The Historical Jesus
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The Historical Jesus
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Narrated by:
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Bart D. Ehrman
About this listen
From the late Roman Empire all the way to our own time, no continuously existing institution or belief system has wielded as much influence as Christianity, no figure as much as Jesus. Worshipped around the globe by more than a billion people, he is undoubtedly the single most important figure in the story of Western civilization and one of the most significant in world history altogether. Yet who was Jesus of Nazareth? What was he like? It's a question that's been pondered by people and groups of varying convictions for more than 2,000 years. And everyone with even the faintest knowledge, says Professor Ehrman, has an opinion - with those opinions differing not only among laypeople but even among professional scholars who have devoted their lives to the task of reconstructing what the historical Jesus was probably like and what he most likely said and did.
This series of 24 lectures from an award-winning teacher and scholar approaches the subject from a purely historical perspective, with no intention of affirming or denying any particular theological beliefs. He explains why it has proven so difficult to know about the "Jesus of history" and reveals the kinds of conclusions modern scholars have drawn about him.
He begins with a discussion of the four New Testament Gospels - our principle source of knowledge about Jesus - and other sources, explaining what they are, how they came to be written, and how biblical scholars plumb them for historical understanding, before integrating them into the historical context of Jesus' life and a scholarly reconstruction of Jesus' words and deeds in light of the best available historical methods and evidence.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2000 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2000 The Great CoursesListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Historical Jesus
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M Yazdian-Tehrani
- 14-07-23
My most favourite audiobook
I have downloaded every course by Bart D. Ehrman, love his lectures so much. Very informative.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 10-06-19
Excellent Course
The course and presentation is clear and understandable even for the layman.
Bart divides the course up in applicable lectures, which makes it easy to follow, comprehend and not lose focus or interest.
I highly recommend this course!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- K. Law
- 08-11-22
Excellent
This takes you through the evidence, how one can judge the likelihood of something having happened and gives in depth details on evaluating the information we have about Jesus. Historical, not theological. I really enjoyed listening to these lectures.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 05-08-22
My fellow reviews are laughable
These are academic lectures, presented by an academic - so of course he is going to go into the details of his research methods and present the necessary arguments and counter arguments of the various elements of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. He does it very well and I don't think we do get bogged down in academic rigour. Each lecture is 25 minutes not 50 so the topics are covered fairly briskly - I could have happily spent an hour learning about Apollonius of Tyana and the similarities between his life and Jesus, for example. But like all the topics it is covered succinctly and then moved on from. If you want a glossy life and times and what ifs of Jesus go watch a Discovery Channel documentary
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andrew Karanja
- 03-12-24
A historical masterclass
Thanks to Professor Bart Ehrman, I now know how to look at history and to interrogate it. Thank you
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- M. S.
- 31-10-17
Who was Jesus?
Fascinating, detailed and well researched. Should be part of seminary. Absolutely worth listening to. The lecturer is clear and easy to hear, the contents easy to follow. No background knowledge necessary.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Ro Smith
- 17-03-24
older than the release date says, but interesting
The title details say it was released in 2013, but the final lecture reveals it was recorded before the year 2,000 - which is quite a difference! This won't include recent research.
Overall it's interesting and the performance is engaging, if repetitive in places. The speaker is likely right about his overall position that Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet and he gives a good overview of scholarship up to that point.
It is laughably US-centric in places (for example, talking about how 'we' have the death penalty, but it's much more 'humane' than crucifixion... when most countries do not have the death penalty or regard it as humane). He's also constantly stressing that just because the tales aren't historically accurate, is doesn't mean they aren't true in a theological sense, which I feel really only needed to be said once, or a handful of times at most. It's also a bit funny (as a philosopher myself) to hear him say he's not going to discuss the philosophical question of whether miracles could happen, then give the most famous argument against belief in miracles (David Hume's argument from the proportion of evidence and the definition of miracles and laws of nature) as the reason why historically you can't ever say there is evidence for a miracle, because the nature of miracles is such that there's overwhelming evidence against them happening. Like, sure, there are further discussions to be had, but that is David Hume's argument right there.
I probably seem more down on this than I am. I definitely learned some things. but the fact that this is a much older piece of scholarship than it presents itself as makes me unsure how much I should rely on it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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- Sam
- 07-07-14
An interesting concept, needs the visual element
What did you like most about The Historical Jesus?
This was a very interesting lecture, with lots of intriguing concepts. It was very balanced and for such a sensitive topic the author/reader managed to keep most of his personal bias out it, which for such a topic is a monumental achievement.
Who might you have cast as narrator instead of Professor Bart D. Ehrman?
Unfortunately the problem with the reader is that he is presenting in a visual medium and this is an audio recording. Irregardless the whole thing has ended up as a smooth finished product.
Any additional comments?
There is one or two chapters where the author/reader feels a little 'preachy' I urge listeners to try and cope with his presentation and push past these; it is well worth it in the end.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Sam
- 09-09-21
Brilliant
Delivers what it promises and more. The verbal style isn't perfect - at times hesitating or disjointed speech. But the content is fantastic, the lecturer passionate, and of course a leader in the field. His exasperation is at times palpable and entertaining.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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- John Tower
- 20-10-16
struugled to finish it
Author goes on about his sources the whys and wherefores more than the subject. boring.
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1 person found this helpful