Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable Is the Gospel Tradition?
by Robert M. Price
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Description
"This book should be mandatory reading for all scholars concerned with Christian origins ... nothing of comparable importance has been written for at least a decade." - Freethinker For more than a century scholars have been examining the Gospels and other traditions about the life of Jesus to determine their historical accuracy. Although the results of these scholarly efforts are sometimes controversial, the consensus among researchers today is that the four Evangelists’ accounts cannot be show more taken at face value. In fact, a team of more than 100 scholars called the Jesus Seminar has come to the conclusion that on average only about 18 percent of the four Gospels is historically accurate. An active member of the Jesus Seminar, Dr. Robert M. Price presents the fruits of this important historical research in this fascinating discussion of early Christianity. As the title suggests, Price is none too optimistic about the reliability of the Gospel tradition as a source of accurate historical information about the life of Jesus. Indeed, he feels that his colleagues in the Jesus Seminar are much too optimistic in their estimate of authentic material in the Gospels. After an introduction to the historical-critical method for nonspecialists and a critique of the methods used by the Jesus Seminar, Price systematically discusses the narrative and teaching materials in the Gospel, clearly presenting what is known and not known about all of the major episodes of Jesus’ life. He also examines the parables for authenticity as well as Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom of God, repentance, prayer, possessions and poverty, the Atonement, and many other features of the Gospels. Written for the general reading public in a lively and accessible style, Dr. Price’s highly informative discussion will be of interest to anyone who has wondered about the origins of Christianity. show lessTags
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paradoxosalpha You got your Hellenistic mystery cult in my messianic Judaism! No, you got your messianic Judaism in my Hellenistic mystery cult! Ugh, this doesn't taste so good...
11
paradoxosalpha Paine soundly trashes the idea that Jesus was a god; Price puts paid to the notion that he was a man.
Member Reviews
A scholarly look at the evidence for the historicity of Jesus. The author dares to put the question of Jesus's very existence on the block and ask what we know. The author examines the biblical and extra-biblical source material, including literary tradition and other myths that pre-existed the Jesus story. Very satisfying reading.
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Atheism, humanism, freethought, &c. — Best nonfiction books in favour of
167 works; 14 members
Author Information
274+ Works 3,978 Members
Robert M. Price is the host of the podcasts The Bible Geek and The Human Bible, as well as the author of many books. He is the founder and editor of the Journal of Higher Criticism.
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Robert Green Ingersoll; Josephus, Flavius, 37-c. 100; Irenaeus, c. 130-202; Simon Kimbangu; Sabbatai Sevi; Justin Martyr (show all 24); Simon Bar Kochba; Saiyid Ahmad; Sathya Sai Baba; Nicholas Notovish; Nicholas Roerich; Enosh Uthra; Nathan of Gaza; Beelzebul; Asclepius; Pythagoras; Apollonius; Simon Barjona; Judas Thomas; Avalokiteśvara; Kwan-Yin; Marcion of Sinope, c. 85–c. 160; Lucian of Samosata, c. 125-after 180; Proteus Peregrinus
- Dedication
- Dedicated to Grover Furr
who finally convinced me I had enough to say on the subject to write a book! - First words
- As Paul Tillich has said, when anything is placed on a pedestal beyond criticism, it becomes an idol.
- Blurbers
- Detering, Hermann; Wells, G. A.
Classifications
- Genres
- Religion & Spirituality, Nonfiction, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 232.908 — Religion Christianity Jesus Christ and his family Family and life of Jesus The Historical Jesus
- LCC
- BS2555.52 .P75 — Philosophy, Psychology and Religion The Bible The Bible New Testament Special parts of the New Testament
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 155
- Popularity
- 210,666
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.95)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 2
- ASINs
- 2
