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The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ

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In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Christian apologist and writer (I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist)who is a friend of Lee Strobel. Yes, I have an agenda just like every author who claims to write non-fiction. Lee Strobel has an agenda, and so do the atheist critics who dismiss his work. But that doesn't mean that what Lee or a critic writes is false or biased. People can present evidence objectively even if they personally are not neutral (I've noticed that neutral people rarely have the interest or expertise to write books!).

Unfortunately, many of Lee's critics claim that Lee's work cannot be trusted simply because he has some kind of Christian agenda. This is a fallacy that, if true, would swing a sword cutting both ways-- if you can't trust Lee because he has a Christian agenda, then you can't trust his critics because they have an atheist agenda. All authors have agendas, and all authors believe what they write! The issue is not the agenda, but the evidence!

The survivors of the Holocaust certainly had an agenda when they wrote about its horrors. Does that necessarily mean that we cannot trust them? Of course not. In fact, their experiences may have caused them to be all the more accurate and meticulous so as not to risk the dismissal of the message they cared so passionately about.

If you know Lee Strobel, he takes the accurate and meticulous route when writing a book. As in his previous "Case" books, Lee covers complicated topics honestly, and in a very readable and comprehensive way. When interviewing Christian scholars, Lee plays the part of a skeptic: he asks the kinds of questions and offers the kind of objections that real skeptics write about in their books-- people such as Bart Ehrman, Richard Carrier, and several "Jesus Seminar" proponents.

Critics complain that Lee should really interview those people, but why? Their thoughts are already in their books. Lee's job is to see if their thoughts are credible by interviewing Christian scholars with an opposing view. As usual, Lee plays devil's advocate brilliantly. It's as if the skeptics are asking the questions themselves. So who cares who's asking the skeptic's questions? They are asked and answered, and you, dear reader, are left to judge whether or not those answers make sense. I think they make great sense.

One of the best things about "The Case for the Real Jesus" is that Lee addresses the hottest alternative Jesus theories of the day. You'll read about the so-called Jesus tomb, the charge that the manuscripts can't be trusted, and the claim that Christianity was copied from pagan resurrection myths (among other topics). This is the one book that will give you the bottom line on all of those alternative theories-- a bottom line that once again reveals that the most reasonable conclusion is that Jesus of Nazareth really did rise from the dead for your sins and mine.

So let me reveal my agenda-- I can't recommend this book more highly. I think you ought to buy "The Case for The Real Jesus" and be enlightened by its outstanding evidence.

Lee Strobel's "The Case for the Real Jesus" is his latest in a series of defenses of Christianity in which Strobel introduces numerous expert witnesses to refute arguments posed against traditional Christianity. Like all of Strobel's books, this latest has many illustrative examples and reads like a novel, yet is densely rich with information. This is probably Strobel's most timely book -- which is really faint praise since his other "Case for" books were more time-less than timely, and worth re-reading several times.

The earlier books were defenses against more credible attacks. The first book, "The Case For Christ" responded to attacks from secular historians, atheists, and religious scholars who seemed to think Jesus needed a re-make. Next, "The Case For A Creator" presented a strong summary of arguments for Intelligent Design. Then "The Case For Faith" was a philosophic defense of God (not so much debating his existence as explaining why he should be worshiped).

Much of the new book "The Case For The Real Jesus" defends Christianity against the likes of Dan Brown, James Cameron and Michael Baigent, who are experts only in drama and making money. I find it sad that such a defense is even necessary, but the situation may be a sign of the times, when every conspiracy theory is assumed true until proven false, and revisionist history is automatically preferred over tradition. Fortunately, Dan Brown has already been discredited by many experts (including Strobel himself), and the other opportunists are easily dispatched.

Another currently popular theme is "lost gospels", such as those of Thomas, Mary Magdalene, and Judas. These gospels are treated as new discoveries in the popular media, even though we've known about many of them for decades. Scholars almost universally reject these as anything representative of the early church beliefs, yet they are popularized as credible witnesses to the origins of Christianity. Strobel puts these documents into perspective and provides the reader with valuable tests to evaluate them.

But recent attacks on the identity of Jesus are not always so sensationalistic. The public seems to hunger for alternative visions of Christianity, and scholars have moved in to fill the void.

Bart Ehrman is a well respected scholar who is also well known from his The Teaching Channel classes and recent best selling books, including "Misquoting Jesus", which creates doubt about both the original teachings of Christianity, and the role of the early church in manipulating scripture. Strobel does not so much dispute the facts Ehrman presents as question Ehrman's conclusions. Ehrman is an agnostic, and Strobel is a believer. This is much like the difference between a pessimist and an optimist, and interpreting the fullness of a glass of water. The same information can be presented in very different ways with very different emphases. Strobel simply provides balance to Ehrman's doubts. Clearly we don't have perfect copies of the original scriptures, and clearly some scripture was tampered with. But despite this, Strobel makes clear we can be very confident with the scripture we do have.

As always, scholars find the idea of miracles and the resurrection hard to swallow intellectually. They haven't come up with new arguments, but have framed their arguments in new ways. Strobel does likewise, rehashing his arguments from previous books, but with the bullet point style of Michael Licona. He also responds to Islamic theories about what happened to Jesus on Good Friday.

Another favorite argument today is that Christianity has much in common with other religions, and may even have stolen it's central archetypes (like the resurrection, the virgin birth, and the Son of God) from earlier religions. Strobel shows us that such similarities are superficial at best, and often require quite an imagination to see the connection.

Many religious people today are discarding the old time religions, rejecting the need for religious authorities and seeking God on their own - and on their own terms. Jesus loses his identity and becomes little more than an imaginary friend, or a comforting tradition. Jesus becomes re-made, re-interpreted, like an unfaithful movie adaptation to a well known story. And the loss of church means the loss of Jesus in our social lives. Strobel describes the situation eloquently. This creative religious atmosphere may be the root cause of the absurd pseudo-Jesuses popping up in the media today, and the loss of Christianity's roots. This aimless, lukewarm attitude towards God may be more destructive to the Christian community than any athiest's argument or any secular oppression.

Strobel does not present himself as an intellectual heavy-hitter. He presents himself as a former atheist, who after some research discovered faith in Christ. He approaches his task with the perspective of a reporter and former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, which he was. He does not represent himself as an authority. He simply has six challenges that he poses to scholars respected by both the defenders and skeptics of Christ.

His six challenges are:

1. Scholars are uncovering a radically different Jesus in ancient documents just as credible as the four gospels.
2. The Bible's portrait of Jesus can't be trusted.
3. New explanations have refuted Jesus' resurrection.
4. Christianity's beliefs about Jesus were copied from pagan religions.
5. Jesus was an imposter who failed to fulfill the Messianic prophecies.
6. People should be free to pick and choose what to believe about Jesus.

These are tough questions. Strobel does not provide the answers. He merely takes the question to the expert. These experts are not third rate scholars. Prior to each interview, Strobel presents each scholar's credentials. If you've been reading books in this sort of genre before, you will recognize the names. Even if you don't and are a layman, their credentials will impress you.

The problem for me with the field of Bible study is that I am not a language expert. Unless I want to learn Coptic, Aramaic, ancient Greek, and Hebrew, I am never going to study the original texts. I therefore have to rely upon the accuracy of others. Trust is key. I have read numerous books by Bart Ehrman and Elaine Pagels. These authors, despite their credentials, seem to cultivate attention by putting forward controversial, edgy ideas designed to raise eyebrows. Trust just isn't established for me by those sorts of academics. But I do trust the work done by Strobel in this book.

This book is worth reading. Get it. It may not change how you see things, but it is well-researched and definitely thought provoking.

Q: If you've already read _The Case for Christ_, should you bother with this one? Or is it just an "update" of the previous work that re-hashes old content?

A: You definitely want to read this one. _The Case for the Real Jesus_ is not an "update," but an important Volume II of _The Case for Christ_--important because it addresses skeptical arguments that have gained new popularity in the last 10 years due to recent novels, movies and scholarship coming out of the "new school" of early church history. Though these arguments are not the strongest that skeptics have to offer, they do seem to be the ones that currently enjoy the most buzz.

Q: Has Strobel responsibly presented these skeptical objections or has he watered them down to gain an advantage?

A: As a researcher of the scholarship in new testament and early church history, and one who has read extensively the work of Ehrman, others of the "new school," and skads of internet skeptics, I can say that Strobel makes the opposing arguments as strongly here as I've ever seen them made elsewhere. No serious scholar would find fault with his representations of the arguments. In some cases, his cross examinations of the scholars exceeds what reasonable skeptic scholars actually argue.

Q: Is this book just for the novice of apologetics?

A: Not at all, though of course all these _Case_ books are ideal reading for the novice. My personal library is loaded with works that dive into greater detail, covering much more about a lot less than the _Case_ books attempt. This is why I like the Strobel books: They are one-stop-shopping for all the major arguments that call for answers and as such are a handy, quick reference. _The Case for the Real Jesus_ is a very helpful addition to the series.

As many have discovered, the _Case_ books are ideal for sharing with friends who are interested in questions for Christianity but who may not be believers. _Real Jesus_ and its content will be the first book I share with the person who asks me what I think about _The DaVinci Code_.

All of which is to say: _The Case for the Real Jesus_ is engaging, accessible and relevant for the novice while also being serious, contemporary and convenient for those already invested in the field. I'm glad to have it on my shelf, and I won't hesitate to share it with others.

Christian apologist Strobel has added one more "Case for..." book to his lengthening series. Previous titles include The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith and The Case for a Creator. I enjoy apologetics, so this book, my second Strobel read after The Case for Christ, held my interest. Perhaps it's more than mere coincidence that these are the two Strobel books I've read, because they cover some of the same territory. In fact, this new book could be described as an update of the first. In the Introduction Strobel says,

"That book [The Case for Christ] was published in 1998. Since then the Jesus of historic Christianity has come under increasingly fierce attack. From college classrooms to bestselling books to the Internet, scholars and popular writers are seeking to debunk the traditional Christ. They're capturing the public's imagination with radical new portraits of Jesus that bear scant resemblance to the time-honored picture embraced by the church."

He then identifies "six major challenges to the traditional view of Jesus that have emerged out of this milieu." In short the six new challenges put forth in the last few years by legitimate academicians, but also by a few self-proclaimed scholars with an Internet following, are:

1.Certain ancient documents describe a different, yet equally credible, Jesus.
2.The Church altered the original Biblical text.
3.Jesus' resurrection has now been explained away.
4.Jesus has been copied from earlier pagan religions.
5.Jesus did not fulfill the Jewish (Old Testament) messianic prophecies.
6.It's a free country so believe whatever you want.

Strobel followed the same procedure he did with the earlier Case for Christ book. He hopped a plane and flew hither and yon to question eyeball-to-eyeball the subject matter expert he deemed most qualified to answer the complexities of each challenge. I must give Strobel credit: he didn't merely question the experts; he literally cross-examined them, not unlike a hard nosed defense attorney. At times I found the interrogation to be utterly relentless. Long before he concluded his line of questioning, I was ready to say, "Enough already...The expert has resolved the issue!" But he didn't end the conversation until every last objection he had collected in advance was satisfactorily accounted for. Long story short: The experts all rose to their respective challenges capably enough to satisfy Strobel's expressed concerns.

Yes, as a Christian I am warmly sympathetic to the cause of Christ. Yes, I wanted the experts to answer wisely and well. But apart from my subjectivity, the scholars did perform competently. I don't believe any seasoned skeptic, following accepted rules of logic, could have generated a better list of questions than Strobel did. To be fair, however, I suspect the results would have differed, if he had chosen even one expert who was as much skeptical of Christianity as academically qualified to respond to the questions. Furthermore in terms of style, I became annoyed with the author's play-by-play presentation, for example, what seemed to me frivolous inanities like: "Wearing a dark green T-shirt, blue jeans, and white socks, and with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose,..." or, "I glanced at my watch. It was getting late." I often thought, "Truthfully, I don't care what the scholar was wearing and I don't care what time it was ...Just get on with it ...This is not reality TV!"

But at the end of the day these were minor annoyances compared to the substantive content of the question-and-answer sessions. What made the conclusions persuasive was Strobel's continuous reliance on what some call "the legal-historical method of proof." That is, concerning phenomena that cannot be recreated in a laboratory for scientific observation and measurement, such as historical events, truth is determined by the weight of demonstrably reliable evidence. Accordingly, the recurring theme of each interview was two questions:
1) What is the factual or logical evidence? 2) How well-attested, or trustworthy, is the evidence? Based on these criteria the experts answered proficiently and the time-honored portrayal of the historical Jesus survived all six contemporary challenges.

Surely this book is for laypeople, not scholars. Although the arguments are occasionally detailed enough to give pause, the tone and style are clearly directed at non-academics. Speaking of which, just a few days ago I visited one of the religion forums right here on Amazon. The forum's title was "The best argument for Christianity" and there were no less than 1,824 posts! My point is that several of the comments I read involved objections to Christianity that are specifically addressed in this book. For example, some critics assert that the story of Jesus was merely copied and adapted from stories about Mithras, a central figure in one of the mystery religions that allegedly pre-dated Jesus. Some of the comments posted on the forum mentioned Mithras by name. Yet one of Strobel's experts explained that the Mithras claims have been refuted by the generally accepted dates of the Mithraic texts, the earliest of which is considerably after the death of Jesus. In other words, Jesus couldn't have been copied from Mithras, because substantial textual evidence for Mithras did not appear until later than several of the biblical texts.

If you care nothing about the probabilities of historical research or the weight of evidence, this book is not for you. Perhaps you choose to reject Jesus, because you want nothing to do with a God who asks you to surrender your life to the One who is Truth. But if you sincerely DO want to wrestle with the evidence, then I recommend The Case for the Real Jesus, regardless of which side of the dialogue you're on.

I couldn't disagree more with the scathing review here by Paul Doland. Obviously, Doland has his own axe to grind. Strobel freely admits his conversion from atheism to Christianity. And he still chooses subject matter experts he believes to be best qualified to discuss the evidence in terms of published atheist critiques. Understanding his biases, at least give him credit for a sincere attempt to present both sides of the arguments, not just one.

"So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'" -- Matthew 27:54 (NKJV)

I developed an interest in reading this book after hearing Lee Strobel preach at Calvary Chapel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a few weeks ago. He presented a lot of background information about Jesus that was new to me, and I decided I wanted to learn more.

I believe that you will gain the most benefit from The Case for the Real Jesus if you first read Lee Strobel's earlier book, The Case for Christ. The facts and arguments in The Case for the Real Jesus are often connected to material in The Case for Christ.

In the interest of helping you figure out if this is a book you want to read, I suggest you begin by taking a look at pages 266-267 where the key issues addressed in the book are summarized.

The book considers these challenges that have been frequently raised in the public press during recent years:

1. "Scholars are uncovering a radically different Jesus in ancient documents just as credible as the four Gospels."

2. "The Bible's portrait of Jesus cannot be trusted because the church tampered with the text."

3. "New explanations have refuted Jesus' resurrection."

4. "Christianity's beliefs about Jesus were copied from pagan religions."

5. "Jesus was an imposter who failed to fulfill the Messianic prophecies."

6. "People should be free to pick and choose what to believe about Jesus."

Each section basically follows the format of finding one of these six challenges, documenting who made the claim and what the claim was based on, locating an expert in that area, and asking the expert to comment on the claim.

You may find that format a little restrictive for getting all of your questions answered. I think you'll find that reading this book is a little like getting an appetizer-sized portion of the information. It would have been much more interesting if Mr. Strobel had arranged for those who made these claims to debate the "expert" who was interviewed and then reported on the give-and-take. The book is filled with references, however, so you'll have an easy time tracking down the original claim and what others have written on the subject. I believe there's enough here to lead you to the information you are looking for to make up your mind from what the sources say or suggest and your heart tells you.

If you are a graduate-level theology student, this material will be too simple for you. If you are just an average person who wants to understand more about what scholars are disagreeing about, you'll probably find that you will get enough information in many areas to satisfy your curiosity.

I feel that people should know why they believe what they believe. The historical record about Jesus' life through the ascension into heaven is richer than is typically the case for events that happened almost two thousand years ago, and I think most people who want to know more about Jesus will be glad they became more familiar with the sources and how they were developed and analyzed.

May God bless you, your family, and all you do in the name of Jesus!

A glance through the ecumenical creeds reveals that the Christian church has always believed Jesus to be the divine Son of God who, for us and our salvation, took upon Himself humanity, lived a perfect (sinless) life, was crucified, died, and on the third day rose bodily from the grave. This portrait of Jesus is derived exclusively from the Biblical evidence, as is the Good News that Jesus took our place in both life and death (such that He lived the perfect life that was demanded of us, and He died the death that our sins deserved). The New Testament holds forth Christ's resurrection as the ultimate proof that the Biblical portrayal of Jesus is in fact true. This is the church's - the Bible's view of Jesus... Can it stand up to scrutiny? That is the question Lee Strobel seeks to answer in The Case for the Real Jesus

In recent years, the identity of Jesus has come under attack from both scholarly sources and the popular media. Consequently, many different views of both the identity and accomplishments of Jesus have been offered in place of the historic understanding of the Church. Strobel selected what he considers to be six of the most serious challenges to the Biblical understanding of Jesus, and, as is his usual practice, he interviewed highly respected and qualified scholars to ascertain the validity of the challenges, and to present to the reader the "case for the real Jesus".

The six challenges to the traditional understanding of Jesus are:

1. Scholars are uncovering a radically different Jesus in ancient documents just as credible as the four Gospels.
2. The Bible's portrait of Jesus can't be trusted because the Church tampered with the text.
3. New explanations have refuted Jesus' resurrection.
4. Christianity's beliefs about Jesus were copied from pagan religions.
5. Jesus was an imposter who failed to fulfill the Messianic prophecies.
6. People should be free to pick and choose what they believe about Jesus.

Any one of these claims, if true, would significantly damage, if not completely destroy the Christian faith. Consequently, Strobel tells us, to maintain his intellectual integrity he could not ignore them. Hence, the investigation into the claims and the resulting book.

What he found is that although these claims are indeed current, none of them are actually new. Each of them is a rehash of a previous challenge to the Christian faith, and each of them has been thoroughly rebutted in the past. Responding to the current incarnation of these challenges in The Case for the Real Jesus are Craig Evans (ch 1); Daniel Wallace (2); Michael Licona (3 & 4); Edwin Yamauchi (4); Michael Brown (5); and Paul Copan (6). Ultimately, they show that the same old objections are still trounced by the same old responses.

One recurring theme in the interviews is the need for Christians to become educated in both the challenges to their faith, and the compelling responses. The book makes it clear that the current challenges, which should have been put to rest years ago, appear to be problematic because Christians are generally unprepared to respond to them. The Case for the Real Jesus is an excellent resource helping meet the need for education within the church. It's value is lies in the fact that Lee Strobel and his interviewees do a fairly thorough job summarizing the scholarly and Christian response to the "six major challenges" of our age. Hence, a person who has not read widely in apologetic material, or who is hearing these challenges for the first time will be able to get a good overview of the answers given by the best Christian thinkers through the years. As an additional educational tool, Strobel has also included a very helpful list of books "for further investigation" at the close of each chapter.

Although this book is informative and easy to read, I have given it three stars because it does not add anything to the discussion of the objections it addresses. The value of this book is that it summarizes both recurring objections and the responses to those objections. Those unfamiliar with the objections/responses will find this book to be a good introduction to the issues.

Christians will be both encouraged and educated by The Case for the Real Jesus. It is hoped that non-Christians will be challenged to rethink their objections to the traditional understanding of Christ.

In this latest book, Lee Strobel discusses six challenges to the traditional Christian portrayal of Jesus. In his signature journalistic style, he walks his reader step-by-step through each challenge as he describes his careful investigation and records his interviews with top-notch scholars from around the world.

As with his other books in the "Case for" series, each scholar interviewed deftly dismantles each challenge by expressing his viewpoints in clear, precise manners and using illustrations that make it easy for the layman to understand. Lee further strengthens the arguments presented by each scholar by including additional quotes and follow up resources. In addition, his commentary sometimes elaborates and clarifies various points along the way, and serves to keep the text from becoming too heavy and overbearing.

As an avid reader of apologetics literature, I highly recommend this timely book. If you have not encountered some of these challenges to the Christian faith, then you soon will. In fact, just 4 days prior to writing this review I was visiting a friend who had just picked up a copy of Bart Ehrman's book Misquoting Jesus. Thanks to Lee's book, I was prepared to discuss the challenges raised by Ehrman with my friend.

As Lee mentions in the book, the internet has given rise to numerous websites that give half-truths and present pseudo-scholarly arguments against the Christian faith that sound convincing. Believers need to be prepared - and The Case for the Real Jesus is a powerful tool to help strengthen one's faith and protect against false and misleading "scholarship."

Keith A. Robinson
Author of Logic's End: A Novel about the Origin of Life in the Universe

By far, I believe this to be Mr. Strobel's most effective and strongest work to-date. While every bit as scholarly and thorough as The Case for Faith and The Case for Christ, The Case for the Real Jesus is imminently readable and arguably compelling. The book also takes on an air of urgency when viewed in the context of a modern apologetic soon to be placed alongside the likes of such celebrated antitheists as Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris. Mr. Strobel has provided an unflinching examination of the most often heralded, increasingly repeated, and far too easily taken for granted points of contention of those with differing or antagonistic worldviews. As such, it is an indispensable tool for all Christians and an undeniable invitation to non-Christians: a book that serves to not only bridge the gaps of ignorance, naiveté, and hostility but to buttress our sometimes lagging personal pillars of faith.

Lee Strobel has a great job! He gets to travel around the world and interview scholars on the subject he is investigating. In this case, he's looking for the evidence for the real Jesus. I'm not particular interested in what kind of cookies his host's wife serves, nor am I interested in how the sun was shining into a room, which Strobel seems to like to mention. When he gets down to interviews he asks good questions and records the answers clearly. Some criticize Strobel for not interviewing the guys in the "other team." That's a fair criticism. However, Strobel does quote their works which removes the temptation to edit their statements. Some could accuse him of doctoring the other guys' quotes, but that is an easy one to solve. Go read the other team's books.
Stobel gives both sides, the Bart Ehrman's and Elaine Pagel's fair representation when he quotes their books. However, he refutes their propositions with the answers from serious scholars of the New Testament like Craig Evans and Daniel B. Wallace.
The essence of the book/audio deals with six questions that must be answered to determine who the "Real Jesus" is. He does this clearly and drives the point home that the real Jesus is the Jesus of orthodox conservative Christianity as attested to by the eyewitnesses. This is a good read and a good book to listen to.