Ehrman, Bart D. : University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Bart D. Ehrman is Bowman and Gordon Gray Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill. He is the author of many books, including The New Testament: A Historical Introduction and The Orthodox
Corruption of Scripture.
Review
"An elegantly written, much-needed book.... Ehrman's should be the first book for any lay reader interested
in the historical Jesus."
--Kirkus Reviews
"While Ehrman's provocative thesis will stir up controversy among scholars, his warm, inviting prose style
and his easy-to-read historical and critical overviews make this the single best introduction to the study of the
historical Jesus."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Bart Ehrman's look at the much-debated mysteries of the historical Jesus is thoughtful and responsible yet
also fresh and--of all things--flavored with an appropriate wit. Anyone familiar with the subject will know how
rare such a combination is. I commend it strongly to any reader who's willing to follow a well-stocked mind wherever
it leads."
--Reynolds Price, author of Three Gospels, Letter to a Man in the Fire: Does God Exist and Does He Care?
"In Jesus, Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium, Bart Ehrman offers an exciting and accessible study
of the historical Jesus. He canvasses a wide range of ancient texts and modern interpretations as he orients his
reader both in the distant world of late Second Temple Judaism and the current swirl of scholarly opinion. With
verve, warm humor and exemplary clarity, Ehrman's Jesus provides the nonspecialist reader with an excellent introduction
to this often elusive figure, the Jesus of history."
--Paula Fredriksen, Boston University
"Bart Ehrman is that rare creature who is not only a good scholar but also a fine teacher. In Jesus, Apocalyptic
Prophet of the New Millennium, he addresses a general audience who may know next to nothing about serious historical
work on Jesus of Nazareth. With his usual clear and humorous style, he explains technical problems in a way that
almost any educated reader could understand.... Ehrman has given us a healthy and needed correction to the portrait
of Jesus common in many American academic circles today, influenced as they are by the Jesus Seminar. This book
will be of great use in an undergraduate course seeking to introduce students either to the historical Jesus in
particular or to New Testament studies in general."
--John P. Meier, University of Notre Dame, author of A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus: Mentor,
Message, and Miracle
Oxford University Press Web Site, November, 2000
Summary
Jesus is one of the few people whose biographies have the ability to spark intense passion and heated controversy.
Now, in this highly accessible exploration into Jesus' life, Bart Ehrman reviews the latest textual and archeological
research as well as the history of first-century Palestine, drawing a fascinating portrait of the man and his teachings.
Ehrman shows us what historians have long known about the Gospels and the man who stands behind them. Through
a careful evaluation of the New Testament (and other surviving sources, including the more recently discovered
Gospels of Thomas and Peter), Ehrman proposes that Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet--a man
convinced that the world would end dramatically within his lifetime and that a new kingdom would be created on
earth. According to Ehrman, Jesus' belief in a coming apocalypse and his expectation of an utter reversal in the
world's social organization not only underscores the radicalism of his teachings but also sheds light on both the
appeal of his message to society's outcasts and the threat he posed to Jerusalem's established leadership.
In this sharply written and persuasive book, Ehrman suggests that the apocalyptic fervor that perpetually grips
large segments of society is nothing new. Indeed, history's many doomsayers, including those today who are frantic
about the new millennium, are close in spirit and thinking to Jesus, who waited in vain for the imminent arrival
of a new, peaceful kingdom.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. The End of History as We Know It
2. Who was Jesus? Why It's So Hard to Know
3. How Did the Gospels Get to Be This Way?
4. Looking about a Bit: Non-Christian Sources for the Historical Jesus
5. Looking about a Bit More: Other Christian Sources for the Historical Jesus
6. Moving on to the Past: How Can We Reconstruct the Life of Jesus?
7. Finding a Fit: Jesus in Context
8. Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet
9. The Apocalyptic Teachings of Jesus
10. A Place for Everything: Jesus' Other Teachings in Their Apocalyptic Context
11. Not in Word Only: The Associates, Deeds, and Controversies of Jesus in Apocalyptic Context
12. The Last Days of Jesus
13. From Apocalyptic Prophet to Lord of All: The Afterlife of Jesus
14. Jesus as the Prophet of the New Millennium: Then and Now
