Followers

Monday, July 25, 2016

Finding Jesus and Knowing Jesus


Alice C. Linsley

In this video David Gibson is interviewed about a book which he co-authored with Michael McKinley. The book is Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery. I recommend that readers of Biblical Anthropology watch the video and read the book. I rarely recommend books and videos.

The book explores the question: "Who was the historical Jesus?" by looking at six relics and artifacts, These include a burial box with the name Yeshua. a piece of the Cross, a linen shroud, bones of John the Baptist, and an Egyptian papyrus referring to a "wife" of Jesus. Whether these relics and artifacts are authentic or frauds hardly matters. The Christian faith is grounded in the personal conviction that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came into the world to save sinners and to bring us to eternal life. 

The discoveries of biblical archaeology cannot verify the existence of Jesus or clarify His identity. In part, this is because archaeologists digging in Israel tend to be Jewish and interpret the evidence through a post-exilic [Talmudic] rabbinic lens.

Even non-Jewish archaeologists tend to misinterpret that artifacts that speak of the Messianic hope that is absolutely and perfectly fulfilled in the unique person of Jesus Christ.

The book and video are worth your time, but do not expect great depth. They do not delve into anthropologically significant data that makes it clear that Jesus is the long expected Righteous Ruler who would overcome death and lead his people to immortality. For some of that data, I encourage you to view this video. This is needed to go beyond finding Jesus to knowing Jesus.


Related reading: The Sun and Celestial Horses; The Luwian: Another Theory; The Sun and the Sacred; Who is Jesus?; Righteous Rulers and the ResurrectionDid Jesus Have a Wife?; Dismantling Outdated Interpretations

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