The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ [Paperback]

Gary R. Habermas (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0899007325 | ISBN-13: 978-0899007328 | Publication Date: June 3, 1996

Habermas provides evidence that a man named Jesus really did live in Palestine in the first century, using the ordinary canons of historical research (artifactual evidence, inscriptional evidence, and literary evidence).

Product Details

• Paperback: 298 pages
• Publisher: College Press Publishing Company, Inc. (June 3, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899007325
• ISBN-13: 978-0899007328
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Gary R. Habermas is Distinguished Research Professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University. He also teaches in the Ph.D. program in theology and apologetics at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned the Ph.D. at Michigan State University and the M.A. from the University of Detroit. He has authored, coauthored, or edited thirty-six books and contributed more than sixty chapters or articles to other books. He has also written well over one hundred articles and reviews for journals and other publications. While his chief areas of research (and the topic of eighteen of his books) are issues related to Jesus' resurrection, he has also published frequently on the afterlife as well as the subjects of suffering and religious doubt. Visit his Web site (www.garyhabermas.com) to access some of his publications. Over the past fourteen years, he has often been a visiting or adjunct professor, having taught courses at some fifteen different graduate schools and seminaries in the United States and abroad. He and his wife, Eileen, have seven children and ten grandchildren, all of whom live in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

171 of 195 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even-handedness Is Always Persuasive, July 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ (Paperback)

Habermas provides evidence that a man named Jesus really did live in Palestine in the first century, using the ordinary canons of historical research (artifactual evidence, inscriptional evidence, and literary evidence). Because Habermas concludes that Jesus was a real person in history, many atheists will be offended by this book (as evidenced by the negative reviews). However, the evidence that Jesus lived is actually better than the evidence that Mark Antony or Cleopatra lived. In one long negative review of this book, the reviewer embraced many statements by skeptics and critics exercising much less critical discernment than he used in evaluating the book. Also, the reviewer made statements like "it is virtually universal" when the statement being made actually is not. Do not be put off by negative reviews. Read this book and make up your mind for yourself. Another book on the same topic is Josh McDowell, "He Walked Among Us." Try stacking up the evidence these two books provide against, say, whether Mark Antony ever really existed. (E.g., were the ancient people that wrote about Mark Antony's life either eyewitnesses of Mark Antony, or did they at least have access to people who were eyewitnesses? This kind of corroboration in ancient history is rare indeed, but that is precisely the kind of corrobation one finds in both the Gospels and Paul). Of course, there will never be a debate about Mark Antony because there isn't as much at stake. Keep this in mind when you read negative reviews. Neither negative reviews nor positive ones are completely objective, a fact that is clearly evident in both types of reviews for this book.

214 of 246 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's stick to the facts..., October 11, 2000

By 

BCBL (Wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ (Paperback)

Habermas shows the difference between honest literary/historical investigation & bias proclamations. He's not afraid to take on skeptics, meeting their hypotheses head-on. He not only details opposing viewpoints, but provides heavily footnoted sources to back up his argument that Jesus is not a myth "created" by man, but a real man whose "historical" life is "reported" with so much evidence that it's hard to ignore.

In several other book reviews, I noticed skeptics (giving poor reviews) don't meet Habermas' facts head-on. Instead, they fall far short by countering his well-documented thesis with bold opinions they can't back up with evidence. For instance, one reviewer wrote "How can we evaluate the evidence for Jesus? Our best account is the Gospel of Mark, written thirty years after Jesus died. ... Once Christians started mourning Jesus, historians recorded the movement. Does that mean Jesus was real? Okay, but it doesn't mean the Resurrection was real, or that Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. All of these mythical touches were invented after Jesus died, so he could "predict" events that happened between the time he died and the time the Gospels were composed. All of this leads us to the conclusion that there is no real evidence whether Jesus actually lived or not. The story is what sold, and the story isn't true."

What he fails to see is his own account contradicts his claim, and proves false itself. According to his own words, Mark, our "best account" (of Jesus' life) was written "30 years after Jesus died;" thus putting Mark written c.60-63AD, since scholars (even skeptics) agree Jesus' death was around 30-33AD. The reviewer says that doesn't prove Jesus was able to make predictions, which he claims were "mythical touches" invented after Jesus died and prior to the written Gospels. But he fails to see the mathematically logical problem with his thesis; how is it that Jesus' prediction of the Temple destruction is recorded in MARK's Gospel, which was written years before the predicted event? MARK 13:2 "And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another which will not be torn down." Even the reviewer admits the Temple was destroyed in 70AD, a known historical fact not seriously challenged by anyone, but he fails to explain why it was recorded as prophesied by Jesus in Mark, which he admits is our "best source" written in 60-63AD, at least 7 years beforehand!!! Sorry--even reviewers must back up their claims with evidence!

This IS what Habermas does well. Don't just take bold statements as fact; compare it with the evidence and see if it can still stand up to the beating. Habermas confronts opposing hypotheses. He doesn't shy away from stating when the evidence is weak nor when it is overwhelmingly strong. Those who read Habermas' book with an open mind, will see and appreciate the honest research that went into this book, and maybe even come to see the historical truthfulness of Jesus. Don't let negative/skeptical reviews deter you; Read the book for yourself and decide.

Personally, I've added Habermas' book to my library with other great apologetic books, which I highly recommend: Jesus, The Great Debate by Grant Jeffrey, Letters From a Skeptic by Dr Gregory Boyd, and The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel.

44 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So, he was who he said he was!, October 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ (Paperback)

J.P. Moreland's quote on the back of the book pretty much says it all:

"...a careful, accessible analysis and critique of the various approaches to the historical Jesus... I don't know how someone could read this book without concluding that Jesus Christ was who the New Testament proclaimed Him to be."

I went into this book expecting the same cliched responses that I've read in other apologetic books on Jesus. (for example, a parroting of the MAPS approach). Rather, I found a thoughtful and thorough examination of both biblical and extra-biblical information on the subject followed by reasonable conclusions drawn from both types of sources. Habermas also refutes various arguments put forward by members of the Jesus Seminar and liberal scholars who deny the authenticity of Jesus's claims and actions. For those who would readily dismiss the book on the basis that it was written by a 'fundamentalist', I simply ask that you read it with your brains wide open. Don't worry, they won't fall out.