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Lord or Legend?: Wrestling with the Jesus Dilemma
DID JESUS EVER REALLY EXIST-AND IF SO, WHO WAS HE?
184 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
3 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Gregory A. Boyd
94 books350 followersGregory A. Boyd is the founder and senior pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minn., and founder and president of ReKnew. He was a professor of theology at Bethel College (St. Paul, Minn.) for sixteen years where he continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor.
Greg is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (BA), Yale Divinity School (M.Div), and Princeton Theological Seminary (PhD). Greg is a national and international speaker at churches, colleges, conferences, and retreats, and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows. He has also authored and coauthored eighteen books prior to Present Perfect, including The Myth of a Christian Religion, The Myth of a Christian Nation, The Jesus Legend (with Paul Eddy), Seeing Is Believing, Repenting of Religion, and his international bestseller Letters from a Skeptic.
Greg is a graduate of the University of Minnesota (BA), Yale Divinity School (M.Div), and Princeton Theological Seminary (PhD). Greg is a national and international speaker at churches, colleges, conferences, and retreats, and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows. He has also authored and coauthored eighteen books prior to Present Perfect, including The Myth of a Christian Religion, The Myth of a Christian Nation, The Jesus Legend (with Paul Eddy), Seeing Is Believing, Repenting of Religion, and his international bestseller Letters from a Skeptic.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 13, 2023
An academic and concise look at the “Jesus Dilemma”. Very informative and I learned a ton! Would highly recommend to anyone who is struggling with the “legendary-Jesus” arguments.
March 6, 2013
An absolutely horrible book if you are interested in historical objectivity. In the introduction, the authors note:
"...when most people read similar stories--stories that include reports of the supernatural--about other religious figures (Krishna, Buddha, etc.), they generally assume the story is largely, if not entirely, a fictitious legend... why should anyone think things are different with the story of Jesus?"
Sounds great, yes? The Christian authors are going to look at Jesus with the same scrutiny they bear on other religions! Then they say:
"...[we] have found ourselves coming back to the conclusion that the Jesus story is different! While it is possible to explain many of the miraculous exploits of other religious figures as mere legends, we have found it very difficult to explain the Jesus story this way."
This is the worst sort of apologia: one that pretends to be even-handed, rooted in research, and free from bias. Lord or Legend is disingenuous slop.
"...when most people read similar stories--stories that include reports of the supernatural--about other religious figures (Krishna, Buddha, etc.), they generally assume the story is largely, if not entirely, a fictitious legend... why should anyone think things are different with the story of Jesus?"
Sounds great, yes? The Christian authors are going to look at Jesus with the same scrutiny they bear on other religions! Then they say:
"...[we] have found ourselves coming back to the conclusion that the Jesus story is different! While it is possible to explain many of the miraculous exploits of other religious figures as mere legends, we have found it very difficult to explain the Jesus story this way."
This is the worst sort of apologia: one that pretends to be even-handed, rooted in research, and free from bias. Lord or Legend is disingenuous slop.
January 9, 2014
This is a very good book, especially for those confronted with the Jesus myth theory. The authors demonstrate that the Gospels do hold up very well historically. They lay out a methodology for responding to those who suggest that the Gospels were based on pagan myths.
April 7, 2019
It’s four stars because of the last chapter and because I just typed out a long review that I didn’t know was coming. I think this book ended up hitting home for me and helped me find some answers. I love history and this helped me verify a lot of the questions I had regarding the historical accuracy of Jesus’ life and the Gospels.
Was Jesus a real person? Without a doubt. Roman and other non-Jewish sources back it up. Were the Gospels written by credible sources? It appears so due to specific characteristics in each one. Did the writers of the Gospels know Jesus as a contemporary? Almost undoubtedly, once again due to very specific words or passages. Are the Gospels true to what Jesus originally said? They definitely pass the test of authenticity. Thousands of original copies exist while many other ancient works like those of Homer are only numbered by the handful.
Was the story of Jesus influenced by other religions or myths? It doesn’t seem so. Jews were a very independent part of the Roman Empire in the first century. They did not mix with Roman culture (or other cultures) beyond the veneer of buildings and other visible characteristics. They would not even allow faces of God-Emperors from Rome on local coins as it was an insult to Yahweh, whose face was never to be depicted on anything. In addition to that, all other myths of rebirth, like Osiris, are very unlike that of Jesus when it comes down to it, i.e. Osiris was carved up in pieces and “reborn” as God of the underworld. Doesn’t sound much like Christ does it?
Also, archaeology seems to back up the era pretty astonishingly. Recent digs have revealed many biblical sites that at least attest to the accuracy of locations within the New Testament. Most fascinating was the question, were miracles possible in the real world? There’s definitely a possibility. Especially since quantum mechanics has revealed even on a molecular level that we can only predict what particles will do. This means that though we understand a great amount of the world and the natural order of things, there’s still a chance of the supernatural. It basically means that we understand the world and can observe its order to an extent, but even science shows us that the nature itself is not entirely predictable or understood. This leaves one open to the idea that miracles could have been performed in our reality, since miracles would indeed fall in the “improbable” statistic of our universe (what could happen but in almost all instances would not).
The human mythological sense and subconscious have always longed for love and understanding. Look at the myths and stories from other cultures throughout history. But Jesus wasn’t a legend from a long forgotten past, he lived after Julius Caesar in the not so distant past. He showed the world that God is a God of love who wants to save humanity, which makes this story unlike that of the Gods of Rome and Greece or other cultures.
But in the end, it’s all about faith, hope, and love. Faith that Jesus was who he said he was, hope in humanity, and the love that God shows us through Jesus and the love that he put in our hearts. We can understand and conceive perfection and happiness, but we know it’s unattainable on this earth. It seems that we were created with a deep underlying sense for something more. I refuse to believe that we were put on this earth because of randomness in a universe with no supreme being. We don’t have love because of chemicals in our brains, we have love because of God.
Was Jesus a real person? Without a doubt. Roman and other non-Jewish sources back it up. Were the Gospels written by credible sources? It appears so due to specific characteristics in each one. Did the writers of the Gospels know Jesus as a contemporary? Almost undoubtedly, once again due to very specific words or passages. Are the Gospels true to what Jesus originally said? They definitely pass the test of authenticity. Thousands of original copies exist while many other ancient works like those of Homer are only numbered by the handful.
Was the story of Jesus influenced by other religions or myths? It doesn’t seem so. Jews were a very independent part of the Roman Empire in the first century. They did not mix with Roman culture (or other cultures) beyond the veneer of buildings and other visible characteristics. They would not even allow faces of God-Emperors from Rome on local coins as it was an insult to Yahweh, whose face was never to be depicted on anything. In addition to that, all other myths of rebirth, like Osiris, are very unlike that of Jesus when it comes down to it, i.e. Osiris was carved up in pieces and “reborn” as God of the underworld. Doesn’t sound much like Christ does it?
Also, archaeology seems to back up the era pretty astonishingly. Recent digs have revealed many biblical sites that at least attest to the accuracy of locations within the New Testament. Most fascinating was the question, were miracles possible in the real world? There’s definitely a possibility. Especially since quantum mechanics has revealed even on a molecular level that we can only predict what particles will do. This means that though we understand a great amount of the world and the natural order of things, there’s still a chance of the supernatural. It basically means that we understand the world and can observe its order to an extent, but even science shows us that the nature itself is not entirely predictable or understood. This leaves one open to the idea that miracles could have been performed in our reality, since miracles would indeed fall in the “improbable” statistic of our universe (what could happen but in almost all instances would not).
The human mythological sense and subconscious have always longed for love and understanding. Look at the myths and stories from other cultures throughout history. But Jesus wasn’t a legend from a long forgotten past, he lived after Julius Caesar in the not so distant past. He showed the world that God is a God of love who wants to save humanity, which makes this story unlike that of the Gods of Rome and Greece or other cultures.
But in the end, it’s all about faith, hope, and love. Faith that Jesus was who he said he was, hope in humanity, and the love that God shows us through Jesus and the love that he put in our hearts. We can understand and conceive perfection and happiness, but we know it’s unattainable on this earth. It seems that we were created with a deep underlying sense for something more. I refuse to believe that we were put on this earth because of randomness in a universe with no supreme being. We don’t have love because of chemicals in our brains, we have love because of God.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2020
Boyd and Eddy carefully examine the historicity of Jesus and the documents which speak of Him. The Gospels are examined inside and out, standing up to the critical analysis of the day. When you think, there could be no further reason, the authors offer the possibly best explanation. In the final, dare say best, chapter Greg and Eddy compare the Gospel story with Myth and Legend. Pointing from a natural position that nature does not make that which it does not also satisfy. The authors point to our longing of love, to be rescued, to be made whole again. The story, rooted in history, is that longing fulfilled.
March 12, 2017
The authors make a good case for the historical accuracy of the gospels.
August 8, 2010
Boyd and Eddy did a superb job foraging in the ivory towers of academia and making the very lofty subject of the historical Jesus a much easier (and shorter!) beast to tackle. This book is a great start for people interested in the topic, as it takes many of the popular arguments for and against the historical reliability of Christ, and discusses them in brief, laconic and understandable ways. Boyd and Eddy get to the point as there is no fluff and needless simile; just very straightforward explanations. Obviously, the book is a clear defense for the historical Jesus, but does this in very honest and fair ways.
Boyd and Eddy say that this book is for the critically-minded layperson. However, even such people might find this book to be somewhat of a brain bender. I would still recommend it to anyone interested in the subject as it's a relatively short read.
Boyd and Eddy say that this book is for the critically-minded layperson. However, even such people might find this book to be somewhat of a brain bender. I would still recommend it to anyone interested in the subject as it's a relatively short read.
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July 7, 2009Anda pernah mendengar tentang trilemma dari C. S. Lewis (Yesus adalah penipu, orang gila, atau Allah yang menjadi manusia)? Menurut Boyd dan Eddy, trilemma tersebut hanya dapat dianggap valid jika seseorang mempresuposisikan kehandalan teks-teks PB dan korenspondensinya dengan Yesus yang Historis. Itulah sebabnya, di dalam buku ini Boyd dan Eddy memberikan penjelasan mengenai 10 kriteria untuk menilai apakah teks-teks PB dapat dianggap handal atau tidak. Selain itu, Boyd dan Eddy juga menyelediki tentang apakah kerygma Kristen mengenai Yesus dipengaruhi oleh mitos-mitos Greco-Roman atau tidak. Boyd dan Eddy menyimpulkan bahwa klaim-klaim kristologi tradisional memiliki fondasi tekstual dan historis yang dapat dipercaya.
September 27, 2015
Really interesting to look at the gospels as historical documents and consider how they stack up as such. Many people believe that even if Jesus did exist, the gospels have changed what he said and did. This is an interesting look at whether the Jesus we read about in the gospels is more likely to be rooted in history or not. Short and concise, it's well worth a read.
September 12, 2010
Worth reading.
July 7, 2013
Great book for those of us in the "Apologists" camp!
December 23, 2014
An epic theological and historical work that has inspired me to write a piece that has been forming in my mind for quite some time.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews