C.S. Lewis once noted that nowhere do the Gospels say, "Jesus laughed." He's probably laughing now, if he's got access to Bart Ehrman's Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium. The title doesn't even hint at the yuks that Ehrman's prose delivers, but from its very first page, Jesus will tickle your funny bone and stimulate your brain. "At last count," Ehrman begins, "there were something like 8 zillion books written about Jesus .... It's not there aren't enough books about Jesus out there. It's that there aren't enough of the right kind of book. Very, very few, in fact. I'd say about one and a half."

The right kind of book, according to Ehrman, is one that portrays Jesus roughly as Albert Schweitzer did, as a first-century Jewish apocalypticist: "This is a shorthand way of saying that Jesus fully expected that the history of the world as we know it (well, as he knew it) was going to come to a screeching halt, that God was soon going to intervene in the affairs of this world, overthrow the forces of evil in a cosmic act of judgment, destroy huge masses of humanity, and abolish existing human political and religious institutions. All this would be a prelude to the arrival of a new order on earth, the Kingdom of God." Ehrman's is a historical-Jesus book, a very smart, humble, and humorous popular summary of Christian and secular evidence of Jesus' life, work, and legacy. He believes that apocalypticism is the true core of Jesus' message, and that comfortable middle-class complacency among scholars, clergy, and laypeople has forged a counterfeit, domesticated, "ethical" Jesus to cover up their befuddlement about his misprediction of the apocalypse. The book will frustrate many readers because it offers no real guidance regarding what one should do with Jesus' apocalypticism. Its project--to prove that Jesus was wrong about the apocalypse--may even appear destructive to some. Yet the argument is convincing enough to induce among careful readers a constructive experience of confusion. Jesus makes readers ask the very question it appears to ignore, in a newly humble way: how, then, should we live? A serious matter, but considering humanity's endless string of wrong answers and infinite capacity for self-delusion, worthy of some good belly laughs, as well. --Michael Joseph Gross


From Publishers Weekly
At the end of the millennium, there are as many views of the historical Jesus as there are scholars who writing about him. In his engaging study, Ehrman, associate professor of religious studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, argues that Jesus can be best understood as a "first-century Jewish apocalypticist...who fully expected that the history of the world as he knew it was going to come to a screeching halt and that God was going to overthrow the forces of evil in a cosmic act of judgment." The author contends that this portrait of Jesus, first proclaimed by Albert Schweitzer in The Quest of the Historical Jesus (1906), has been overlooked in the rush to draw Jesus in the images of whatever scholarly or popular movement is painting Him. Ehrman examines carefully noncanonical and canonical sources as he reconstructs the life of Jesus. He uses already established critical criteriaAindependent attestation, dissimilarity, contextual credibilityAto determine what elements of the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life can be considered authentic. For example, according to the evidence, he asserts that we can seriously doubt that the virgin conception, Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and the story of wise men following a star are historical events. Ehrman then proceeds to provide a lucid overview of the turbulent political and religious times in which Jesus lived and worked. Finally, the author provides a detailed examination of Jesus' words and deeds to show that they present the work of a Jewish apocalyptic prophet who expected universal judgment and the coming Kingdom of God to occur within his own lifetime and that of his disciples. While Ehrman's provocative thesis will stir up controversy among scholars, his warm, inviting prose style and his easy-to-read historical and critical overviews make this the single best introduction to the study of the historical Jesus. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Ehrman admits that there are "something like eight zillion books written about Jesus." Then why add another book to this mountain of verbiage? Because, according to Ehrman, very few of these books are aimed at a popular audience; most are "inexcusably dull and/or idiosyncratic"Athey don't consider the evidence and they scarcely show the view that is held by "the majority" of scholars. Unfortunately, this comes dangerously close to the pot calling the kettle black. Although Ehrman's writing is lively and thorough, he glosses over scholarly debate, making heavy use of phrases like "almost all scholars" and "most historians" and wrongly giving an illusion of certainty and agreement where there is none. He finds very little of historical value in the Gospels, seeing them as theological documents pasted together from a patchwork of sources after decades of oral change. A more balanced look at the scholarly debates can be found in Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?: A Debate Between William Lane Craig and John Donimic Crossman (LJ 1/99). Those desiring a more intensive introduction to the questions discussed here will find that Raymond Brown's An Introduction to the New Testament (LJ 2/15/98) repays the extra effort. Still, this is a well-written exposition of one side of an important scholarly debate; recommended for public and academic libraries.AEugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
In a chatty preface, Ehrman maintains that there is nothing new for scholars to say to one another about the historical Jesus and that much of what they have said to popular audiences is misleading. He is particularly troubled by the practice of giving conclusions without reasons and failing to "read" Jesus in his historical context. So he devotes much of the book to context, sources, and the means of assessing them. The title states his conclusion about Jesus and teases readers to speculate on which new millennium he has in mind. In conclusion, Ehrman joins hands with one of the most famous historical Jesus researchers, Albert Schweitzer, whose position, taken early in the twentieth century, resembles Ehrman's. Before then, he accessibly recounts historical Jesus research, introduces historical method (especially in relation to assessing sources), describes Jesus' context and the contexts in which accounts of his life were formed, and depicts Jesus as apocalyptic. In the beginning and at the end, he relates that portrayal to recent apocalyptic writers, including Edgar Whisenant and Hal Lindsey. Steven Schroeder


From Kirkus Reviews
An elegantly written, much-needed book. Studies of the historical Jesus abound, concedes Ehrman (Religious Studies/Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) from the first pages. Can a historian possibly have something new to say about the carpenter from Nazareth who lived two millennia ago? Nobut Ehrman isn't trying to say anything new. Rather, he has written a synthesis of the prevailing scholarship, making digestible for a general audience Albert Schweitzer's view that ``Jesus is best understood as a first-century Jewish apocalypticist'' who believed the end times were imminent and the Kingdom of God was at hand. Ehrman travels territory familiar to those acquainted with New Testament scholarship: many of Jesus' apocalyptic teachings, from the exaltation of the poor to the notion of a universal judgment, were not that different from the teachings of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. But even those teachings that were not reminiscent of the Hebrew prophets can be illuminated by Ehrman's apocalyptic framework, as can Jesus' baptism, the miracles he performed, and his death and resurrection. He notes that the New Testament contains many stories, such as the census in Luke, that are not historically accurate; sometimes early Christians told a historical falsehood in order to get at a theological truth. Ehrman also not only does history, but shows his reader how history is done: in the fourth chapter, for example, he walks his reader through all of the sources that a scholar might use in examining the historical Jesus, explicating the limits to which scholars can use, say, rabbinic texts, the Gospel of Thomas, and the synoptic Gospels as sources for the inquiry into the historical Jesus. Ehrman's should be the first book for any lay reader interested in the historical Jesus. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Few biographical subjects spark passions as intensely as do interpretations of the life of Jesus. In this highly accessible book, Bart Ehrman reviews the latest textual and archeological research into Jesus's life and the history of first-century Palestine, and draws a fascinating; controversial portrait of the man and his teachings.

Through a careful evaluation of the New Testament Gospels and other surviving sources, including the more recently discovered Gospels of Thomas and Peter, Ehrman proposes that Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet, a man convinced that the world would end dramatically within his lifetime, and that a new kingdom would be created on earth - a just and peaceful kingdom ruled by a benevolent God. According to Ehrman, Jesus's belief in a coming apocalypse and his expectation of an utter reversal in the world's social organization underscores not only the radicalism of his teachings, but also sheds light on both the appeal of his message to society's outcasts and the threat he posed to the established leadership in Jerusalem.

SYNOPSIS

Jesus is one of the few people whose biographies have the ability to spark intense passion and heated controversy. Now, in this highly accessible exploration into Jesus' life, Bart Ehrman reviews the latest textual and archeological research as well as the history of first-century Palestine, drawing a fascinating portrait of the man and his teachings.

Ehrman shows us what historians have long known about the Gospels and the man who stands behind them. Through a careful evaluation of the New Testament (and other surviving sources, including the more recently discovered Gospels of Thomas and Peter), Ehrman proposes that Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet—a man convinced that the world would end dramatically within his lifetime and that a new kingdom would be created on earth. According to Ehrman, Jesus' belief in a coming apocalypse and his expectation of an utter reversal in the world's social organization not only underscores the radicalism of his teachings but also sheds light on both the appeal of his message to society's outcasts and the threat he posed to Jerusalem's established leadership.

In this sharply written and persuasive book, Ehrman suggests that the apocalyptic fervor that perpetually grips large segments of society is nothing new. Indeed, history's many doomsayers, including those today who are frantic about the new millennium, are close in spirit and thinking to Jesus, who waited in vain for the imminent arrival of a new, peaceful kingdom.

About the Author:Bart D. Ehrman is Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the author of many books, including The New Testament: A Historical Introduction and The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

At the end of the millennium, there are as many views of the historical Jesus as there are scholars who writing about him. In his engaging study, Ehrman, associate professor of religious studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, argues that Jesus can be best understood as a "first-century Jewish apocalypticist...who fully expected that the history of the world as he knew it was going to come to a screeching halt and that God was going to overthrow the forces of evil in a cosmic act of judgment." The author contends that this portrait of Jesus, first proclaimed by Albert Schweitzer in The Quest of the Historical Jesus (1906), has been overlooked in the rush to draw Jesus in the images of whatever scholarly or popular movement is painting Him. Ehrman examines carefully noncanonical and canonical sources as he reconstructs the life of Jesus. He uses already established critical criteria--independent attestation, dissimilarity, contextual credibility--to determine what elements of the Gospel accounts of Jesus' life can be considered authentic. For example, according to the evidence, he asserts that we can seriously doubt that the virgin conception, Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and the story of wise men following a star are historical events. Ehrman then proceeds to provide a lucid overview of the turbulent political and religious times in which Jesus lived and worked. Finally, the author provides a detailed examination of Jesus' words and deeds to show that they present the work of a Jewish apocalyptic prophet who expected universal judgment and the coming Kingdom of God to occur within his own lifetime and that of his disciples. While Ehrman's provocative thesis will stir up controversy among scholars, his warm, inviting prose style and his easy-to-read historical and critical overviews make this the single best introduction to the study of the historical Jesus. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Steven W. Lawler - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

There is a richness to the Jesus presented in this book that takes us well beyond the niggling discourse of much of the current historical Jesus debate...Ehrman has a sense humor. He writes in a way that entertains as it draws us into a fuller, more complex and not so tidy picture of Chritianity's founder....You may not come away with all the answers after reading this book, but you will find your heart and mind quickened.

Kirkus Reviews

An elegantly written, much-needed book. Studies of the historical Jesus abound, concedes Ehrman (Religious Studies/Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) from the first pages. Can a historian possibly have something new to say about the carpenter from Nazareth who lived two millennia ago? No—but Ehrman isn't trying to say anything new. Rather, he has written a synthesis of the prevailing scholarship, making digestible for a general audience Albert Schweitzer's view that "Jesus is best understood as a first-century Jewish apocalypticist" who believed the end times were imminent and the Kingdom of God was at hand. Ehrman travels territory familiar to those acquainted with New Testament scholarship: many of Jesus' apocalyptic teachings, from the exaltation of the poor to the notion of a universal judgment, were not that different from the teachings of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. But even those teachings that were not reminiscent of the Hebrew prophets can be illuminated by Ehrman's apocalyptic framework, as can Jesus' baptism, the miracles he performed, and his death and resurrection. He notes that the New Testament contains many stories, such as the census in Luke, that are not historically accurate; sometimes early Christians told a historical falsehood in order to get at a theological truth. Ehrman also not only does history, but shows his reader how history is done: in the fourth chapter, for example, he walks his reader through all of the sources that a scholar might use in examining the historical Jesus, explicating the limits to which scholars can use, say, rabbinic texts, the Gospel of Thomas, and the synoptic Gospels as sources for the inquiry into the historicalJesus. Ehrman's should be the first book for any lay reader interested in the historical Jesus.