Is Jesus History?

An eminently readable and relevant introduction that debunks many misconceptions about the gospel accounts of Jesus. | John Dickson combines top-notch scholarship with an accessible, conversational style as he explains the ancient evidence surrounding the historical Jesus. Is Jesus History? compares how we trust statements from our family, friends, and news outlets with how we trust ancient testimonies of all sorts, including Aristotle’s The Art of Rhetoric, Luke’s Gospel, and Pliny the Younger’s Letter 6 about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Dickson’s even-handed approach towards the evidence invites readers to draw their own conclusions about the Jesus of history. | As we have come to expect from John Dickson, this is a clear, down to earth, and readable historical justification for having faith in the Jesus of History. It is up to date with the latest scholarship but doesn’t blind the reader with unnecessary argument. I highly recommend it. | Is Jesus History? has a historian take us on a look at history as a discipline and compare what we know about Jesus with other ancient materials. It is a fascinating tour that also uncovers what ancient sources say about Jesus in the face of some who claim he never existed and we can know little about him. It is a tour well worth taking. It may well have you thinking very differently about events from long ago that still impact our world today. | Is Jesus History? is a provocative little book. John Dickson writes engagingly and personably—as you read, you can imagine having a coffee (or a pint) with him and laughing over the idiosyncrasies of the field of biblical studies, even while appreciating the hard work scholars do. Indeed, this book reads with deep appreciation for scholars, and thus serves as a translation of the current state of conversations in the field that can complicate the average person’s understanding of who Jesus of Nazareth might have been. His summaries of the various perplexing questions people have about Jesus are erudite and disarming, inviting people to reevaluate their assumptions and reencounter the Jesus of history in the Jesus of the Bible. | John Dickson is one of our most reliable guides today to the historical background of the life of Jesus. He blends the scholarship of an academic with the down-to-earth accessibility of the best of teachers. This book is full of insights; it may well surprise many to know how much the historical record actually shows us about the man who stands at the centre of the faith of over two billion people today. | With characteristic clarity and excellence of scholarship John Dickson examines the historical evidences for Jesus. His accessible style and bang up to date sources make this a must read for anyone who is serious about investigating Jesus. | This question is a very important one for the entire world to ask. The person, identity and work of Jesus is a must for every person to wrestle with. There seems to be a growing misunderstanding of history and the facts that surround the life of Jesus. | In his book, Is Jesus History? Dickson doesn’t just aim to share information. Setting the gospels alongside other snippets from that period, he welcomes us into Jesus’ world. | Starting out as a professional singer-songwriter, John Dickson now works as a writer, speaker, historian, and media presenter. He is the author of more than a dozen books, and the presenter of three TV documentaries on the origins of Christianity. He teaches Historical Jesus at the University of Sydney, and is the Distinguished Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Public Christianity at Ridley College, Melbourne. He produces a weekly podcast called Undeceptions. During 2017-2019 he was a Visiting Academic in the Faculty of Classics at Oxford University researching the use of memory techniques in ancient education. In all that he does, whether in the media or the church, creative or academic, he strives to be a public advocate for the Christian faith in skeptical times. Having lost his father in a major air disaster when he was young, John has always felt an affinity with the deeper questions and doubts of our world. He lives in Sydney, and values his wife and three children above all other gifts of this life.