Jesus: Evidence and Argument or Mythicist Myths?

by Maurice Casey

Overview

Did Jesus exist? There has been a recent surge in public discussion surrounding this question, with many scholars ('mythicists') claiming that Jesus did not exist. Maurice Casey, one of the most important Historical Jesus scholars of his generation, seeks to provide a clear and balanced view of what can be said about Jesus, and of what can't.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780567294586
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/13/2014
Series:	Biblical Studies
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Maurice Casey is Professor of New Testament Languages and Literature at the University of Nottingham, UK. He has published extensively on the Son of Man problem, and more generally on reconstructing Aramaic traditions about Jesus from the Greek Gospels.

Table of Contents

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

Editorial Reviews

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

The book may prove useful to non-specialists confronted by the bewildering claim that Jesus never existed.
Theological Book Review

From the Publisher