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The Wrong Jesus: Fact, Belief, Legend, Truth . . . Making Sense of What You've Heard
Journey into the historical records, from ancient writings to archaeology to cultural and behavioral sciences, and discover whether Jesus really was who the Bible says. This fascinating exploration, created especially for high school and college-aged students, features sections on His words and deeds and whether He ever existed at all. Examine the evidence for yourself. What you find out might change everything.
- GenresTheology
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2014
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36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 20, 2025
I would have loved reading this in university, which might be why I felt like that is the intended audience. Chock full of interesting historical information as well as scripture analysis.
June 27, 2014
A great book that tackles all the major attacks on the historical Jesus. Greg Monette systematically goes through the essential issues and provides reflection questions as well as suggested reading. The greatest strength of this book is that it is obviously backed by scholarly research and yet is written in such an easy going style that any layperson could grasp the concepts. This would be a great study for pastors to take their congregations through.
May 18, 2014
Excellent, accessible and great correlation of the best resources. This is a book I can highly recommend to the "rank and file," of the church!
March 6, 2023
What I liked about this book is that it is a very practical easy to reach. Greg does a good job of not putting the cookies up to high. It also presents some evidence for Christ and the resurrection that I had not thought about before.
Chapter headings: Why does History matter? Did Jesus Really exist? What are our main sources for knowing about Jesus? Is the New Testament based on eyewitness testimony?
Has the text of the NT changed over time? How does archaeology help us understand Jesus' world? Is the birth of Jesus just a legend? Did Jesus perform miracles? Was Jesus a feminist? Did Jesus think he was God? Did Jesus come back from the dead?
Chapter headings: Why does History matter? Did Jesus Really exist? What are our main sources for knowing about Jesus? Is the New Testament based on eyewitness testimony?
Has the text of the NT changed over time? How does archaeology help us understand Jesus' world? Is the birth of Jesus just a legend? Did Jesus perform miracles? Was Jesus a feminist? Did Jesus think he was God? Did Jesus come back from the dead?
October 7, 2017
This is hands down the greatest book on Jesus besides the Bible that I have read in the past 20 years.
June 29, 2017
The Wrong Jesus is an excellent book about the historical evidence for Jesus of Nazareth. It is based on extensive research (it has a staggering 26 pages of footnotes), which gives the reader great confidence that Monette’s factual statements are thoroughly backed up by the most eminent thinkers in the field of history.
Given the nature and volume of Monette’s research, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is an academic book, but that’s the beauty of his work – it’s accessible. Monette has clearly spent years (and travelled the world) researching the evidence for Jesus, all so that he can present it in a way which anyone can understand. If you’re academically minded, each chapter has a short list of the best books on the particular subject covered for you to delve into yourself, with the more highly recommended works highlighted for your convenience. If, like me, you have neither the time or the inclination to pore through these books, The Wrong Jesus is absolutely the book for you.
Having led a few Alpha courses and studied for a theology degree, I would have naively said that I was quite familiar with the historical evidence for Jesus and the arguments against it. I’ve been known to throw out that almost cliche line, “Did you know that there is more evidence for the existence of Jesus than there is for Julius Caesar?” on occasion. I can now say that – cliche though it is – that statement stands, because of the clear and concise evidence given by Greg Monette in The Wrong Jesus.
When Greg sent me his manuscript, I sat up until midnight that night reading it, without noticing the time passing. It helps that I have more than a passing interest in history, but it’s the easy-going, conversational writing style which makes The Wrong Jesus such an easy read. This is even more impressive when you consider the weighty topics Monette covers in the book; What are our main sources for knowing about Jesus? Has the text of the New Testament changed over time? How does archaeology helps us understand Jesus’ world? Was Jesus a feminist? are just a few of the chapter headings.
It’s clear from the beginning of the book that it is written from a Christian perspective. However, Monette shows great scholarly integrity by ensuring that all of his assertions are based on historically verifiable evidence – the kind which is agreed upon by Christian and non-Christian historians alike. There are no assumptions of belief in Jesus as God, although it is clear throughout the book that this belief is the destination at which Monette wants all his readers to arrive. In his own words,
“This book was written to help you have an honest and secure foundation in Jesus of Nazareth and understand how taking time to rethink what you know about him can literally change your life as you discover where faith and history collide. I’m convinced that by doing this, you’ll avoid creating (and keeping) a portrait of the wrong Jesus and instead will have a healthy view of the real Jesus – a portrait that stands up under historical scrutiny and discovery.”
I learned a lot through reading The Wrong Jesus. It challenged some of my preconceptions on what I thought was historically accurate, and left me with a more profound and real understanding of who Jesus is than I previously had, even as a believer. If you’re a Christian, this book will help you cement your faith in historical evidence. If you’re not a Christian, this book will provide you with clear evidence from history of who Jesus is. What you do with that evidence is up to you, but it’s important that you explore the evidence for yourself.
Given the nature and volume of Monette’s research, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is an academic book, but that’s the beauty of his work – it’s accessible. Monette has clearly spent years (and travelled the world) researching the evidence for Jesus, all so that he can present it in a way which anyone can understand. If you’re academically minded, each chapter has a short list of the best books on the particular subject covered for you to delve into yourself, with the more highly recommended works highlighted for your convenience. If, like me, you have neither the time or the inclination to pore through these books, The Wrong Jesus is absolutely the book for you.
Having led a few Alpha courses and studied for a theology degree, I would have naively said that I was quite familiar with the historical evidence for Jesus and the arguments against it. I’ve been known to throw out that almost cliche line, “Did you know that there is more evidence for the existence of Jesus than there is for Julius Caesar?” on occasion. I can now say that – cliche though it is – that statement stands, because of the clear and concise evidence given by Greg Monette in The Wrong Jesus.
When Greg sent me his manuscript, I sat up until midnight that night reading it, without noticing the time passing. It helps that I have more than a passing interest in history, but it’s the easy-going, conversational writing style which makes The Wrong Jesus such an easy read. This is even more impressive when you consider the weighty topics Monette covers in the book; What are our main sources for knowing about Jesus? Has the text of the New Testament changed over time? How does archaeology helps us understand Jesus’ world? Was Jesus a feminist? are just a few of the chapter headings.
It’s clear from the beginning of the book that it is written from a Christian perspective. However, Monette shows great scholarly integrity by ensuring that all of his assertions are based on historically verifiable evidence – the kind which is agreed upon by Christian and non-Christian historians alike. There are no assumptions of belief in Jesus as God, although it is clear throughout the book that this belief is the destination at which Monette wants all his readers to arrive. In his own words,
“This book was written to help you have an honest and secure foundation in Jesus of Nazareth and understand how taking time to rethink what you know about him can literally change your life as you discover where faith and history collide. I’m convinced that by doing this, you’ll avoid creating (and keeping) a portrait of the wrong Jesus and instead will have a healthy view of the real Jesus – a portrait that stands up under historical scrutiny and discovery.”
I learned a lot through reading The Wrong Jesus. It challenged some of my preconceptions on what I thought was historically accurate, and left me with a more profound and real understanding of who Jesus is than I previously had, even as a believer. If you’re a Christian, this book will help you cement your faith in historical evidence. If you’re not a Christian, this book will provide you with clear evidence from history of who Jesus is. What you do with that evidence is up to you, but it’s important that you explore the evidence for yourself.
June 5, 2014
Jesus has been a hot topic this year, with the release of Ehrman and Bird et al.’s dueling Christology books this past March bringing about a flurry of blog debates on matters pertaining to historical Jesus and early Christology. All the interaction I’ve seen with the two books have come from academic-types. When the assertions of Ehrman’s How Jesus Became God become popularized among the masses (as is typical with his trade books which have a tendency of become NYT bestsellers), how will the average person in the pew be able to separate truth from error? How can they be equipped to offer a historically responsible rejoinder to the attacks on Christology? Greg Monette’s The Wrong Jesus is a very accessible introduction to the historical Jesus that both addresses perennial apologetics issues in relation to Jesus as well as tackles some of the topics that have come into the spotlight as a result of Ehrman’s latest book.
Read the full review on my blog
Read the full review on my blog
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews