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The Lives of Jesus
Tully explores in depth the diversity of portraits of Jesus which face us at the approach of the second Christian millennium. He travels to key sites in Israel, Rome and India, amongst others, and investigates the secret of Jesus's abiding power to provoke and lead.
- GenresReligion
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 1996
24 people want to read
About the author
Mark Tully
54 books135 followersSir William Mark Tully was the Chief of Bureau for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in New Delhi for 22 years. Schooled in England, he stayed mostly in India covering all major incidents in South Asia during his tenure. He was made an Officer of The Order of the British Empire in 1985 and was awarded the Padma Shree in 1992, a rare distinction for a non-Indian. He was knighted in the 2002 New Year Honours. In 2005 he received the Padma Bhushan.
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April 26, 2025
Half a decade before Dan Brown made everyone an expert in theology with The Da Vinci Code (yes, I’m being ironic), the BBC produced an extremely interesting four-part documentary that explored various aspects of Jesus. Mark Tully led the investigation and provided material for debate, offering the opinions of several scholars on not only Jesus the God, but also the historical Jesus—a Jew, a rebel, and a sage.
Among many other topics, you’ll encounter differing views on what motivated the apostles to continue their evangelization after the crucifixion, how early Christians perceived Jesus, the origins of monasticism and its connection to martyrdom, the socio-political climate during Jesus’ time, and what the gospels reveal about it, as well as the complex question of Jesus’ nativity.
Obviously, it’s impossible to agree with all the varying opinions presented on these issues—scholars who have devoted their entire lives to this subject often disagree! However, it’s refreshing to engage with their perspectives under the guidance of an intelligent presenter like Tully, who makes the book an excellent introduction to the study of Jesus. While the book is dated and contains some errors, it still remains valuable, with insights from some of the most highly regarded scholars of the 1990s (such as Richard Burridge, Ed Sanders, Geza Vermes, Dominic Grossan, among others). It serves as a fantastic companion to the BBC series.
Among many other topics, you’ll encounter differing views on what motivated the apostles to continue their evangelization after the crucifixion, how early Christians perceived Jesus, the origins of monasticism and its connection to martyrdom, the socio-political climate during Jesus’ time, and what the gospels reveal about it, as well as the complex question of Jesus’ nativity.
Obviously, it’s impossible to agree with all the varying opinions presented on these issues—scholars who have devoted their entire lives to this subject often disagree! However, it’s refreshing to engage with their perspectives under the guidance of an intelligent presenter like Tully, who makes the book an excellent introduction to the study of Jesus. While the book is dated and contains some errors, it still remains valuable, with insights from some of the most highly regarded scholars of the 1990s (such as Richard Burridge, Ed Sanders, Geza Vermes, Dominic Grossan, among others). It serves as a fantastic companion to the BBC series.
Displaying 1 of 1 review