Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus, edited by Craig A. Evans. 728p. New York: Routledge, 2008. 978-0-415-97569-8; 2007-29840. $190.

Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus Of the life of Jesus we know very little. He was born before Herod the Great’s reign ended in 4 B.C. He was Jewish and lived in Nazareth in Galilee. His legal parents were Joseph and Mary. Joseph was a carpenter, and Jesus may have trained as such. As a young man, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and he then embarked upon his own career as an itinerant preacher and healer. Active for less than a year, he attracted a following. At an uncertain date between 29 and 33 C.E., Jesus entered Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. There he was arrested, tried and executed by crucifixion. The basis for these few facts, and most of the teachings of Jesus, are the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These texts are problematic in terms of their origin and arrangement. They do not provide a narrative description of the life of Jesus, but present his teaching topically and frequently without their original context. Otherwise, the historians Tacitus and Josephus make two brief, and possibly later amended, references to the execution of Christ.

Those who wish to recover the life of Christ must rely on the Gospels, examining their statements within the context of their times and the literary and religious traditions that preceded them. For nearly two centuries, biblical scholars have been trying to do precisely that. Some have attempted to establish the period, authorship and sequence of Biblical writings. Others have examined the contents of each text trying to determine which might reliably record events witnessed by a true contemporary of Jesus. Still more scholars have explored the wisdom and ideas attributed to Jesus in the tradition of Jewish antecedents. This new encyclopedia summarizes that record of painstaking scholarship. Most of the 227 entries by 110 international scholars examine the evidence for people, places, events and teachings associated with Jesus. Many also relate how earlier writings or Old Testament figures are used in the Gospels. The textual history of the gospels is reviewed in detail. Also noted are various Roman and near eastern practices that figure in the life of Christ, like sacrifices, festivals and titles. However, a major concern is the methods and criteria used by scholars for determining what materials provide evidence for the actions of the historical Jesus. Thus, many articles focus on the work and careers of groundbreaking biblical scholars who contributed to this search. Frequently technical and heavily documented, this scholarly tool is designed for specialists and students of theology and religious history.
—John R.M. Lawrence