order. This book tackles the challenge of relativism in the contemporary social and political arena head-on.

Jesus is the most influential person of human history. "Jesus never became a political, military or government leader; he never wanted to. He never owned a multinational corporation or acquired any wealth to speak of; he didn't need it. He never wrote a book, never staged a concert tour, never appeared on television and never had a radio talk show--or even his own blog. . . . What's so special about Jesus?" (from the introduction) Most of us know something about Jesus and are intrigued by him. Perhaps as a child we attended Sunday school, or when flipping channels we've heard TV preachers talk about Jesus. We may have even thought, I'd like to find out for myself what Jesus said and did so I can come to my own conclusions about him. But we haven't had the opportunity to take a closer look. The Essential Jesus by Whitney T. Kuniholm will help you discover who Jesus is and why he is so significant--even life-transforming. Through both Old and New Testament readings you will discover why God sent Jesus, what Jesus taught, how he treated people, why he did miracles, the meaning of his death, the significance of his resurrection, what the Bible says about his second coming and much more. Whether alone or in a group setting, you can discover for yourself what makes Jesus so special.

This is Schonfield's last book and third biography of Jesus. It brings over sixty years of his research into the life of Jesus full circle. Written in his usual lucid style and permeated throughout by deep sincerity and love of his subject, this book not only places Jesus firmly among his own people and background, thereby clarifying his actual religious beliefs, but also summarises the essence of our knowledge of the Gospel sources. It explains the meaning of the terms 'Messiah' and 'Messianic', discusses the authorship of St John's Gospel, the term 'Son of Man', and above all shows up obvious interpolations and falsifications in the Gospels. For Schonfield fans this book also contains hitherto unpublished details of the author's own life, revealing how, as a Jew, he discovered Jesus.

This title offers comprehensive and contemporary exploration of the role of Jesus in both Islam and Christianity and issues of dialogue in Christian-Muslim relations. "Images of Jesus Christ in Islam 2nd Edition" provides a general introduction to the question of Jesus Christ in Islam and a dialogical discussion of this issues' importance for Christian-Muslim relations. Its originality lies in its comprehensive presentation of relevant sources and research and its discussion of Islamic images of Christ in the wider context of Muslim-Christian relations. Oddbjorn Leirvik provides a comprehensive introduction to a breadth of Muslim traditions through an examination of interpretations of Jesus throughout history, whilst also examining historic tensions between Islam and Christianity. This book's distinctive contribution lies in its dialogical perspective in the perennial area of interest of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations.

Originally published in 1926, this classic investigation into the question of the historicity of Jesus by Maurice Goguel, Professor of New Testament Criticism at the University of Paris, is considered one of the most important rebuttals of the 'Myth Theory' of Christian origins. Advocated by a number of scholars, the theory maintained that Christianity evolved as an amalgam of salvation myths in circulation during the early Roman Empire. The corollary of the theory is that Jesus never existed. The author first examines the meagre non-Christian evidence from antiquity that attests to the existence of Christianity. He then devotes considerable attention to the letters of Paul, pointing out the points of reference in Paul that make it highly probable that Jesus was an actual religious leader. Finally, he examines the four Gospels. This classical text is essential reading for anyone interested in the modern quest for the historical Jesus.

In a language that is both precise and easy to understand, Dr. Zugibe presents his discoveries culled from years of exhaustive research. Documented with 95 illustrations that explore the impact of crucifixion on the body, he demonstrates the realities behind the crucifixion on the body, providing a virtual autopsy on Christ from across the centuries.

Did Jesus rise from the dead? Although 19th- and early 20th-century biblical scholarship dismissed the resurrection narratives as late, legendary accounts, Christian apologists in the late 20th century revived historical apologetics for the resurrection of Jesus with increasingly sophisticated arguments. A few critics have directly addressed some of the new arguments, but their response has been largely muted. The Empty Tomb scrutinizes the claims of leading Christian apologists and critiques their view of the resurrection as the best historical explanation. The contributors include New Testament scholars, philosophers, historians, and leading nontheists. They focus on the key questions relevant to assessing the historicity of the resurrection: What did the authors of the New Testament mean when they said Jesus rose from the dead? What historical evidence is needed to establish the resurrection? If there is a God, why would He resurrect Jesus? Was there an empty tomb? What should we make of the appearance stories? Apart from historical evidence, is belief in the resurrection justified? The Empty Tomb provides a sober, objective response to arguments offered in defense of Christianity's central claim.

The New Testament accounts of Jesus' crucifixion have stood at the bedrock of Christianity since it's birth in the 1st century, and they remain among the essential foundations of Western culture in the 21st. These Gospel narratives of the Passion - the arrest, trial, scourging, and execution of Jesus - cast the Jews as those responsible, directly and indirectly, for the death of their Messiah and the son of God. Cohen tracks the image of the Jew as the murderer of the Messiah and God from its origins to its most recent expressions. A great deal has been written about Christian anti-Semitism, its roots, and its horrific consequences in world history. This is the first book, however to focus on the powerful myth that has driven so much murderous hatred. An important addition to the literature on Jewish-Christian relations, it should appeal to a wide variety of readers in both communities.

In our current pluralist and often secular context, there is no clearly designated means of valuing or defining the human person. Matthew Drever shows that in the writings of St. Augustine we find a concept of the human person as fluid, tenuous, prone to great good and great vice, and influenced deeply by language, history, and society. Through examination of his account of the human relation to God, Drever demonstrates how Augustine may be regarded as a crucial resource for a religious reorientation and revaluation of the person. Drever focuses particularly on the concepts of the imago dei and creatio ex nihilo, significant for their influence on Augustine's understanding of the human person and for their potential to bridge his and our own world. Though rooted in Augustine's early work, these concepts are developed fully in his later writings: his Genesis commentaries and On the Trinity in particular. Drever examines how in these later writings the origin (creatio ex nihilo) and identity (imago dei) of the human person intersect with Augustine's understanding of creation, Christ, and the Trinity. Image, Identity, and the Forming of the Augustinian Soul constructs an interpretation of Augustine's view of the person that acknowledges its classical context while also addressing contemporary theological and philosophical appropriations of Augustine and the issues that animate them.

One of the most precious relics of the Catholic Church, the Shroud of Turin, is still believed by many to be the cloth that covered Jesus Christ in the tomb. When displayed to the public, the shroud becomes an international tourist attraction with interest heightening it to an eighth Wonder of the World. Yet scientists, led by famed microanaylist Dr. Walter McCrone, have proved the shroud to be a fake, a medieval painting that can be easily duplicated today using the simplest of materials. The painstaking investigation that led McCrone to this historic discovery is recounted here in Judgment Day for the Shroud of Turin, one of only two books to scientifically, and fully, discount the shroud story. Upon close examination, even leading members of the Catholic Church had to agree with McCrone's findings, which gained international attention when featured on the A&E Television Network. Told in fascinating detail, with all the intrigue of a good mystery novel, McCrone's memoir is a lasting contribution to shroud study, one that occupied more than twenty years of the author's life.

The lack of serious and sustained investigation of the historical figure of James "the Just," brother of Jesus, is one of the curious oversights in modern critical study of Christian origins. "James the Just and Christian Origins" addresses this problem. The questions that surround this exceedingly important, yet largely ignored figure are several and complicated. Was he really the brother of Jesus? How influential was he in the early church? What was the nature of his relationship to the other apostles, especially to Paul? How did James understand Christianity's relationship to Judaism and to the people of Israel? Out of this grows a very important question: In its generative moment, was Christianity in fact as well as in its self-awareness, a species of Judaism? Contributors from several countries are currently engaged in collaborative study in James and early Jewish Christianity. "James the Just and Christian Origins" is the first of several planned volumes to be published.

In the fourth century the idea arose that the Cross on which Christ was crucified had been found by Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine. Thus began a legend that would grow and flourish throughout the Middle Ages and cause the diffusion of countless splinters of holy wood. And where there is wood, there was once a tree. Could it be that the Cross was made from that most noble species, the Tree of Life? So, gathering characters along the way, the legend evolved into a tale that stretches from the Creation to the End of Time.
A Heritage of Holy Wood is the first reconstruction of the iconographic and literary tradition of the Legend of the True Cross. Its broad scope encompasses relic cults, pilgrimages, travellers' tales and the Tree of Life and involves Church Fathers, crusader kings, Teutonic Knights and mendicant orders, all of which influenced the legend's depiction from its earliest representation in manuscripts, reliquaries and altarpieces, to the great monumental cycles of the high Middle Ages. If the holy wood was the medium of medieval memory, A Heritage of Holy Wood reveals the growth rings of fifteen centuries of imagery.

This work documents the efforts of modern Jewish scholars to engage the historical Jesus and assesses their contribution to both critical scholarship and ecumenical endeavors.Since, Martin Buber in "Two Types of Faith" acknowledged Jesus as his "great brother," other Jewish writers have sought to ascertain a place for Jesus within the larger context of Jewish history. In the aftermath of the Shoah, specifically in the afflicted consciousness of humanity, Jew and Christian alike began to ask how this tragedy could have happened, especially among and against people of faith. In an effort to assure that such a tragedy never happens again, the focus of some fell upon Jesus, previously the obstacle to reconciliation, but now perceived as the obvious and most viable bridge to span the chasm and assuage the wound of anti-Jewish and anti-Christian sentiments. Still others chose to join and expand the academic quest for the historical Jesus, adding Jewish voices to the effort to explore more rigorously and objectively the figure of Jesus in historical writing.In this unique and illuminating volume, Father Daniel F. Moore presents the historical identity of Jesus through lens of such Jewish scholars as Schalom Ben-Chorin, David Flusser, Geza Vermes, and Jacob Neuser. This is a useful book for those interesting in ecumenical discourse and Jesus studies.This series focuses on early Jewish and Christian texts and their formative contexts; it also includes sourcebooks that help clarify the ancient world. Five aspects distinguish this series. First, the series reflects the need to situate, and to seek to understand, these ancient texts within their originating social and historical contexts. Second, the series assumes that it is now often difficult to distinguish between Jewish and Christian documents, since all early "Christians" were Jews. Jesus and his earliest followers were devout Jews who shared many ideas with the well-known Jewish groups, especially the Pharisees, the Essenes, and the various apocalyptic groups.Third, the series recognizes that there were (and still are) many ways of understanding authoritative literature or scripture. Therefore, we must not impose a static notion of "canon" on the early period of our culture and in turn denigrate some texts with labels such as "non-canonical," since such terms are anachronistic designations that were only later imposed on the early documents. Fourth, the series emphasizes the need to include all relevant sources and documents, including non-literary data, and that all important methodologies - from archaeology and sociology to rhetoric and theology - should be employed to clarify the origin and meaning of the documents. Fifth, scientific research is at the foundation of these publications which are directed to scholars and those interested in Jewish and Christian origins.

Whether or not Jesus rose bodily from the dead remains perhaps the most critical and contentious issue in Christianity. Until now, argument has centred upon the veracity of explicit New Testament accounts of the events following Jesus's crucifixion, often ending in deadlock. In Richard Swinburne's approach, though, ascertaining the probable truth of the Resurrection requires a much broader approach to the nature of God and to the life and teaching of Jesus. The Resurrection can only have occurred if God intervened in history to raise to life a man dead for 36 hours. It is therefore crucial not only to weigh the evidence of natural theology for the existence of a God who has some reason so to intervene, but also to discover whether the life and teaching of Jesus show him to be uniquely the kind of person whom God would have raised Swinburne argues that God has reason to interfere in history by becoming incarnate, and that it is highly improbable that we would find the evidence we do for the life and teaching of Jesus, as well as the evidence from witnesses to his empty tomb and later appearances, if Jesus was not God incarnate and did not rise from the dead.

It is widely recognized by New Testament scholars that many of the sayings and actions attributed to Jesus in the gospels cannot be factually traced to him. The gospels, written many decades after the death of Jesus, are composites of hearsay, legends, and theological interpolations, reflecting the hopes and beliefs of the early Christian community more than the actual teachings of the Galilean prophet.
Despite these difficulties, Gerd Ludemann shows in this fascinating analysis of early Christian documents that the tools of historical research can succeed in reaching at least a close approximation of some of the original words and deeds of Jesus. Unique in its comprehensiveness, Jesus After 2000 Years covers the canonical gospels, as well as the more recently discovered Gospel of Thomas and apocryphal Jesus traditions. Ludemann concludes with a short life of Jesus in which he pieces together in narrative form what can be known about Jesus based on the historical evidence. Also included is an index of all authentic sayings and actions of Jesus. For all those with an interest in Christian origins, this volume is an invaluable resource.

Was the resurrection of Jesus a fact of history or a figment of imagination? Was it an event that entailed a raised and transformed body and an empty tomb? Or was it a subjective, visionary experience--a collective delusion? In the view of many, the truth of Christianity hangs on the answer to this question. Jesus' Resurrection: Fact or Figment? is a lively and provocative debate between Christian philosopher and apologist William Lane Craig and New Testament scholar and atheist Gerd LUdemann. This published version of a debate originally set at Boston College is edited by Paul Copan and Ronald K. Tacelli, who invite the responses of four additional scholars. Robert Gundry, a New Testament scholar, and Stephen Davis, a philosopher, argue in support of a historical and actual resurrection. Michael Goulder and Roy Hoover, both New Testament scholars, offer their support for Gerd LUdemann's view that the "resurrection" was based on the guilt-induced visionary experience of the disciples. The book concludes with a final response from LUdemann and Craig.

Through engagement with the historical debate Incarnation and Inspiration offers a systematic exposition of the person of Jesus that brings together dissonant aspects of the tradition. It serves as an introduction to the theology to John Owen, the most able of the Puritan theologians and provides a way of understanding the theological dynamic underlying the Christology of the Fathers and the Definition of Chalcedon. Through its emphasis on coherence it seeks to illuminate the inner rationality of God's triune being and his mission among us through the Son and Spirit.Incarnation and inspiration are concepts which can be used to characterize two quite different ways of thinking about Christ. Although the history of doctrine suggests they are mutually exclusive, John Owen's theology effectively integrates them in one coherent Christology. The underlying structure of his exposition is that of incarnation, whereby the Son willingly assumed human nature into personal subsistence with himself. But his distinctive idea was that the divine Son acted on his own human nature indirectly and by means of the Holy Spirit.

This volume presents a comparative study of the Messiah in the Pauline letters with the Enochic Son of Man traditions in the "Parables of Enoch". This volume discusses conceptual elements of messianic traditions that are identified in the "Parables of Enoch" and the "Letters of Paul" by examining the nature and functions of the divine figure and of the messiah figure. Comparative analysis presented here demonstrates that the "Parables of Enoch" and the "Letters of Paul" share specific conceptual elements of messianic traditions. The combination of shared elements is so striking as to preclude the possibility that the "Parables of Enoch" and the "Letters of Paul" constituted independent, parallel developments. It cannot be claimed, however, that Paul was familiar with the text of the Parables of Enoch; there are no direct quotes of the Parables anywhere in Paul's Letters. Waddell does however show that Paul was familiar with the conceptual elements of the Enochic messiah, and that Paul developed his concept of the Kyrios out of the Son of Man traditions in the Book of the "Parables of Enoch". Waddell specifically argues Pauline christology was at the very least heavily influenced by Enochic Son of Man traditions. This series focuses on early Jewish and Christian texts and their formative contexts; it also includes sourcebooks that help clarify the ancient world. Five aspects distinguish this series. First, the series reflects the need to situate, and to seek to understand, these ancient texts within their originating social and historical contexts. Second, the series assumes that it is now often difficult to distinguish between Jewish and Christian documents, since all early "Christians" were Jews. Jesus and his earliest followers were devout Jews who shared many ideas with the well-known Jewish groups, especially the Pharisees, the Essenes, and the various apocalyptic groups. Third, the series recognizes that there were (and still are) many ways of understanding authoritative literature or scripture. Therefore, we must not impose a static notion of "canon" on the early period of our culture and in turn denigrate some texts with labels such as "non-canonical," since such terms are anachronistic designations that were only later imposed on the early documents. Fourth, the series emphasizes the need to include all relevant sources and documents, including non-literary data, and that all important methodologies - from archaeology and sociology to rhetoric and theology - should be employed to clarify the origin and meaning of the documents. Fifth, scientific research is at the foundation of these publications which are directed to scholars and those interested in Jewish and Christian origins.

You've never seen the Gospel of Luke quite like this!

You may have read the gospel of Luke. But you might have missed a few things. Maybe more than a few. Like:

• The way Luke viewed God, and how his view might change your view
• Why Luke's book matters more today than ever
• The people who angered Jesus the most, why they angered him, and how that applies to us
• The Lord's Prayer and Communion from a new perspective
• The radical ways Jesus loved outsiders, outcasts, and those on the fringe of society

In Dear Theophilus: A 40 Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke, you'll discover new insights from passages you thought were familiar, find fresh truths as you come to a deeper understanding of Luke's gospel, and get a revitalized perspective on your faith and your life.