The Jesus Myth [Paperback]

G. A. Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 1998

Does the New Testament story of Jesus contain any elements of historical truth, or is it pure legend? The author presents the "mythicist" view. He contends that the accounts of Jesus in the four canonical gospels not only contradict each other, but are also not in harmony with the earliest Christian documents. He argues that the gospels were composed after AD 70 by unknown individuals who could not have been eye-witnesses to the events they describe.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Is the New Testament story of Jesus history or pure legend? Clearly seeking to provoke controversy, Wells (The Jesus Legend: What's in a Name?) contends that the accounts of Jesus in the canonical Gospels contradict not only one another but also the earliest Christian documents, which never present Jesus as an itinerant preacher, a miracle worker, born of a virgin or executed under Pilate. Combining literary criticism, textual criticism and historical criticism, Wells examines the evidence about Jesus by probing the Gospels and independent testimonies of Jesus's life from the first century A.D. such as the Gospel of Thomas and Q. The author also examines the letters of Paul and contends that Paul bases his portrait of Jesus on the Jewish figure of Wisdom, who sought acceptance on earth but was rejected and returned to heaven. In a detailed and convincing fashion, Wells argues that the Gospel stories of Jesus are myths composed to satisfy the religious longings of the Gospel writers' audiences.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"In THE JESUS MYTH, the latest in G.A. Wells's series of eagle-eyed scrutinies of the Gospels and of contemporary New Testament scholarship, the author once again takes the role of the Diogenes of the theologians. Charitable yet unflinching, Well's analysis forces one to the inevitable conclusion that the apologists for the historical Jesus are less researchers than spin-doctors, apparatchniks for an ecclesiastical Politburo. His refreshing intellectual honesty is witnessed by the fact that his own views are amenable to evolution and revision." -- Robert M. Price, Editor, The Journal of Higher Criticism

This is a book for believers and unbelievers alike, in fact, for anyone who is a serious student of the bible or of the Christian faith. [Wells's] hope is that his readers will come to an informed opinion about the historical reliability of the New Testament, its writers and the life of its central character, Jesus. -- Independent Publisher, 4/15/99

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Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Open Court (December 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812693922
• ISBN-13: 978-0812693928
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,733,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book of the 90's, December 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Jesus Myth (Paperback)

Professor Wells has studied Christian origins since the late 1950's, his thesis, like any scientific theory, has undergone change as the weight of evidence has mounted. The Jesus Myth is a continuation of this evolution in his thinking, when combined with his other texts, no sober thinking individual can possibly claim that the Jesus, who is worshiped by hundreds of millions is anything other than an imaginary friend, as so little can be know of him. This book is outstanding, no lesser verdict can do it justice!

44 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A candle in the dark, March 16, 2003

By 

Edward Lopez (The Big Apple, NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jesus Myth (Paperback)

When it comes to books about the evidence for Jesus, authors will never be able to provide an adequate argument to convince the religious that their belief is not based on reality. You cannot overcome conditioning with just written words. G.A. Wells is more intelligent than any conditioned person whether they are lay people or employed by the church as is the "Rev." "Dr." Gregory S. Neal, Pastor of the Beverly Drive United Methodist Church whose members, combined, have the I.Q. of zero.You would think that it would be up to the claimants that Jesus was real to provide the evidence for him. But, alas, it is always up to people such as Mr Wells to do their homework. This books is as good as it gets as are Mr Wells' other efforts. Denying the truth is the church's position since if they were to come clean the church would dissolve and the pope and all of his minions would have to find other lines of work, aside from molesting children.whatever you do for yourself, do not be misled into thinking that religion is based on truth, it is far from it. Besides, what are humans achieving by believing in something that was created by man to fool and control humans?When you read reviews about Mr Wells' books you are either going to accept what he writes because you are intelligent and can tell truth from fiction or you are going to dismiss truth in favor of fiction. When you dismiss the truth, you are no better than those who sell religion to the gullible. Are you gullible? I'm not. Thank you Mr Wells.

3 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars historical evidence at face value, April 19, 2006

By 

InvestigativeMind (Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Jesus Myth (Paperback)

For readers interested in the story behind one of the most influential religious figures this book is a must. Wells neatly presents all factual "evidence" of a historical Jesus and discusses it throroughly adhering to strict scholarly rules. Although I was aware the historicity of the Jesus figure had been subject of some controversy before starting this book, I was completely surprised to learn how little -if any- factual evidence actually supports the historical Jesus hypothesis. It all boils down to two meager mentions in a text by a Jewish historian (Josephus) and even those are subject to considerable debate amongst respected scholars of the field. Needless to say that the apparent deafening silence regarding Jesus in historical sources outside of the christians texts came as quite a surprise to me (This for me is very hard to grasp given the dramatic events surrounding the life of such a significant figure). I would recommend this book to anybody (religious or not) interested in the subject of Jesus because it provides the necessary balance in order to come to a well informed opinion regarding christianity.