On the Historicity of Jesus

Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt

By: Richard Carrier

Narrated by: Richard Carrier

Length: 28 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

The assumption that Jesus existed as a historical person has occasionally been questioned in the course of the last hundred years or so, but any doubts that have been raised have usually been put to rest in favor of imagining a blend of the historical, the mythical, and the theological in the surviving records of Jesus. Historian and philosopher Richard Carrier reexamines the whole question and finds compelling reasons to suspect the more daring assumption is correct. He lays out extensive research on the evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity and poses the key questions that must now be answered if the historicity of Jesus is to survive as a dominant paradigm. Carrier contrasts the most credible reconstruction of a historical Jesus with the most credible theory of Christian origins if a historical Jesus did not exist. Such a theory posits that the Jesus figure was originally conceived of as a celestial being known only through private revelations and hidden messages in scripture; then stories placing this being in earthly history were crafted to communicate allegorically the claims of the gospel. Such stories eventually came to be believed or promoted in the struggle for control of the Christian churches that survived the tribulations of the first century. Carrier finds this theory more credible than has been previously imagined. He explains why it offers a better explanation for all the disparate evidence surviving from the first two centuries of the Christian era. He argues that we need a more careful and robust theory of cultural syncretism between Jewish theology and politics of the second-temple period and the most popular features of pagan religion and philosophy of the time. For everyone intent on defending a historical Jesus, this is the book to challenge them.

©2014 Sheffield Phoenix Press (P)2015 Pitchstone Publishing

An excellent defence of a controversial position.

Carrier has undercut all pillars of the historicist position. Mythicism can't be ignored any longer.

a wonderful analysis

I particularly enjoyed the use of stats and original source material. I found this much more compelling than mere argument from modern sources with no way to evaluate his arguments.

The Facts You Need to Know

The best antidote to superstition and the best tool for liberating the future from the barbaric influence of ignorant mythology.

Well thoughtout

Very in depth analysis and well established hypothesis on the mythical argument of Jesus' existence.

Perfect!

This audiobook was simply amazing! How can anybody argue with Dr. Richard Carrier?! I am now absolutely convinced that Jesus Christ is a mythological character after having experienced this comprehensive assessment.

Leading Argument on the Topic

Well formulated argument and armed with a litany of information and sourced scholarship, Carrier has laid the groundwork for the way all historical and biblical scholarship should approach this and all topics of contention. The only downside is that as I'm writing this review there is no comparable scholarship arguing for a Historical Jesus and therefore nothing worthy of me offering as a recommendation for the alternative view. That is kind of sad and telling about the state of historical and biblical scholarship, when the consensus view does not have comparable source of scholarly argumentation. Hopefully this level of scholarship is contagious and catches on quickly.

A Must Read, in No Hyperbole

The book, the methods within it, and the person who wrote it, are a triumvirate of historical necessity. Upon reading the first chapter, it will be obvious that Mr. Carrier is the only one who could accomplish a proper recitation of this tremendously important work. It is undoubtedly ahead of its time, and paradoxically, it is possible that it's long overdue.

Worth Every Minute and Cent

I would describe this book as a well researched, brilliantly presented summarization of the known evidence for and against the historicity of Jesus. I greatly enjoyed the very long book from start to finish, and Dr. Carrier does a fine job narrating.

Outstanding

Any additional comments?

Like most agnostics, I assumed that Jesus was a historical figure who had a mythology built around him by the early Christians. I now believe that Jesus was 100 percent mythological- like Romulus, Odysseus, and Moses. Any scholar who intends to refute Mr. Carriers excellent work better bring his/her A game.

Fascinating, if flawed

An interesting perspective on the origins of canonical Christianity, but it suffers from overreliance on (and possible torture of) Bayes Theorem.