Did Jesus Exist [Paperback]

George A. Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1986

Professor Wells argues that there was no historical Jesus, and in thus arguing he deals with the many recent writers who have interpreted the historical Jesus as some kind of political figure in the struggle against Rome, and calls in evidence the many contemporary theologians who agree with some of his arguments about early Christianity. The question at issue is what all the evidence adds up to. Does it establish that Jesus did or did not exist? Professor Wells concludes that the latter is the more likely hypothesis. This challenge to received thinking by both Christians and non-Christians is supported by much documentary evidence, and Professor Wells carefully examines all the relevant problems and answers all the relevant questions. He deliberately avoids polemic and speculation, and sticks so far as possible to the known facts and to rational inferences from the facts.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; 2 Revised edition (March 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0301860017
• ISBN-13: 978-0301860015
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,951,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A much needed book in a landscape full of speculation, August 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Did Jesus Exist (Paperback)

New Testament scholars, quick to dismiss evangelical leanings toward belief that the Gospels are verbatim accounts by eyewitnesses, should think again if they think they have silenced their critics.

Wells has shown that questioning a few assumptions can lead to vastly different conclusions. The assumption he questions is that the general framework of the gospel accounts is based in fact. His different conclusion is that the Jesus that Christians know and love is mostly or all a legendary character.

Basically, taking Paul's earliest writings (which predate the gospels), Wells examines the growth of a tradition which added more and more on to the idea of Jesus, which is how myths work.

Scholars have turned their nose up to this theory, citing that Wells is not accepted in scholarly circles and that he is just a German professor, instead of providing some reasons that Wells's inference from the known data CAN'T work.

Read and enjoy. Crossan, eat your heart out.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Useful, May 1, 2010

By 

T. F. Rhoden - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Did Jesus Exist? (Paperback)

Mr. Wells does a pretty simple thing here, but he does it well and he does it thoroughly. He takes the first four chapters of the New Testament (using the original Greek texts) and cross references it with other accounts of that time (Roman and Jewish sources). Nothing spectacular here, just good research and some decent historical work.

Because of his thoroughness, the reader is very early on faced with the obvious fact that there is completely no historicity at all for this fellow named Jesus in the New Testament. If you are into the whole faith thing, then of course this is no problem. Faith is faith is faith--that wonderful admission that pesky things like facts and logic and evidence and putting them all together to come to some sort of coherent conclusion is, well, not so important.

But, instead if you are into thinking stuff through, it is hard to walk away from this text and still admit that this guy ever existed, let alone did all those magic tricks: making some tasty wine from water, being born from someone who had never broken her hymen, busting out of his grave to make a short reunion tour before floating up, up and away on a fluffy, snow-white cloud.

The chapter on Pagan and Jewish Background was probably my favorite.

I should warn though that the text is a bit dry, but it makes for awesome reference. If I ever crack it open again it will be for that reason.

10 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars compelling, May 6, 2007

By 

blowfly13 (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Did Jesus Exist? (Paperback)

Fascinating book. The chapters on synoptic gospel-to-gospel inconsistencies, gospel editing from church fathers with an obvious agenda, and the similarities of the Jesus story to those of pagan gods were particularly compelling. This book convinced me that agnosticism is a very reasonable stance.