The Historical Figure of Jesus (Hardcover)

Sanders' construction of the historical Jesus as displayed in "Jesus and Judaism" is well known for being based around the incident in the Temple where Jesus turns over tables and drives out animals and/or people. This is seen as the proximate cause of Jesus' crucifixion and the event which gives us insight into his orientation as one interested in "restoration eschatology". But with "The Historical Figure of Jesus" Sanders takes a different tack, assuming much less background knowledge on the readers' part and so, consequently, providing the assumed reader with chapters of background on the political and religious settings of Jesus and on the nature of the documentary sources for his life. These chapters are as erudite as they are compact and would provide even the most novice-like reader of historical Jesus literature with a key to begin opening a number of the locks Sanders later presents. Having given background, Sanders proceeds to give chapters (some of which are so good they should be regarded as set texts on the subjects they address) which orientate themselves around Jesus' assumed interest in the Kingdom of God, his performance of miracles, the meaning of his teaching in Jewish context, Jesus' own view of himself and a programmatic chapter on Jesus' last week (an exercise in lucid brilliance). The Jesus revealed is set within a Jewish eschatological framework (discussion about the end of the current order of things) in which he is depicted very much as traditionally, even typically, Jewish. He speaks, for example, about "the reversal of values and ethical perfectionism" in the coming new age - the Kingdom of God. So what appears is a typically Jewish individual who harbours a view of his own authority to speak as, Sanders suggests, God's viceroy, and with an agenda which looks and works for the establishment of God's eschatological kingdom. All this is usefully garnished with astute discussion of the sayings of Jesus in the context of a Jewish religious situation. Two useful appendices and the addition of thorough indexes supplement the book usefully so that it is a practically orientated product for those who wish to validate or further their reading.

So this is a book which I find exceedingly lucid and wise on the subject of the historical Jesus. Of course, readerly conclusions will always be different and I would not wish to give the impression that I agree with everything Sanders proposes or to suggest that he should be regarded as a fount of infallible knowledge. I would, however, suggest that this book is the perfect one for the general and non-technical reader interested in the historical figure of Jesus. It orientates the reader to the subject at hand, provides useful and relevant background in a way that is very clear and is sure-footed as to the conclusions it reaches and the evidence upon which it is based. I recommend it whole-heartedly.

Professor Sanders has been studying this period since the 1960s and appears to be regarded as knowledgeable on Jesus (as well as on Paul). I am not in a position to judge, but certainly the book seems more authoritative than some similar titles written by journalists or by those with a proselytising agenda. Although raised in the Church of England, I read this book as a complete layman. I was aware that I had no idea how much of what I had been taught was true in a historical sense and how much was mere legend, tradition or the personal opinion of my teachers, and I was starting to ask questions like "who wrote the gospels, and when?" and "what did Jesus ACTUALLY say?". This book has taught me a great deal about the origins of this vast religion.

There is perhaps too much emphasis on dates. To the lay reader, the exact years of Jesus's birth and death are less interesting than what happened in between. And while I'm looking for faults, I could mention that there are a few things that are not well explained. For example, the Pharisees are referred to as a party, but what is meant by "party" in this context? Is it something equivalent to a modern political party? Obviously not, though just what kind of a group they were is still not clear to me. But there are few such omissions. All in all, this book gave me the information that I wanted in an enjoyable form, and I happily recommend it.

As to his conclusions, they are both conservative and forward looking. This is not a contradiction, as Sanders really pioneers the view that much can be known about the historical Jesus, while at the same time not straying drastically outside generally accepted scholarly thought. His is a careful, but worthy, reconstruction of the life and times of arguably the most influential figure in history.