Jesus: Evidence and Argument or Mythicist Myths?
Jesus: Evidence and Argument or Mythicist Myths?
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Hardback
£140.00
QTY
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9780567294586
Number of Pages: 288
Published: 16/01/2014
Width: 15.6 cm
Height: 23.4 cm
Did Jesus exist? In recent years there has been a massive upsurge in public discussion of the view that Jesus did not exist. This view first found a voice in the 19th century, when Christian views were no longer taken for granted. Some way into the 20th century, this school of thought was largely thought to have been utterly refuted by the results of respectable critical scholarship (from both secular and religious scholars).
Now, many unprofessional scholars and bloggers ('mythicists'), are gaining an increasingly large following for a view many think to be unsupportable. It is starting to influence the academy, more than that it is starting to influence the views of the public about a crucial historical figure. Maurice Casey, one of the most important Historical Jesus scholars of his generation takes the 'mythicists' to task in this landmark publication. Casey argues neither from a religious respective, nor from that of a committed atheist. Rather he seeks to provide a clear view of what can be said about Jesus, and of what can't.
Preface
Abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. Historical Method
3. The Date and Reliability of the Canonical Gospels
4. What is Not in the Gospels, or Not in ‘Q’
5. What is Not in the Epistles, Especially Those of Paul
6. What is Written in the Epistles, Especially Those of Paul
7. It All Happened Before, in Egypt, India, or Wherever you Fancy, but there was Nowhere for it to Happen in Israel
8. Conclusions
Appendix: Latinisms
The book may prove useful to non-specialists confronted by the bewildering claim that Jesus never existed. -- Jason Maston, Highland Theological College University of the Highlands & Islands, UK * Theological Book Review * After much online polemic levelled at academic attempts to reconstruct the life and teaching of Jesus, Maurice Casey, a leading expert in historical Jesus studies and Christian origins, has responded with equal ferocity. Casey not only challenges some bizarre misreadings of critical scholarship he also brings his expertise and experience to analyses of a range of ancient sources. What is distinctively new about this book, and of significance for future research on strands within the phenomenon of "mythicism" is his examination of Christian "fundamentalist" backgrounds of certain conspiracy theorists who retain all the hallmarks of "fundamentalism" by a staunch refusal to listen to positions with which they do not agree and which they relentlessly misrepresent. This book will certainly generate some heated debate! * James Crossley, University of Sheffield, UK * In his latest book, Maurice Casey brings his great expertise in historical Jesus studies to bear on the phenomenon of mythicism, the claim that Jesus of Nazareth never existed. Although mythicism is universally rejected by professional historians, it is surprisingly popular on the internet and in a small number of self-published books. Casey's book offers both the scholarly detail needed to deal with the subject seriously, and the sarcastic wit appropriate to the character of the phenomenon. The result is not only informative but also entertaining. Casey's book provides a clear and sufficiently detailed explanation of what mainstream scholarly conclusions are, why and how they are reached, and why professions in the field all but universally find the denialist alternative not merely unpersuasive, but failing to even implement the appropriate methods of scholarly investigation and argument. * James F. McGrath, Butler University, USA *
