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On the Historicity of Jesus
- Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt
- Narrated by: Richard Carrier
- Length: 28 hrs and 8 mins
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On the Historicity of Jesus
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Publisher's Summary
The assumption that Jesus existed as a historical person has occasionally been questioned in the course of the last hundred years or so, but any doubts that have been raised have usually been put to rest in favor of imagining a blend of the historical, the mythical, and the theological in the surviving records of Jesus. Historian and philosopher Richard Carrier reexamines the whole question and finds compelling reasons to suspect the more daring assumption is correct. He lays out extensive research on the evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity and poses the key questions that must now be answered if the historicity of Jesus is to survive as a dominant paradigm. Carrier contrasts the most credible reconstruction of a historical Jesus with the most credible theory of Christian origins if a historical Jesus did not exist. Such a theory posits that the Jesus figure was originally conceived of as a celestial being known only through private revelations and hidden messages in scripture; then stories placing this being in earthly history were crafted to communicate allegorically the claims of the gospel. Such stories eventually came to be believed or promoted in the struggle for control of the Christian churches that survived the tribulations of the first century. Carrier finds this theory more credible than has been previously imagined. He explains why it offers a better explanation for all the disparate evidence surviving from the first two centuries of the Christian era. He argues that we need a more careful and robust theory of cultural syncretism between Jewish theology and politics of the second-temple period and the most popular features of pagan religion and philosophy of the time. For everyone intent on defending a historical Jesus, this is the book to challenge them.
What listeners say about On the Historicity of Jesus
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- John O'Brien
- 26-10-2022
Great arguments
An expose on the lies and obfuscations that created the man the world calls Christ.
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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
- Ian J Firth
- 28-08-2020
A must read for Christians.
A must read for any one interested in serious study of the historical/mythical Jesus. It is a complete study of history, greek thinking and parallel religion of the time. Most importantly Richard's work is peer reviewed.
I seriously wish that this book was around when I was a Theological student, Carrier's work is groundbreaking and life changing. For far too long, fundamental scholarship, of biblical documents, have assumed authenticity and inerrency, Carrier seriously contests every aspect of this.
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2 people found this helpful
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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
- Adam
- 24-01-2018
A Very Long Journey
If you could sum up On the Historicity of Jesus in three words, what would they be?
Revealing, comprehensive and commanding.
What did you like best about this story?
The view of society and culture provided by a genuine historical perspective. While 'history' is something we repetitively teach throughout the ages, most of what we have taught is simply wrong - because it lacked true historicity. Here, Carrier demonstrates the greatest known example of how this is so.
What about Richard Carrier’s performance did you like?
As the original author himself, I thought Richard was brave to take on this project. Nevertheless, he adds something to the delivery, providing the deepest possible knowledge on the subject matter.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
All in one sitting? No way. 28hrs?
Any additional comments?
Bravo. Long live truth.
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- Mathew
- 09-05-2024
Very informative and well researched
I’m a very fact driven person and appreciate strong argument. Carrier delves hard into every facet of history and weighs the evidence thoughtfully. Scientifically proving the probability (or improbability) of Jesus being real figure. Good job and worth the read if you care at all about facts and reason.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- David
- 26-02-2019
Hard work
Pretty disappointing first 6 chapters. Very little primary evidence or interesting facts presented. A lot of mental acrobatics required of listener. Draws parallels with other religions, myths, fictional characters but doesn't explain why they should or should not be compared to the bible. In approx 4 hrs, I didn't hear anything impressive or interesting. Maybe good for someone learning to think critically about the world for the first time, but not really a serious book. Plus the style was quite excruciating. Lots of laboured numbering of points and a superior tone. Not my cup of tea.
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2 people found this helpful