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Jesus: The Evidence
Examines the historical evidence concerning Jesus Christ, discusses the nature of his miracles, and compares his teachings with those of the modern Church
207 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
6 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Ian Wilson
239 books27 followersAuthor of historical and religious books. He was born in Clapham, south London, but now lives in Brisbane, Australia, with his wife, Judith and their two sons, Adrian and Noel.
Wilson is most well known for his research on the Shroud of Turin.
Wilson is most well known for his research on the Shroud of Turin.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 6, 2017
A really informative book with research that spans thousands of years.
It looks at the gospels in the Bible but also brings in the Nag Hammadi texts as points of cross reference.
There is some incredible historical information in here and a huge amount of photos.
Has this book in any way answered the question of whether Jesus was an actual verifiable, historical figure? For me that answer is yes. Did he as is written perform 'miracles' ? I feel that in some way the answer also is yes, albeit we may not see them as such with our modern perception of things.
It looks at the gospels in the Bible but also brings in the Nag Hammadi texts as points of cross reference.
There is some incredible historical information in here and a huge amount of photos.
Has this book in any way answered the question of whether Jesus was an actual verifiable, historical figure? For me that answer is yes. Did he as is written perform 'miracles' ? I feel that in some way the answer also is yes, albeit we may not see them as such with our modern perception of things.
May 14, 2014
I found this book in my mom's library and now can't bear to return it. Mr. Wilson does a fantastic job being unbiased and presenting just the facts. To add to that positive, he does it in a way that even a novice can understand. The major plus of this book is that he adds photos - this quality is so helpful when studying Jesus or anything in the line of biblical history.
I walked away with a mind full of new information, a new favorite book and an author that I love. If you are looking to read about the historical Jesus beyond the canon, I recommend this book as a must read. It is a bit thinner than other books on the subject, but don't be fooled by the size. It is a wealth of information and an amazing resource. Mr. Wilson is an author that will always be a part of my library.
I walked away with a mind full of new information, a new favorite book and an author that I love. If you are looking to read about the historical Jesus beyond the canon, I recommend this book as a must read. It is a bit thinner than other books on the subject, but don't be fooled by the size. It is a wealth of information and an amazing resource. Mr. Wilson is an author that will always be a part of my library.
September 3, 2025
I spent many years being an evangelical Christian before various things, mostly the realisation I'd suffered serious abuse in church as a vulnerable young person, led me to abandon my faith in my early 40s. From a safe distance, I was able to realise that much of what I'd been taught was abhorrent, dishonest and seriously lacking in any solid historical basis.
I spotted this in a charity shop recently, and was keen to read it, given that books about the life and person of Jesus written from a genuinely neutral perspective seem to be rarer than hen's teeth. It is, admittedly, a difficult subject to write about without personal bias creeping in - in the past, I'd have been desperate to defend evangelical thinking on Jesus and his teaching, now I'm more inclined to think he was a deluded fool with some equally deluded followers, if he existed at all.
The book was written in the mid-80s to accompany a documentary series, which I'm now keen to watch. It seems to go to great lengths to present a range of perspectives, and evaluate them fairly, which I appreciate. I'm not sure if modern scholarship has disproved anything in the book, but while Jesus undoubtedly existed, it does seem that much of what he was has been distorted and lost in the mists of time, and that most modern beliefs about him date from centuries after his death, with a determination to destroy ideas that run counter to established orthodoxy.
Essentially, this book has helped me realise that the evidence he was God, performed miracles and rose from the dead is far too flimsy to be taken seriously, and that the Gospels are full of contradictory material that may well have been made up later to defend the beliefs of people like Paul (who was pretty abhorrent if you ask me). It's all far too sketchy to justify the demands my faith made on me, and it's really helped me to justify my decision to get out, and live a life free from the horrible, mean-spirited teachings of the faith I devoted 25 years to.
That said, there's much about what we do know about Jesus to admire, and there's no doubt he was a radical and influential figure in his day (assuming he really did say the things we think he said). Very helpful in sorting through the thoughts I've had in my head for years, and making sense of an entire adult life of doubts and contradictions. Significantly more robust than any of the books I've read written from a purely Christian perspective.
I spotted this in a charity shop recently, and was keen to read it, given that books about the life and person of Jesus written from a genuinely neutral perspective seem to be rarer than hen's teeth. It is, admittedly, a difficult subject to write about without personal bias creeping in - in the past, I'd have been desperate to defend evangelical thinking on Jesus and his teaching, now I'm more inclined to think he was a deluded fool with some equally deluded followers, if he existed at all.
The book was written in the mid-80s to accompany a documentary series, which I'm now keen to watch. It seems to go to great lengths to present a range of perspectives, and evaluate them fairly, which I appreciate. I'm not sure if modern scholarship has disproved anything in the book, but while Jesus undoubtedly existed, it does seem that much of what he was has been distorted and lost in the mists of time, and that most modern beliefs about him date from centuries after his death, with a determination to destroy ideas that run counter to established orthodoxy.
Essentially, this book has helped me realise that the evidence he was God, performed miracles and rose from the dead is far too flimsy to be taken seriously, and that the Gospels are full of contradictory material that may well have been made up later to defend the beliefs of people like Paul (who was pretty abhorrent if you ask me). It's all far too sketchy to justify the demands my faith made on me, and it's really helped me to justify my decision to get out, and live a life free from the horrible, mean-spirited teachings of the faith I devoted 25 years to.
That said, there's much about what we do know about Jesus to admire, and there's no doubt he was a radical and influential figure in his day (assuming he really did say the things we think he said). Very helpful in sorting through the thoughts I've had in my head for years, and making sense of an entire adult life of doubts and contradictions. Significantly more robust than any of the books I've read written from a purely Christian perspective.
May 21, 2013
This book is a companion reader to a major television documentary series "Jesus:the Evidence"; the author attempts to reveal Christianity as having "their feet off the ground of history and their heads in the clouds of faith" as Rudolf Bultmann predicated a few years earlier. Even though the author "attempts" to be impartial as the reading progress, we see the severity of partiality distorting a fair assessment of both History and Early Christianity.
Very little is made of the "Internal evidence" of the Synoptic/Johannine Gospels and early on these are brought into doubt purely because of their anonymity as well as the presence of other Gnostic texts. The miraculous nature of the four Gospels are quickly explained as a mere desire of the authors desires to "represent Jesus as divine" (pg 36).
Jesus is seen as a mysterious Jewish sage using hypnotism to mesmerize his audience speaking in coy riddles that cannot be affirmed to be his own words yet, these writings "found" itself attributed to him (pg 87) The Gospels were simply too late and far removed from the actual events to be legitimate(pg 40).
Even further the author tries to explain naturalistically how Jesus could have endured Crucifixion as well as how his resurrection could have been explained. He gives five rather well known views to explain this (pg 117) and exchanges the Biblical account for these more "logical" propositions (points 1-4).
The author then makes a giant leap to the ultimate question "How did Jesus become God?". Remarkably he postulates that "no Gospel regarded Jesus as God" he goes even further and explains that "not even Paul had done so" (pg 142) Now I am not sure which copy of the Bible he read but his Bibliography shows NOT ONE BIBLE reference yet, sites an array of liberal scholars as well as biblical Scholars. The point is simple, there is no evidence of interaction with what the actual text said but rather a lot about "what" is said about the text.
The author presumes that Constantine was the source and originator of Worship attributed to Christ and that Jesus as a pious Jew would NOT have enjoyed the attributions of Divinity (Pg 143).
Again, the reader cannot but note the distance and unfamiliarity the author has with the actual written text and therefore could not call for an unbiased or impartial reading of the life of Jesus without actual evidence of the author doing so.
The author asks the question who is "the real Jesus" and makes a statement that almost seems removed from the overall context of his own assessment. He writes:
"From all that we know of Jesus, it is possible that he regarded Himself as God? The gospels' answer is clear" (pg 147). Now this vague question rings more like a statement when he presumes that Jesus affirmed the Shema and did not see himself as God (pg 148). Jesus was simply a "perfect vessel for God" (pg 152)
He adds further "Jesus was more fully human than many care to to contemplate." (Pg 154) This again is something not even Bible believing Christians deny...yet, this Jesus revealed in Scripture is so much more...
Selah.
Very little is made of the "Internal evidence" of the Synoptic/Johannine Gospels and early on these are brought into doubt purely because of their anonymity as well as the presence of other Gnostic texts. The miraculous nature of the four Gospels are quickly explained as a mere desire of the authors desires to "represent Jesus as divine" (pg 36).
Jesus is seen as a mysterious Jewish sage using hypnotism to mesmerize his audience speaking in coy riddles that cannot be affirmed to be his own words yet, these writings "found" itself attributed to him (pg 87) The Gospels were simply too late and far removed from the actual events to be legitimate(pg 40).
Even further the author tries to explain naturalistically how Jesus could have endured Crucifixion as well as how his resurrection could have been explained. He gives five rather well known views to explain this (pg 117) and exchanges the Biblical account for these more "logical" propositions (points 1-4).
The author then makes a giant leap to the ultimate question "How did Jesus become God?". Remarkably he postulates that "no Gospel regarded Jesus as God" he goes even further and explains that "not even Paul had done so" (pg 142) Now I am not sure which copy of the Bible he read but his Bibliography shows NOT ONE BIBLE reference yet, sites an array of liberal scholars as well as biblical Scholars. The point is simple, there is no evidence of interaction with what the actual text said but rather a lot about "what" is said about the text.
The author presumes that Constantine was the source and originator of Worship attributed to Christ and that Jesus as a pious Jew would NOT have enjoyed the attributions of Divinity (Pg 143).
Again, the reader cannot but note the distance and unfamiliarity the author has with the actual written text and therefore could not call for an unbiased or impartial reading of the life of Jesus without actual evidence of the author doing so.
The author asks the question who is "the real Jesus" and makes a statement that almost seems removed from the overall context of his own assessment. He writes:
"From all that we know of Jesus, it is possible that he regarded Himself as God? The gospels' answer is clear" (pg 147). Now this vague question rings more like a statement when he presumes that Jesus affirmed the Shema and did not see himself as God (pg 148). Jesus was simply a "perfect vessel for God" (pg 152)
He adds further "Jesus was more fully human than many care to to contemplate." (Pg 154) This again is something not even Bible believing Christians deny...yet, this Jesus revealed in Scripture is so much more...
Selah.
October 4, 2013
In my spiritual journey, I have been interested in some of the history behind my Christian faith. I feel that Wilson has given the reader A GOOD STARTING POINT in this area. Although I question some of his conclusions, I found that he covered the questions I believe most Christians often ask themselves: How accurate are the documents? Are the Gospels infallible? Did Jesus exist? Jesus was a Jew, Why was Jesus killed? and many other interesting questions. His use of archaeology, history, anthropology is most interesting. For those just beginning the critical analysis of one's faith, I recommend this book as a good start.
May 27, 2009
Not sure I agree with the idea that Jesus may have practiced hypnosis to perform some of the miracles in the Gospels, but overall an interesting examination of some of the historical evidence of early Christianity.
May 25, 2024
Remarkably neutral take. Gave me a new appreciation for how modern Jews see Christianity.
July 6, 2024
An interesting look at the history and the stories surrounding the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
This would be of interest to theologians and historians, as well as philosophers.
This would be of interest to theologians and historians, as well as philosophers.
March 23, 2018
An interesting thing happened when this book was commissioned back in 1984. Intended as a companion to the controversial ( at the time ) London Weekend Television series, the book was assigned to noted journalist and religion writer Ian Wilson, who was a strong Christian traditionalist. The tension between Wilson’s traditionalism and the program’s revisionism surprisingly led to a meticulously balanced presentation that is still, 34 years later, a model of fairness and a solid introduction to historical Jesus studies and Christian origins. While somewhat dated now (Morton Smith’s now discredited Secret Gospel Of Mark, for example, was considered serious legitimate scholarship in 1984), but there is still much useful material for serious students, no matter which side of the debate they lean toward.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for the 1996 revision and subsequent reprints. With the TV program long forgotten, Wilson reworked the book to reflect his own strongly traditional beliefs. As a result, some intriguing possibilities that were presented seriously and fairly in the original version were denigrated or removed. Wilson is a fine writer and is open, honest, and above board in stating his point of view; it’s just a shame that balance and fairness were sacrificed, at least in part. The strength of the original version was that evidence was presented impartially for the reader to evaluate and judge.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for the 1996 revision and subsequent reprints. With the TV program long forgotten, Wilson reworked the book to reflect his own strongly traditional beliefs. As a result, some intriguing possibilities that were presented seriously and fairly in the original version were denigrated or removed. Wilson is a fine writer and is open, honest, and above board in stating his point of view; it’s just a shame that balance and fairness were sacrificed, at least in part. The strength of the original version was that evidence was presented impartially for the reader to evaluate and judge.
September 11, 2022
|| 2.5 ⭐️ ||
It was really interesting to read about various archeological discoveries and theories that have been raised around them. A large span of topics relating to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were covered, and a lot of questions were raised that I hadn’t considered in the past. It’s also always interesting to learn about the culture and early Christianity from sources outside of the Bible, such as the writings of Josephus. Supporting evidence like this gives me even more confidence that my faith is in a secure place.
However, given that this book was published a few decades ago, some of the content was a bit dated… there were some theories that have since been debunked, and even some artefacts that have since proven to be fakes.
I have read and heard more comprehensive studies and arguments on many of the questions raised in this book. I don’t know if the age of the book is the issue here again, but a lot of the “doubts” and so-called “errors” found in and surrounding the Bible and the gospels could have been answered in much better ways.
It was really interesting to read about various archeological discoveries and theories that have been raised around them. A large span of topics relating to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were covered, and a lot of questions were raised that I hadn’t considered in the past. It’s also always interesting to learn about the culture and early Christianity from sources outside of the Bible, such as the writings of Josephus. Supporting evidence like this gives me even more confidence that my faith is in a secure place.
However, given that this book was published a few decades ago, some of the content was a bit dated… there were some theories that have since been debunked, and even some artefacts that have since proven to be fakes.
I have read and heard more comprehensive studies and arguments on many of the questions raised in this book. I don’t know if the age of the book is the issue here again, but a lot of the “doubts” and so-called “errors” found in and surrounding the Bible and the gospels could have been answered in much better ways.
May 1, 2019
A few ropey moments but overall a very interesting read. The author manages to present the arguments in a balanced way and even though it's a short book it gives a good introduction to the subject and has encouraged me to keep reading up on it. Would recommend
May 10, 2023
Πολύ καλό βιβ��ίο.Προσπαθεί να δώσει εξήγηση στην γεμάτη μυστήριο προσωπικότητα του Ιησού.Υπήρξε πραγματικά,ήταν άνθρωπος,ήταν θεός ή προφήτης,μάγος,υπνωτιστής;Ποιός έγραψε τα ευαγγέλια (όχι μόνο τα 4 αποδεκτά από την εκκλησία...) και πότε; Κάποια μέρη μου άρεσαν πολύ,αυτά τα περί ύπνωσης,ομαδικής υποβολής κτλ. δεν με έπεισαν.Παρ'όλα αυτά το βιβλίο το οποίο περιέχει και αρκετές φωτογραφίες, αξίζει να διαβαστεί.
Currently reading
April 6, 2009Lot of great archaeology findings that bring to life a clearer, and up to date picture of Christ's life and world.
Some of the pictures are years behind, which is nice in some cases. Example, the photo of Peter's house in Capernaum without the building that hovers over it now.
Some of the pictures are years behind, which is nice in some cases. Example, the photo of Peter's house in Capernaum without the building that hovers over it now.
October 25, 2012
Used to research a college paper. It's an okay place to start for information on historical Jesus, although a little dated now. The chapter I found most helpful referenced Josephus a lot. So, Josephus' writings would be a more direct source.
July 17, 2011
His hypothysis on Jesus being a hypnotist is ludercrous, he shows an ignorance in many aspects of his submissions, and twists "facts"to suit his view. Sadly, he could influence the more gullible.
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November 6, 2011Call Number: 232.9 WIL
A gift from Delores BUTLER.
Available.
A gift from Delores BUTLER.
Available.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews