Jesus: Nativity - Passion - Resurrection
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Review
The world's leading Gospel scholar (The Times )
Not only do I find Geza Vermes's Jesus plausible, but I have come to feel that there is an obvious kinship between kindly, humorous, anti-dogmatic Vermes and the Galilean prophet whom he has so frequently brought to life for us (A. N. Wilson )
Not only do I find Geza Vermes's Jesus plausible, but I have come to feel that there is an obvious kinship between kindly, humorous, anti-dogmatic Vermes and the Galilean prophet whom he has so frequently brought to life for us (A. N. Wilson )
Product Description
The Nativity, Passion and Resurrection are the three defining episodes in the life of Jesus, forming the foundations of the Christian tradition. But what is the truth behind these epoch-making events?
Geza Vermes is one of the world's most respected bibilical historians. Bringing together his three acclaimed works on the life of Jesus in one volume, this book examines the circumstances surrounding the miraculous birth of Jesus, from the prophetic star to Herod's murderous decree; looks afresh at the arrest, trial and execution of this Jewish charismatic; and finally analyses Jesus' crucifixion and the subsequent sightings of him by his disciples.
Drawing on the New Testament, Jewish documents and sources from classical literature and history, these works separate myth from fact to penetrate the deeper meanings of the story of Christ.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In this single volume edition of three books previously published separately, the great Hungarian-born Jewish scholar Geza Vermes plays the role of historical detective to try and get at the `truth' of Jesus' nativity, passion and resurrection. There can be few people better-qualified to do so: not only does Vermes have a deep understanding of the New Testament (NT), he also knows intimately the rabbinic and other relevant Jewish sources of the time. This makes for an illuminating read: even if you're already reasonably familiar with NT scholarship on the issues in question, you'll probably find new angles and insights here - for example, on Jewish definitions of what constituted a `virgin birth', something the rabbis definitely thought natural and possible in the terms they defined it.
I found little to disagree with fundamentally in his very detailed account of the passion, with its helpful tabulation of differences between the four gospel sources: it's long seemed clear to me that there's an element of whitewashing of the Roman authorities' role in Jesus' trial, and a sectarian overplaying of the Jewish establishment's one. But on the nativity, I found Vermes' insights occasionally a little contradictory. For example, Matthew and Luke have on the one hand a fairly poor understanding of Palestinian Jewish customs and history, but on the other hand [Vermes argues] preserve some distinctively Palestinian (and therefore authentic) insights. On the resurrection, I felt the author had not made best use of all the evidence by opting for a `spiritual resurrection', most strongly supported by a very late-dated John's Gospel, without any discussion of either (i) how Johannine traditions had been shaped by a prior Johannine community (see for example Raymond Brown's `The Community of the Beloved Disciple'); or (ii) the increasingly-discussed possibility that the distinctively Johannine material could be historically reliable. There was also not enough discussion of the NT's seeming understanding of the resurrection of Jesus as of a fundamentally different kind to the various contemporary ideas of resurrection Vermes usefully and indeed exhaustively details in this section of the book.
There are of course seemingly as many different angles on Jesus as there NT scholars. Despite my disagreements with the consistency of some of Vermes' conclusions, this is still a very impressive piece of scholarship, with a huge amount of well-marshalled material drawn together in one volume to stimulate and engage the reader. Recommended.
I found little to disagree with fundamentally in his very detailed account of the passion, with its helpful tabulation of differences between the four gospel sources: it's long seemed clear to me that there's an element of whitewashing of the Roman authorities' role in Jesus' trial, and a sectarian overplaying of the Jewish establishment's one. But on the nativity, I found Vermes' insights occasionally a little contradictory. For example, Matthew and Luke have on the one hand a fairly poor understanding of Palestinian Jewish customs and history, but on the other hand [Vermes argues] preserve some distinctively Palestinian (and therefore authentic) insights. On the resurrection, I felt the author had not made best use of all the evidence by opting for a `spiritual resurrection', most strongly supported by a very late-dated John's Gospel, without any discussion of either (i) how Johannine traditions had been shaped by a prior Johannine community (see for example Raymond Brown's `The Community of the Beloved Disciple'); or (ii) the increasingly-discussed possibility that the distinctively Johannine material could be historically reliable. There was also not enough discussion of the NT's seeming understanding of the resurrection of Jesus as of a fundamentally different kind to the various contemporary ideas of resurrection Vermes usefully and indeed exhaustively details in this section of the book.
There are of course seemingly as many different angles on Jesus as there NT scholars. Despite my disagreements with the consistency of some of Vermes' conclusions, this is still a very impressive piece of scholarship, with a huge amount of well-marshalled material drawn together in one volume to stimulate and engage the reader. Recommended.
Format:Paperback
Well-written and easy to understand analysis. Doesn't rush to draw conclusions. Close commentary on New Testament narratives, while using other ancient sources to set it all in context. Simple but authoritative. I got a lot out of reading it.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Geza Vermes is a favourite author of mine on the life of Yeshua. He does not stray from the facts as he knows them. His dispassionate approach leaves no room for wishful thinking.
The truth is his goal and he persues it diligently without being distracted by what some of us would wish or hope were true. From that point of view, he is a trustworthy analyst of the materials available. His own reputation as a researcher and biblical scholar are beyond doubt.
He presents fact and background information that illuminates the scriptures in the context of 1st century Judea.
Eagle Books were incredibly quick in delivery and the book, though listed as used, was virtually in new condition. When a seller takes the care that this one did, you can probably rely on them to deliver quality in the future.
The truth is his goal and he persues it diligently without being distracted by what some of us would wish or hope were true. From that point of view, he is a trustworthy analyst of the materials available. His own reputation as a researcher and biblical scholar are beyond doubt.
He presents fact and background information that illuminates the scriptures in the context of 1st century Judea.
Eagle Books were incredibly quick in delivery and the book, though listed as used, was virtually in new condition. When a seller takes the care that this one did, you can probably rely on them to deliver quality in the future.
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