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The Historical Jesus
Who was Jesus of Nazareth? What was he like?
For more than 2,000 years, people and groups of varying convictions have pondered these questions and done their best to answer them. The significance of the subject is apparent. From the late Roman Empire all the way to our own time, no continuously existing institution or belief system has wielded as much influence as Christianity, no figure as much as Jesus.
Worshiped around the globe by more than a billion people today, he is undoubtedly the single most important figure in the story of Western civilization and one of the most significant in world history altogether.
Everyone who has even the faintest knowledge of Jesus has an opinion about him, says Professor Bart D. Ehrman, and these opinions vary widely.
Those differences are visible not only among laypeople but even among professional scholars who have devoted their lives to the task of reconstructing what the historical Jesus was probably like and what he most likely said and did.
In this course, you learn what the best historical evidence seems to indicate as you listen to lectures developed with no intention of affirming or denying any particular theological beliefs.
Professor Ehrman—who created this course as a companion to his 24-lecture Teaching Company course on The New Testament—approaches the question from a purely historical perspective. He explains why it has proven so difficult to know about this "Jesus of history." And he reveals the kinds of conclusions modern scholars have drawn about him.
For more than 2,000 years, people and groups of varying convictions have pondered these questions and done their best to answer them. The significance of the subject is apparent. From the late Roman Empire all the way to our own time, no continuously existing institution or belief system has wielded as much influence as Christianity, no figure as much as Jesus.
Worshiped around the globe by more than a billion people today, he is undoubtedly the single most important figure in the story of Western civilization and one of the most significant in world history altogether.
Everyone who has even the faintest knowledge of Jesus has an opinion about him, says Professor Bart D. Ehrman, and these opinions vary widely.
Those differences are visible not only among laypeople but even among professional scholars who have devoted their lives to the task of reconstructing what the historical Jesus was probably like and what he most likely said and did.
In this course, you learn what the best historical evidence seems to indicate as you listen to lectures developed with no intention of affirming or denying any particular theological beliefs.
Professor Ehrman—who created this course as a companion to his 24-lecture Teaching Company course on The New Testament—approaches the question from a purely historical perspective. He explains why it has proven so difficult to know about this "Jesus of history." And he reveals the kinds of conclusions modern scholars have drawn about him.
Audio CD
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Bart D. Ehrman
69 books2,111 followersBart Denton Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books, including three college textbooks. He has also authored six New York Times bestsellers. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
April 13, 2022
I listened to these lectures about ten years ago, and decided to brush up on the subject by listening to them again. Bart Ehrman starts at the beginner's level and proceeds in small logical steps to explain the historical method and criteria for judging the reliability of sources.
Ehrman basis his analyses on three criteria and uses the first ten lectures to explain and defend these criteria. People who are familiar with the criteria and are willing to accept them can safely skip these ten lectures. The criteria are; (1) Independent Attestation -- when two or more independent sources attest to the same event or saying, (2) Dissimilarity -- if a saying of Jesus recorded in a particular Gospel is dissimilar to what other Christians were saying about Jesus when that Gospel was written or does not support a Christian agenda, the saying is more likely to be genuine, and (3) Contextual Credibility -- traditions are more likely to be reliable if they conform well to what is known of the historical and social situation of the time.
Lectures eleven through twenty-four proceed from the birth of Jesus, through his ministry, on to the crucifixion, and finally to the response of early Christians. At each step Ehrman explains how his conclusions are supported by the historical criteria. He describes the historical Jesus as a Jewish apocalyptic prophet whose message centered on a future kingdom of God that would be free of poverty and oppression. Jesus taught his followers to seek this kingdom above all else and to behave now as they would in the kingdom. This meant not only loving God above all else but also loving one’s neighbor and even one’s enemies. Jesus spoke of a coming judgment on the religious leaders of His day, and this is what led to His execution.
Ehrman suggests that Judas Iscariot's betrayal, in addition to indicating Jesus' location, consisted of testifying to the Romans that Jesus had called himself the future King of the Jews. Since this claim by Jesus was not made publicly, they needed an insider like Judas to testify thus. This is a charge that would justify crucifixion to the Romans. Of course the Jewish authorities were primarily concerned about Jesus' speaking of God's coming judgment of them, an issue Romans weren't interested in.
In a lecture in which Ehrman reviewed various written accounts of Jesus, I found it curiously interesting how few things the Apostle Paul said about what Jesus said and did. The writing of Paul's letters was closest to the time of Jesus' life of any surviving written material about him. Thus it is logical to expect his descriptions of Jesus to be the most accurate available. Ehrman says if you go through all the writings of the Apostle Paul you will come up with the following "exhaustive" list of things Jesus said or did:
Regarding item 6:
1 Corinthians 9:14 ESV
In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
The following is a list of some of the things Paul did NOT say about Jesus:
Source--https://ehrmanblog.org/29790-2/
Paul never mentions Jesus healing anyone, casting out a demon, doing any other miracle, arguing with Pharisees or other leaders, teaching the multitudes, even speaking a parable, being baptized, being transfigured, going to Jerusalem, being arrested, put on trial, found guilty of blasphemy, appearing before Pontius Pilate on charges of calling himself the King of the Jews, being flogged, etc.
Ehrman basis his analyses on three criteria and uses the first ten lectures to explain and defend these criteria. People who are familiar with the criteria and are willing to accept them can safely skip these ten lectures. The criteria are; (1) Independent Attestation -- when two or more independent sources attest to the same event or saying, (2) Dissimilarity -- if a saying of Jesus recorded in a particular Gospel is dissimilar to what other Christians were saying about Jesus when that Gospel was written or does not support a Christian agenda, the saying is more likely to be genuine, and (3) Contextual Credibility -- traditions are more likely to be reliable if they conform well to what is known of the historical and social situation of the time.
Lectures eleven through twenty-four proceed from the birth of Jesus, through his ministry, on to the crucifixion, and finally to the response of early Christians. At each step Ehrman explains how his conclusions are supported by the historical criteria. He describes the historical Jesus as a Jewish apocalyptic prophet whose message centered on a future kingdom of God that would be free of poverty and oppression. Jesus taught his followers to seek this kingdom above all else and to behave now as they would in the kingdom. This meant not only loving God above all else but also loving one’s neighbor and even one’s enemies. Jesus spoke of a coming judgment on the religious leaders of His day, and this is what led to His execution.
Ehrman suggests that Judas Iscariot's betrayal, in addition to indicating Jesus' location, consisted of testifying to the Romans that Jesus had called himself the future King of the Jews. Since this claim by Jesus was not made publicly, they needed an insider like Judas to testify thus. This is a charge that would justify crucifixion to the Romans. Of course the Jewish authorities were primarily concerned about Jesus' speaking of God's coming judgment of them, an issue Romans weren't interested in.
In a lecture in which Ehrman reviewed various written accounts of Jesus, I found it curiously interesting how few things the Apostle Paul said about what Jesus said and did. The writing of Paul's letters was closest to the time of Jesus' life of any surviving written material about him. Thus it is logical to expect his descriptions of Jesus to be the most accurate available. Ehrman says if you go through all the writings of the Apostle Paul you will come up with the following "exhaustive" list of things Jesus said or did:
1. Born of a woman under the [Jewish] law.One would expect the person most credited with development of Christianity as a religion separate from Judaism would have had more to say about Jesus.
2. Had brothers
3. Had 12 disciples
4. Ministered to Jews
5. Taught against divorce
6. Taught that ministers should be paid
7. Had a last supper including what he said
8. Was betrayed
9. Was crucified
Regarding item 6:
1 Corinthians 9:14 ESV
In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
The following is a list of some of the things Paul did NOT say about Jesus:
Source--https://ehrmanblog.org/29790-2/
Paul never mentions Jesus healing anyone, casting out a demon, doing any other miracle, arguing with Pharisees or other leaders, teaching the multitudes, even speaking a parable, being baptized, being transfigured, going to Jerusalem, being arrested, put on trial, found guilty of blasphemy, appearing before Pontius Pilate on charges of calling himself the King of the Jews, being flogged, etc.
November 1, 2015
We listened to Part I of this audio book on a recent trip. The author is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina; he is also a prolific author, with many titles to his name. This one definitely focuses on the historic life, and evidence to support the same, of Jesus of Nazareth. This is not a religious treaty, but an objective, and thought provoking look at a life that has impacted history for over two thousand years.
We listened to part I of this book a couple of years ago, now we are listening to the entirety, on Part II now.
As I stated in the past, this was a very thought-provoking book. The author outlines the three criteria he will be using to establish whether any particular belief or Biblical story can be considered to have historical truth. Throughout, the author emphasizes that this does not mean those stories or verses are not true, but there is not the historical evidence to support them. Some of the historically supported evidence is just that Jesus of Nazareth did indeed exist, and that he was crucified. Some of the things that are considered historically supported were quite surprising to me, as were some that are not. I am glad we took the opportunity to re-listen to the first part, and then go on and finish the second part as well.
We listened to part I of this book a couple of years ago, now we are listening to the entirety, on Part II now.
As I stated in the past, this was a very thought-provoking book. The author outlines the three criteria he will be using to establish whether any particular belief or Biblical story can be considered to have historical truth. Throughout, the author emphasizes that this does not mean those stories or verses are not true, but there is not the historical evidence to support them. Some of the historically supported evidence is just that Jesus of Nazareth did indeed exist, and that he was crucified. Some of the things that are considered historically supported were quite surprising to me, as were some that are not. I am glad we took the opportunity to re-listen to the first part, and then go on and finish the second part as well.
February 16, 2021
Bart Ehrman demonstrates an impressive methodology applied to his subject. His analysis of the material is masterful and the content changed my life forever. Can't recommend highly enough.
November 22, 2025
A bit of a snooze fest, but very informative
July 29, 2019
Standard Ehrman, Captivating Series
AT A GLANCE:
Bart Ehrman gives a standard set of lectures which will be unsurprising to anyone already familiar with his work.
CONTENT:
These are 24 roughly half-hour lectures dealing with the historical Jesus. It deals not with matters of faith and tradition but rather what historians can affirm about the man (from Ehrman's perspective). He presents the earliest biographical sources and filters them through lenses reminiscent of the Jesus Seminar, the two most prominent being the criteria of dissimilarity and of multiple attestation. He repeats himself often and sometimes retreads the same material in different lectures. For example, you can expect to hear the following sentence, repeated nearly verbatim, to set the tone for at least three lectures: "Since Jesus was a Galilean Jewish rabbi of the first century, we need to let go of our preconceived notions and examine him as he would have been seen by his followers in the context of first-century Palestinian Judaism".
NARRATOR:
Bart D. Ehrman is widely renowned as a critical professor of New Testament studies. His knowledge of textual criticism and ancient Greek is top-notch, and he finds creative ways to present his information to students. He mostly succeeds in his attempt to remain unbiased. He is relatively easy to listen to and speaks at an even pace, though stops for many "uhm" and "ahs" when he speaks off-script.
CONCLUSION:
This lecture series was delivered around 1999 and is now somewhat outdated. It is a commendable attempt to synthesize late-20th century historical Jesus scholarship, and the intervening years have allowed time for many apt responses to these ideas. I would recommend it to anyone interested in tracking the progress of historical Jesus inquiries as they have developed, and the frameworks by which they are still largely taught at universities today.
AT A GLANCE:
Bart Ehrman gives a standard set of lectures which will be unsurprising to anyone already familiar with his work.
CONTENT:
These are 24 roughly half-hour lectures dealing with the historical Jesus. It deals not with matters of faith and tradition but rather what historians can affirm about the man (from Ehrman's perspective). He presents the earliest biographical sources and filters them through lenses reminiscent of the Jesus Seminar, the two most prominent being the criteria of dissimilarity and of multiple attestation. He repeats himself often and sometimes retreads the same material in different lectures. For example, you can expect to hear the following sentence, repeated nearly verbatim, to set the tone for at least three lectures: "Since Jesus was a Galilean Jewish rabbi of the first century, we need to let go of our preconceived notions and examine him as he would have been seen by his followers in the context of first-century Palestinian Judaism".
NARRATOR:
Bart D. Ehrman is widely renowned as a critical professor of New Testament studies. His knowledge of textual criticism and ancient Greek is top-notch, and he finds creative ways to present his information to students. He mostly succeeds in his attempt to remain unbiased. He is relatively easy to listen to and speaks at an even pace, though stops for many "uhm" and "ahs" when he speaks off-script.
CONCLUSION:
This lecture series was delivered around 1999 and is now somewhat outdated. It is a commendable attempt to synthesize late-20th century historical Jesus scholarship, and the intervening years have allowed time for many apt responses to these ideas. I would recommend it to anyone interested in tracking the progress of historical Jesus inquiries as they have developed, and the frameworks by which they are still largely taught at universities today.
December 13, 2016
Audio download.
This is a fascinating set of lectures that clearly demonstrate the methods use by the (modern) historian: 1) examine the sources and establish the most credible (i,e, believable) facts, 2) establish the historical context (i.e., languages, common culture, political realities), 3) suspend personal biases and ignore undocumented supernatural claims, 4) establish a methodology to weigh or measure the evidence in forming a conclusion. This is basically the scientific method in action...this is the basis for Dr Ehrman's lectures on the historicity of Jesus. This approach would work equally well if the subject was Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar or Ramses II (all of whom were also worshiped as gods, or near gods).
From the outset of the course (and repeated throughout the lectures) Dr Ehrman stresses that: "The course will be taught from a strictly historical perspective; no particular theological beliefs will be either affirmed or denied." He does this well, always presented in a professional and erudite manner.
I'll not try to add to the many fine reviews (on the Great Courses site, Jacqueline's is really good...as always), but leave it as these lectures show you more about method than anything else...you will learn something about how to think.
Highly recommended, especially when on sale...with a coupon!
This is a fascinating set of lectures that clearly demonstrate the methods use by the (modern) historian: 1) examine the sources and establish the most credible (i,e, believable) facts, 2) establish the historical context (i.e., languages, common culture, political realities), 3) suspend personal biases and ignore undocumented supernatural claims, 4) establish a methodology to weigh or measure the evidence in forming a conclusion. This is basically the scientific method in action...this is the basis for Dr Ehrman's lectures on the historicity of Jesus. This approach would work equally well if the subject was Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar or Ramses II (all of whom were also worshiped as gods, or near gods).
From the outset of the course (and repeated throughout the lectures) Dr Ehrman stresses that: "The course will be taught from a strictly historical perspective; no particular theological beliefs will be either affirmed or denied." He does this well, always presented in a professional and erudite manner.
I'll not try to add to the many fine reviews (on the Great Courses site, Jacqueline's is really good...as always), but leave it as these lectures show you more about method than anything else...you will learn something about how to think.
Highly recommended, especially when on sale...with a coupon!
May 8, 2012
This was very informative and was a well-balanced and authoritative look at Jesus from a historical perspective, demonstrating what can be learned from the historical record. It was a clear look at how historical research is conducted, which was very worthwhile. I can take that understanding into other historical documentation and be able to distinguish in a much deeper way what is likely factual, possibly factual, or highly suspect and in the realm of opinion or conjecture. By placing all his evidence in the context of the times in which it occurred it brought a more nuanced understanding. We live in times in the Bible is referenced to support so many prejudices, particularly in the wake of constitutional amendments to bar gay marriage. Any contextual understanding of the passages used to support those prejudices are excluded. Unfortunately listening to voices of reason would not the the choice of most bigots. It's just nice to know that such voices exist.
April 30, 2013
A well designed course covering the purely historical evidence available about Jesus. Ehrman makes it crystal clear that the course is an historical, and not a theological approach. It is a critical evaluation, which will upset a few people who have set views about Jesus and the NT (and Ehrman's critics can be found fulminating all over the internet). But a critical evaluation of the historical evidence can also provide a context for the theology that it inspires. It may even transform it.
Love it or hate it, historical context is important for understanding why the NT came to be what it is. These lectures are a nice companion to the chapters in Ehrman's The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings about the historical Jesus.
Love it or hate it, historical context is important for understanding why the NT came to be what it is. These lectures are a nice companion to the chapters in Ehrman's The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings about the historical Jesus.
May 8, 2020
The author said he was taking an unbiased and historical approach but as I was listening to the lecture, I realized that he is very biased. I am a Christian myself but I love hearing non believers arguments because I like to learn. It helps me strengthen my Christianity. However, I was more looking for a understanding of the human aspect of Jesus based on historical contexts. This is more him proving his atheist beliefs on why belief in Christianity is not something people should take part in. You can tell that his leaving the Christian faith has left him with bitter animosity and he would like to debunk the faith. I also don’t think he was giving sources credit that didn’t support his argument.
December 30, 2024
Continuing on my quest for a deeper understanding, I was looking for something rooted in historical facts and evidence rather than theology, and these lectures delivered exactly that. Bart Ehrman offers an accessible and historically grounded analysis of Jesus’s life and the beginnings of Christianity. The information presented is extremely valuable, comprehensive, and easy to grasp. As someone who prefers facts over relying solely on others’ interpretations, I found these lectures to be an essential piece of the puzzle in my journey.
March 31, 2021
This historical approach to Jesus was very new for me as a Conservative orthodox evangelical. While I think at times Ehrman goes out of his way to say particular orthodox traditions can not be confirmed by the historian, the majority of his findings I found well grounded in truth and reason. The evidence provided for things like the Jesus as an Apocalyptic Profit and the early church's reshaping their view to his as being more and more God in nature can not be denied and leaves one to either ignore what Ehrman has to say or find another way to reconcile the differences between what Jesus said and did, and what the church teaches Jesus is about.
April 30, 2021
Laid out in a simple and clear way, without being overly simplistic. Compelling arguments about what can be inferred about the historical Jesus. Might be very surprising if one has not been exposed to it before.
October 18, 2022
This is an interesting series of lectures. Ehrman is a historian, not a theologian, and I appreciated that difference. It is fascinating that we can actually go back in history and see that Jesus did actually exist as a person. Very enjoyable.
August 1, 2019
A clarifying exploration of what happened.
April 15, 2016
There are a lot of good things that Professor Ehrman presents and a lot of not so good things he presents in this lecture series. What I expected when I bought this was a scholarly, unbiased overview of the historical man of Jesus. You definitely receive some scholarly research on the sources and a peek into methodology of research the historical Jesus. BUT... you definitely do not receive an unbiased analysis of the information provided.
For example, he spends much of the first few lectures preparing you to free your mind of your belief and preparing you for the nature of scholarly work. Yet, as you start moving through the material, more and more he pushes his agenda and beliefs and fails to show other views. He will get on his soapbox and rant for several lectures on his opinion on who he believes Jesus was without any other views or opinions on who Jesus could have been in later lectures.
I feel that at points in this lecture series, he is more concerned with proving that his view of Jesus is right then actually portraying a complete or accurate picture of what Jesus might have been like.
With that said, if you can approach this lecture series as he prepares you (with an open mind and ready to think critically), there are several things that you can take away whether you are a Christian or not.
For example, he spends much of the first few lectures preparing you to free your mind of your belief and preparing you for the nature of scholarly work. Yet, as you start moving through the material, more and more he pushes his agenda and beliefs and fails to show other views. He will get on his soapbox and rant for several lectures on his opinion on who he believes Jesus was without any other views or opinions on who Jesus could have been in later lectures.
I feel that at points in this lecture series, he is more concerned with proving that his view of Jesus is right then actually portraying a complete or accurate picture of what Jesus might have been like.
With that said, if you can approach this lecture series as he prepares you (with an open mind and ready to think critically), there are several things that you can take away whether you are a Christian or not.
July 5, 2011
Bart D. Ehrman is a religious studies professor at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. In these twenty-four audio lectures, he uses the tools of a secular historian to determine what Jesus actually said and did. This was really my first analytical look at the gospels, and I had not realized some of the contradictions between the books on some pretty big points like whether Jesus was put to death before or after the Passover feast. I very much enjoyed these lectures. They were captivating, and Professor Ehrman did an excellent job at periodically recapping his material. However, I very much struggle with his ending portrait of Jesus, which does not completely coincide with the portrait I have painted in my mind of Jesus. So I look forward to reading other historical analyses for a comparison.
June 25, 2012
I liked the way he gave the criteria he would use throughout to determine the probability of authenticity from an historians point of view and how he took the examples he gave through the criteria. I wish he would have given the process he used to decide that the gospels were pseudononymous and the dates of their composition.
He also stated at the beginning that the criterion of disimilarity could really only be used to say that something probably did happen but not that it didn't. Yet near the end of the lectures, he stated that the triumphal procession probably did not happen on the basis of the criterion of disimilarity... a slight contradiction.
Although he was somewhat repetitive, overall, it was an enjoyable listen.
He also stated at the beginning that the criterion of disimilarity could really only be used to say that something probably did happen but not that it didn't. Yet near the end of the lectures, he stated that the triumphal procession probably did not happen on the basis of the criterion of disimilarity... a slight contradiction.
Although he was somewhat repetitive, overall, it was an enjoyable listen.
March 21, 2019
I can appreciate this look at the life of Jesus from a strictly historical context, and I wanted to give this a higher rating, but a few things prevented that: 1) I could not stand this professor’s manner of delivery; 2) his historical criterion did not seem to be applied equally to all historical sources—some were discounted (“it is hard to see how ...”) while others were accepted (“It is clear that ...”) notwithstanding the fact that they were single sources with nothing to verify their claims; and 3) the final lecture was a terrible, seemingly throw-away summary for the overarching topic, as it barely mentioned Jesus. Anyway, some decent material here, but not my favorite overall.
April 7, 2019
Love me some Bart Ehman, one of the preeminent biblical historians. This was a lecture series that looks at Jesus from a historical aspect and tried to assess what he likely (or unlikely) said and did. Ehrman also dives into historical context to show that the things Jesus said in the 1st century must be understood in the context they were said, and trying to apply those statements in the 21st century can be downright foolish.
July 14, 2017
Meh it was ok. Definitely interesting on some points. I find it funny that technically this is just ANOTHER interpretation of the Gospels.
May 3, 2025
Fascinating 5++
Several of my historian friends relax by reading detective fiction, which they enjoy for the puzzle element. Professionally, they like the challenge of historical analysis, of reconstructing the past through available sources. In these 24 half-hour lectures, Bart Ehrman, Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, invites the listener on a journey as a historical detective to tackle one of history's challenges: to reconstruct the life of the Historical Jesus. From the outset, he emphasizes that his purpose is historical, not theological.
Ehrman begins by explaining the problem faced by all scholars of ancient history: the scarcity of sources. Although the primary sources available for reconstructing Jesus' life are minimal, Ehrman shares them and explains his criteria for evaluating their strengths, weaknesses, and contradictions. Ehrman claims that to understand Jesus' life fully, one must also be cognizant of the historical and cultural context in which he lived. He provides two outstanding lectures about everyday life, thought, and politics in Jewish Palestine during the 1st century.
This historical and methodological background provides an excellent framework for his findings on Jesus' life and teachings. Ehrman is a superb scholar and teacher. His lectures are clear and accessible and build on each other in a way that deepens and enhances understanding.
Ehrman's Historical Jesus is one of my favorites from the Great Courses series. Highly recommend.
Several of my historian friends relax by reading detective fiction, which they enjoy for the puzzle element. Professionally, they like the challenge of historical analysis, of reconstructing the past through available sources. In these 24 half-hour lectures, Bart Ehrman, Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, invites the listener on a journey as a historical detective to tackle one of history's challenges: to reconstruct the life of the Historical Jesus. From the outset, he emphasizes that his purpose is historical, not theological.
Ehrman begins by explaining the problem faced by all scholars of ancient history: the scarcity of sources. Although the primary sources available for reconstructing Jesus' life are minimal, Ehrman shares them and explains his criteria for evaluating their strengths, weaknesses, and contradictions. Ehrman claims that to understand Jesus' life fully, one must also be cognizant of the historical and cultural context in which he lived. He provides two outstanding lectures about everyday life, thought, and politics in Jewish Palestine during the 1st century.
This historical and methodological background provides an excellent framework for his findings on Jesus' life and teachings. Ehrman is a superb scholar and teacher. His lectures are clear and accessible and build on each other in a way that deepens and enhances understanding.
Ehrman's Historical Jesus is one of my favorites from the Great Courses series. Highly recommend.
January 12, 2022
Bart Ehrman is one of the leading scholars on the New Testament and his 24 lectures on the historical Jesus demonstrates his erudition and easy style. Ehrman approaches his subject as a historian demanding evidence and the best possible sources( not easy when there is only 3 independent/ non Christian ancient sources that mention Jesus ,(each with only a sentence or two).The historical Jesus, therefore, must be discovered and evaluated from the canonical Gospels, other books from the Bible and the non canonical Gnostic gospels. Ehrman applies strict criteria to the four Gospels to assess what Jesus might actually have said and what passages might have come from later stories passed down orally to the gospel authors( who were anonymous well educated Greek writers not the Aramaic speaking disciples.) He does not deny the impact of faith but argues that a historical approach simply gives one a different perspective on the words and deeds of Jesus. The single most important figure in western civilization, Ehrman argues, is Jesus and he deserves the best a historian can offer in providing context and evidence. Ehrman certainly delivers on this goal.
December 12, 2024
Being a text from 1999, I imagine some of the content is outdated, but as someone who only had a passing understanding of the subject, I found this to be a particularly interesting read. I appreciated the author’s discussion on the historical method, although I was left a little unconvinced by some of the conclusions he drew out of it. I’m sure he had a good reason to come to those conclusions, but at times they felt like they were a bit of a logical leap from what he was saying.
Either way, it was interesting learning about the scholarship on a historical Jesus.
As an adaptation studies scholar, this has me interested in learning more about the new testament in general. Biblical stories are relevant to my work since they are frequently adapted and utilized throughout history, but I’m far more familiar with Old Testament stories rather than new.
Either way, it was interesting learning about the scholarship on a historical Jesus.
As an adaptation studies scholar, this has me interested in learning more about the new testament in general. Biblical stories are relevant to my work since they are frequently adapted and utilized throughout history, but I’m far more familiar with Old Testament stories rather than new.
February 21, 2024
This isn’t a thriller or super well written per se. It is just an objective as possible discussion of Jesus as a historical figure. It is courageous for Bart Ehrman to write this. There are maybe a couple details I quibble with but I thought it was great analysis. Some of it I came to on my own as a child in church, or an adult in church (i.e., readily evidently to anyone listening to even small excerpts week after week at church). Some of it is slow or tediously talked through. But, to put this all together is very good nonetheless. Asking the important questions that someone must ask if they are to hold a belief themself, let alone foist it on someone else as the truth.
September 23, 2018
An excellent deep dive into Jesus as a historical person. Ehrman analyzes all available historical sources (most of which are the canonical gospels) to focus on what we can be most confident Jesus said and did versus what his followers have built up about him. You can probably get a shorter version of this content from one of Ehrman's published books but I recommend this full course to really get full breadth and depth on the topic.
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June 2, 2020I took Dr. Erhman's class to fulfill a philosophy requirement. I was already studying for a minor in Classical History, so why not? I LOVED his classes. And went on to take every class that he taught. And many others related to the Bible. My Grandfather was a Pastor and in his last years we had wonderful discussions about the Bible. I loved being able to talk about the Gnostic Gospels with him.
May 31, 2023
A lot of this course is about historical criteria to verify the accurateness of any given "fact". The second half is about everything we know about the real Jesus and his life and deeds. There is clear evidence that the earlier the source, the less miracles and divine things are attested by the source. So the obvious conclusion is that with the passing of time more and more stuff got invented and attributed to Jesus.
June 8, 2025
A couple things stood out - in discussing the historical Jesus, Ehrman states that Jesus never claimed to be God or divine (is that accurate/substantiated??) in comparison to the theological Jesus who claimed divinity. Ehrman also suggests that the belief in Jesus’ resurrection was spread by his followers after his death, rather than being understood as an inevitably beforehand and central to faith and salvation. Book or lecture suggestions for rebuttals? Lmk
May 10, 2020
It’s not technically a book, but a compilation of audio lectures by an American historian. I have only heard and read the theological side of the Jesus’s story, and though it was pretty dry throughout, it was nice to hear what has been learned on the purely historical side. Of the 12 1/2 hours of this audio book, the last four minutes were my favorite.
April 18, 2023
This was surprisingly good. Starts light and builds in depth until it seems fairly scholarly to numb nuts like me. Was interesting to see how much historical evidence there was (if any) for the man and this did the job perfectly. Was surprised at the impression of the historical figure i came away with and will definately be picking a few of this lecturers books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews