Dr. Ehrman at his best

Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Bart D. Ehrman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Despite being one of Bart Ehrman's first "trade" books published, "Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium" is Dr. Ehrman at his best. The book is excellently written, thoroughly referenced, and is fascinating, informative and engaging from start to finish. The first part of the book lays the groundwork for the ancient sources which are available to be used, and how to weigh them for authenticity of origin and content. What then follows is the meat of the book, an exploration of the human / earthly life of the person known as Jesus of Nazareth in first century Palestine, from his birth to his death. On every step of this way, Dr. Ehrman goes back and uses the sources he has shown to be reliable and authentic (at least in as much as an ancient document can be). What is really amazing is that the portrait of Jesus differs in many significant ways from that portrayed by most Xian churches and denominations. And once again, I am fascinated at how many people who claim to be followers of Jesus don't know the critical facts about who he was and the times in which he lived. This book is a must-read if you care anything about this man who is called Jesus.

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