- Apr 21, 2022
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Some time ago I posted a list of the best books arguing for Christ Mythicism. In this thread, I want to include a list from three different conflicting perspectives: Christian, Mainstream, and Christ Myth.
- Christian - Jesus existed and is as revealed in the Bible, including being the literal son of God and rising from the dead.
- Mainstream - There was indeed a real man named Jesus, but little, if any, of the gospels can be trusted to tell us about him. He did not genuinely work any miracles, and he was probably something like an apocalyptic prophet.
- Christ Myth - Jesus was entirely mythical, and everything we have about him is fictional.
Christian
- The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright - The best book on the historicity of Jesus from the Christian position. N.T. Wright is probably the only scholar I seriously respect on the historicity of Jesus question who holds to the Christian position. The Resurrection of the Son of God is an extremely comprehensive book, highly organized and very scholarly.
- The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is by N.T. Wright - An easier read than the aforementioned book, but comes across as too simplistic since he is unable to explain the context behind his notions that he does in The Resurrection of the Son of God. Still an excellent read for a wider audience.
- The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach by Michael R. Licona - A comprehensive and challenging book, well-researched and well-written. Licona's apologetic biases come through in a way that Wright's do not, however, which makes it difficult for me to highly recommend this book.
- Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony by Richard Bauckham - Worth reading, but leaves out much important information and ignores several important points that would refute his assertion. It is with significant hesitation that I recommend this book.
Mainstream
- How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman - Such a list as this would not be complete without Ehrman's work. Ehrman argues that an apocalyptic prophet from rural Galilee was crucified for treason and then became thought of as God. A comprehensive work that took eight years of research and writing.
- Constructing Jesus: Memory, Imagination, and History by Dale C. Allison Jr. - Possibly the most renowned Jesus scholar on the planet, this is Dr. Allison's big Jesus book. He has a true command of research and sources and presents a convincing picture.
- Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Bart D. Ehrman - Ehrman has a tendency to rewrite the same book several times, so this and his aforementioned book are all you need. This book is extremely accessible.
- Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan - Dr. Aslan sets out his thesis clearly: He was "a zealous revolutionary swept up, as all Jews of the era were, in the religious and political turmoil of first-century Palestine—[he] bears little resemblance to the image of the gentle shepherd cultivated by the early Christian community." He defends it expertly in a book that takes seriously the sources we have.
- Jesus of Nazareth: An Independent Historian's Account of His Life and Teaching by Maurice Casey - A helpful book arguing for the mainstream view that strongly rebuts both the Christian view and the mythicist view, but not very well organized.
Christ Myth
- On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt by Richard C. Carrier - The yang to Dr. Wright's yin, the book is extremely comprehensive and well-researched, and it addresses virtually every argument used in favor of Jesus' historicity. Worth buying for the awe-inspiring bibliography alone.
- Jesus: Neither God Nor Man - The Case For A Mythical Jesus by Earl Doherty - A well-written book that comprehensively covers the topic and presents a very convincing case. Not as scholarly and researched as Carrier's book, but still fairly scholarly.
- The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable is the Gospel Tradition? by Robert M. Price - Dr. Price convincingly presents a Christ Myth theory by arguing that the gospels are not only completely false but also bear every similarity to other mythical stories.
- Beyond the Quest for the Historical Jesus: A Memoir of a Discovery by Thomas L. Brodie - Not a dogmatic thinker, Brodie argues that Jesus did not exist as a historical individual but as rather a literary model taken from Elijah and Elisha. He develops a metaphorical, iconic view of Jesus and takes a very different view on the subject than most atheists.
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