Jesus and His Contemporaries: Comparative Studies

Jesus was a man from Nazareth who died in Jerusalem. But he was nor ordinary man, or was he? That Jesus existed we are all quite sure, but what were the real, historical facts of his life and death? What, about all that has been said of him, is truly authentic? Who is the real Jesus? With Evans’ research, a more accurate portrait of Jesus begins to emerge. Ironically, the most important and obvious fact to bear in mind when trying to understand Jesus is that he was, in fact, a Jew. Embracing the historical and cultural context in which Jesus lived goes against the tide of Jesus research, specifically, Evans takes on the research from the Jesus Seminar. In the first part of his book, Evans shows us through comparative studies, the diversity of beliefs and actions that existed in the Jewish culture of which Jesus was indeed a part. Evans’ goal is to understand better the Sitz im Leben Jesu. In the second part of the book, Evans pits Jesus against his opponents, seeking to identify Jesus’ teachings and actions that led to his death. Not only does Evans paint a realistic portrait of Jesus, but he helps lay a firmer foundation upon which one can begin to understand the emergence of Christian theology.

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