An elegantly written, much-needed book. Studies of the historical Jesus abound, concedes Ehrman (Religious Studies/Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) from the first pages. Can a historian possibly have something new to say about the carpenter from Nazareth who lived two millennia ago? No—but Ehrman isn’t trying to say anything new. Rather, he has written a synthesis of the prevailing scholarship, making digestible for a general audience Albert Schweitzer’s view that “Jesus is best understood as a first-century Jewish apocalypticist” who believed the end times were imminent and the Kingdom of God was at hand. Ehrman travels territory familiar to those acquainted with New Testament scholarship: many of Jesus’ apocalyptic teachings, from the exaltation of the poor to the notion of a universal judgment, were not that different from the teachings of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. But even those teachings that were not reminiscent of the Hebrew prophets can be illuminated by Ehrman’s apocalyptic framework, as can Jesus’ baptism, the miracles he performed, and his death and resurrection. He notes that the New Testament contains many stories, such as the census in Luke, that are not historically accurate; sometimes early Christians told a historical falsehood in order to get at a theological truth. Ehrman also not only does history, but shows his reader how history is done: in the fourth chapter, for example, he walks his reader through all of the sources that a scholar might use in examining the historical Jesus, explicating the limits to which scholars can use, say, rabbinic texts, the Gospel of Thomas, and the synoptic Gospels as sources for the inquiry into the historical Jesus. Ehrman’s should be the first book for any lay reader interested in the historical Jesus.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-19-512473-1
Page Count: 258
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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