Did Jesus Exist? (Ehrman book)
| Author | Bart D. Ehrman |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Christian history, Roman history |
| Publisher | HarperOne |
Publication date | 2012 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 368 |
| ISBN | 978-0062206442 |
Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth is a 2012 book by leading scholar of the New Testament Bart Ehrman, author of over twenty-five books, including three college textbooks, in that field of study. In the book, written to counter the idea that there was never such a person as Jesus at all, Ehrman sets out to demonstrate the historical evidence for Jesus' existence, and why all experts in the area agree that "whatever else you may think about Jesus, he certainly did exist."[1][2]
Ehrman examines the historicity of Jesus and includes some criticism of Christ mythicists.
Arguments for existence
Ehrman surveys the arguments "mythicists" have made against the existence of Jesus since the idea was first mooted at the end of the 18th century. To the objection that there are no contemporary Roman records of Jesus' existence, Ehrman points out that such records exist for almost no one and there are mentions of Christ in several Roman works of history from decades later.[1][3] The author states that the authentic letters of the apostle Paul in the New Testament were written within a few years of Jesus' death and that Paul personally knew James, the brother of Jesus.[2] Although the gospel accounts of Jesus' life may be biased and unreliable in many respects, they and the sources behind them which scholars have discerned still contain some accurate historical information.[1][3] So many independent attestations of Jesus' existence, Ehrman says, are actually "astounding for an ancient figure of any kind ".[2] Ehrman dismisses the idea that the story of Jesus is an invention based on pagan myths of dying-and-rising gods, maintaining that the early Christians were influenced by Jewish ideas, not Greek or Roman ones,[1][2] and repeatedly insists that the idea that there was never such a person as Jesus is not seriously considered by historians or experts in the field at all.[1]
Criticism of mythicists
Erhman, a former fundamentalist Christian turned agnostic, has written numerous books challenging literalist views of the Bible himself.[3] Did Jesus Exist?, however, contains scathing criticism of the "writers, bloggers and Internet junkies who call themselves mythicists".[2] Ehrman says that they do not define what they mean by "myth" and maintains they are really motivated by a desire to denounce religion rather than examine historical evidence.[1] He discusses leading contemporary mythicists by name and dismisses their arguments as "amateurish", "wrong-headed", and "outlandish".[1][3]
Reception
Some evangelical Christians who have severely disagreed with Ehrman's previous books welcomed Did Jesus Exist?[3] One of the mythicists who is criticised in Did Jesus Exist?, Richard Carrier, challenged many of the book's points on his blog,[4] to which Ehrman responded on his own blog.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Ehrman, Bart D. (2012). Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. HarperOne. ISBN 978-0062206442.
- ^ a b c d e Ehrman, Bart D. (2013-03-20). "Did Jesus Exist?". huffingtonpost.com. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ a b c d e Shimron, Yonat (3 April 2012). "In 'Did Jesus Exist?' Bart Ehrman's Portrayal Of Jesus Is Surprisingly Sympathetic". Huffington Post. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ Carrier, Richard. "Ehrman on Historicity Recap". Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ Ehrman, Bart D. "Fuller Reply to Richard Carrier". Retrieved 26 May 2014.