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Is Jesus History?
What can we really know for sure about the past? Can anything from ancient history be regarded as ‘fact’? In particular, how seriously can we take the historical sources for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? Did he really even live in first-century Galilee and Judaea, or is he a figure of legend?
In this timely book, historian Dr John Dickson unpacks how the field of history works, giving readers the tools to evaluate for themselves what we can confidently say about figures like the Emperor Tiberius, Alexander the Great, Pontius Pilate, and, of course, Jesus of Nazareth.
He presents the evidence, methods, and conclusions of mainstream scholars—both Christian and not—and asks some pertinent contemporary questions, without offering any pushy answers: If Jesus really did exist, what are we to make of his own claims and those of his followers, and what would any of it mean for us today?
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Is Jesus History?
What can we really know for sure about the past? Can anything from ancient history be regarded as ‘fact’? In particular, how seriously can we take the historical sources for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? Did he really even live in first-century Galilee and Judaea, or is he a figure of legend?
In this timely book, historian Dr John Dickson unpacks how the field of history works, giving readers the tools to evaluate for themselves what we can confidently say about figures like the Emperor Tiberius, Alexander the Great, Pontius Pilate, and, of course, Jesus of Nazareth.
He presents the evidence, methods, and conclusions of mainstream scholars—both Christian and not—and asks some pertinent contemporary questions, without offering any pushy answers: If Jesus really did exist, what are we to make of his own claims and those of his followers, and what would any of it mean for us today?
What can we really know for sure about the past? Can anything from ancient history be regarded as ‘fact’? In particular, how seriously can we take the historical sources for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? Did he really even live in first-century Galilee and Judaea, or is he a figure of legend?
In this timely book, historian Dr John Dickson unpacks how the field of history works, giving readers the tools to evaluate for themselves what we can confidently say about figures like the Emperor Tiberius, Alexander the Great, Pontius Pilate, and, of course, Jesus of Nazareth.
He presents the evidence, methods, and conclusions of mainstream scholars—both Christian and not—and asks some pertinent contemporary questions, without offering any pushy answers: If Jesus really did exist, what are we to make of his own claims and those of his followers, and what would any of it mean for us today?
Starting out as a professional singer-songwriter, John Dickson now works as a writer, speaker, historian, and media presenter. He is the author of more than a dozen books, and the presenter of three TV documentaries on the origins of Christianity. He teaches Historical Jesus at the University of Sydney, and is the Distinguished Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Public Christianity at Ridley College, Melbourne. He produces a weekly podcast called Undeceptions. During 2017-2019 he was a Visiting Academic in the Faculty of Classics at Oxford University researching the use of memory techniques in ancient education. In all that he does, whether in the media or the church, creative or academic, he strives to be a public advocate for the Christian faith in skeptical times. Having lost his father in a major air disaster when he was young, John has always felt an affinity with the deeper questions and doubts of our world. He lives in Sydney, and values his wife and three children above all other gifts of this life.
Introduction: Christianity’s Problem 1. History And Reality 2. “Faith” in History 3. How To Make Me Eat My Bible 4. Historical Quests For Jesus 5. Liberal Prophet, Sacrificial Martyr 6. What Alexander The Great Can Teach Us About History 7. Scraps About Jesus 8. Paul: Skeleton Key To Jesus 9. Digging Stuff Up 10. Raised Expectations Epilogue: Is Jesus History?
