The Historical Jesus For Dummies

Catherine M. Murphy, PhD

Jan 2008 · For Dummies

About this ebook

Was Jesus of Nazareth a real person? Did all of the events described in the gospels really happen? How was the world Jesus lived in different from our own? In The Historical Jesus For Dummies, you'll discover the answers to these questions and hundreds more.

This accessible, plain-English guide to the life and times of Jesus paints a vibrant picture of his world, examining records in the New Testament and Roman history as well as recent archeological finds that shed new light on his life. You'll find informative explanations of Jesus's birth, infancy, and childhood; meet his followers and enemies; learn about his teachings and miracles, and discover how modern scholars and historians have arrived at these conclusions. This fascinating primer to the real-life Jesus explores:

• The different stories of Jesus in the gospels
• The three quests for the historical Jesus
• The miracles of Jesus
• Jewish society and the influence of Rome in Jesus's time
• The Roman practice of crucifixion
• The politics of Roman-occupied Judea
• What people though of Jesus when he was alive
• The Gnostic gospels and other non-biblical texts of the time
• The top controversies surrounding Jesus
• Portrayals of Jesus in art and film

Complete with a concise account of the spread of Christianity throughout the world, The Historical Jesus For Dummies puts you in touch with the human Jesus who walked the earth and whose teachings changed the world.

About the author

Dr. Catherine Murphy is Associate Professor of New Testament at Santa Clara University, where she teaches courses on the Bible, the historical Jesus, gender in early Christianity, and apocalyptic literature. She earned her doctorate in New Testament and early Christianity from the University of Notre Dame, where she worked on the Dead Sea Scrolls publication team. She has traveled frequently to Israel, Greece, Turkey, and Europe and has written two books, Wealth in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in the Qumran Community (2002) and John the Baptist: Prophet of Purity for a New Age (2003). She also gives frequent talks on the Bible, the historical Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Jesus in film.