E. P. Sanders (1937–2022)

Sanders made a name for himself (and virtually launched the New Perspective on Paul) with his 1977 classic, Paul and Palestinian Judaism. In The Historical Figure of Jesus, he brings his immense understanding of first century Judaism to bear on Jesus.

In order to understand anyone, you first need to understand the world that they lived in. Sanders takes the first five chapters of his book to set the stage for the life of Jesus. He describes the political and religious situation with clarity show more and attention to detail. These first chapters were worth the cost of the book!

Throughout the rest of the book Sanders describes what we can know with reasonable certainty about Jesus from an historical perspective. My current reading of Torrance’s Incarnation made this difficult for me. For Torrance, trying to understand Jesus as a historical figure without reference to the hypostatic union is unscientific and misleading.

Torrance notwithstanding, I found his treatment of the life of Jesus well-balanced. In his treatment of miracles, for example, he emphasizes the need to set aside enlightenment concerns and understand Jesus’ actions from the viewpoint of his contemporaries.

"Though today somewhere between many and most people in the industrialized countries think that there are no true miracles, in the ancient world most people believed in miracles, or at least in their possibility" (132).

The epilogue on “The Resurrection” reveals the author’s humility and personality. When faced with gospel evidence of the resurrection, the historian in Sanders isn’t quite sure how to respond.

"Throughout this book I have offered suggestions about what lies behind passages in the gospels. On the present topic, however, I do not see how to improve on the evidence, or how to get behind it. … That Jesus’ followers (and later Paul) had resurrection experiences is, in my judgment, a fact. What the reality was that gave rise to the experiences I do not know" (280).

The Historical Figure of Jesus is an engaging, thoughtful, and readable look at the life of Jesus Christ. show less

I got far more from this than I was expecting, which is both good (inasmuch as I actually think I know something about Paul and interpretations of him) and bad (inasmuch as I wanted a quick weekend read and instead got a crash course in how-to-argue-with-ancient-Christians-who-say-all-Christians-must-be-circumsized). I knew just enough about Paul and the way people understand him to feel that I knew what was going on, but be warned, this is much more academic/rigorous than most VSIs. Sanders show more is engaged in argument with other people just as much as he's engaged in writing to naifs like you and me. The book is, though, very well written. I wish the Further Reading had gone a bit further. But if you want to know about Paul in a few hours, highly recommended. show less

One of the great books on Jewish religion and life around the time of Jesus. Sanders begins his preface by saying "This is the book I always wanted to write, or close to it," and the result is a work full of his heart's passion. Looking at both the common religion of the day and at certain groups (the Essenes, etc.) Sander's is one of the key names in this field. The great Jacob Neusner has commented that reconstructions of 1st Century Judaism often rely too heavily on later Rabbinic show more sources, and that critique can perhaps be made of Sander's work. And yet, given the appropriate caution, Sanders' picture of the first century is informative and revealing. This is simply a mandatory text. show less

In Judaism: Practice and Belief 63 BCE - 66 CE (2016, 922 pages), E. P. Sanders dares to challenge prevailing views on Second Temple Period Judaism, and readers to get familiar with the ins and outs of the religion during this specific era. Jewish readers may be surprised how the Mishnah which is of a later origin has a large part of theory in it, while the period until the destruction of the Second Temple showed a living faith amidst the Roman rulers and local kings like Herod.

Christian show more readers will benefit from the detailed description of the temple, the Jewish festivals, and practices like fasting, tithing, prayer, sacrifices, and purification. The religious habitat of Jesus Christ and His apostles is reconstructed from the many available sources. A series of chapters is devoted to the common Judaism. What did the ordinary Jew believe? How was it practiced in private life and community with fellow believers? Was it widespread, common, so to say? The next part of the book is on the various groups and parties in this era: Aristocrats, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and other pietists. Sanders is blessed with the gift to write accessible. The 7+ hours I spent reading in the book's first half is inviting me to continue, however, I need to read other review copies as well. Judaism will stay in my Kindle app to unearth the second half as well. show less