Finding Jesus: Faith. Fact. Forgery. Six Relics that Tell the Remarkable True Story of the Gospels

by David Gibson, Michael McKinley

As featured in the 6-part CNN SERIES "Finding Jesus"

FINDING JESUS explores six major artifacts, including the Shroud of Turin, the True Cross, and the Holy Grail, that give us the most direct evidence about the life and world of Jesus. The book and attendant CNN series provide a dramatic way to retell "the greatest story ever told" while introducing a broad audience to the history, the latest controversies, and newest forensic science involved in sorting out facts from the fiction of would-be forgers and deceivers. The book and the show draw on experts from all over the world. Beyond the faithful, the book will appeal also to the skeptical and to curious readers of history and archaeology, while it takes viewers of the primetime TV series deeper into the story. With a fascinating, blockbuster subject, top-notch authors, and official CNN tie-in and support, we have tremendous opportunity to make THE JESUS CODE a bestseller and category classic.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, History, Christian, Church History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 24, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was ready to toss this in the dumpster... but then it got very entertaining.

Since the title is: Finding Jesus - Faith, Fact, Forgery. Six Holy Objects That Tell The Remarkable Story Of The Gospels

I partially knew what to expect from a book with a CNN sticker on the front advertising THEIR Finding Jesus original tv series shenanigans. Of course we get lots of crap scholarship and quotes from liberal universities and their modern prophets: Like Bart Ehrman, Karen King, Elaine Pagels, and a Meier and Meyer. It even dares mention Bill O'Reilly. Since most of this book is about desperate supposed artifacts and mythic secrets of Christianity: WE have endless references to the Catholic Church and historic silliness.

But strangely, half way through the book I started enjoying it and even smirking - the authors themselves started slightly mocking the liberal scholars they were thrusting at us. They seldom gave their own personal beliefs on these sacred objects, but you could sense they began to have valid opinions.

SOOoooo, what 6 sacred objects did they round up exactly?

1) The Bones of John the Baptist
2) James (Jesus brother) personal burial box (coffin)
3) The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
4) The Gospel of Judas
5) Splinters and woody chunks of Jesus' cross
6) Jesus' burial cloth (Shroud of Turin)

So this book offered numerous opinions of Yaayers and Naayers on these objects. The only one I found even slightly possible (based on huge freakin' miracles and a sneaky deity) is the Shroud of Turin - but I wouldn't lose sleep (or my religion) over it.

Indeed, we can learn a fair bit about religious folks through this hoarding of spiritual mayhem. People are very desperate for certain things to be authentic. It's especially amusing when insanely liberal scholars insist that lost forgotten Gnostic Gospels by Mary and Judas and Thomas and Peter etc... are reliable sources of history and possible enlightenment. YES, these sacred cows aren't worth hoisting onto the BBQ.

But a fun romp through the Bible was had. Even if none of the numerous scholars I trust were mentioned anywhere in this book. Yep, CNN indeed: All about the ratings and media controversy.

[Kuszma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ez a könyv az induktív megközelítés szép példája. A szerzők fognak 6 fontos keresztény ereklyét*, és ezek története kapcsán jutnak el a Biblia fontos szereplőihez, illetve a megváltástörténet fontos eseményeihez. Mindezek mellett beszélnek posztmodern bibliakutatásról, régészetről, vallástörténetről, gnosztikus evangéliumokról – semmiről se túl sokat, de mindenről épp eleget ahhoz, hogy innentől kezdve tudjunk makogni valamit a témában, ha mondjuk a sors úgy hozza, hogy pár Közel-Kelet szakértővel vagy jezsuita atyával kerülünk össze egy kocsmában.

Ami különösen üdítő, hogy bár publicisztikai munkáról van szó, mégis Gibson és Mckinley nagy súlyt helyeznek a tárgyilagosságra, igyekeznek egyforma távolságot tartani a különböző bibliamagyarázatoktól – a feminista olvasattól éppúgy, mint a kreacionista értelmezésektől. Amiből következik, hogy aki bombasztikus leleplezésekre számít, az csalatkozni fog: ebben a könyvben ugyanis nincsenek kenyérbélből és halenyvből Jézus-előbőrt hamisító albínó szerzetesek. Helyette viszont kapunk sok érdekes információt a Biblia történelmi valóságáról, valamint arról, hogyan alakult át ez a valóság a hívők (és később: a kétkedők) kollektív emlékezetében. Ne számítsunk továbbá arra, hogy szörnyű titkokról rántódik le a lepel – az ilyesmit Dan Brown amúgy is levédette már. Ha van tanulság, akkor az annyi, hogy kétezer év távlatából szinte semmiben nem lehetünk bizonyosak – még az ellenkezőjében sem –, és ilyen esetekben bizony valamiben, bármiben hinni – az bizony hit kérdése.

Ezek szerint jó könyv ez, de akkor miért csak négy csillag? kérdezhetném magamtól, ha szeretnék magamban beszélgetni. Problémám szerkezeti jellegű: a hatodik ereklye tárgyalása után ugyanis egyszeriben vége szakadt a könyvnek. Hiányzott nekem valamiféle összefoglalás, ami lezárja, keretbe rendezi az eddig olvasottakat. E nélkül pedig maradt bennem némi űr, melyet a csillagok csonkításával kívánok finoman jelezni.

* A hat ereklye: Keresztelő Szent János csontjai, Jakab (Jézus testvére) osszáriuma, Mária Magdolna és Júdás evangéliuma, a Kereszt és a Torinói Lepel. Az utolsó kettő Jézus életének (???) két kulcseseményéhez kapcsolódik: a megfeszítéshez és a feltámadáshoz. Mert Jézus két fejezetet is megérdemel.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author attempts to define Jesus as a man through the discussion of several objects deemed to be holy by Christians and through the role of Mary Magdalene and several gospels. Anyone with an open mind willing to look at diverse viewpoints are potential readers of this book on religion.

[Ctgt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I caught bits and pieces of the CNN broadcast, thought I'd see what I missed. Decent enough rehash of information already available but nothing new to add.

6/10

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title intrigued me but the actual book was a bit of a let-down. I am a firm believer in Jesus as the Christ, but there is nothing in this book that would strengthen (or lessen) anyone's belief. Not that there needs to be any "proof" as belief in Christ requires faith, not proof, but nothing written about the relics described in the book offers any real proof that they are what they purport to be. There is the usual description of techniques used to date ancient artifacts, and descriptions of what we know about the life and culture existing in the time and place where Jesus lived. This is all very interesting, and I liked the book for that. Nevertheless, this book gives no real evidence confirming the truth it supposedly gives.

[James Easterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. Informative. An easy read. A bit over-popularized version of the topic I felt, rather than a straight forward account, but then these are topics that always end up with people seeing what they expect (wish) to see on either side of the topic. It would be nice to have the truth rather then the endless myriad of opinionated conclusions that lead always back to one's self.

[Dottie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing really new but still an interesting read. If you like to brush up on historical facts and some new data research you'll enjoy it.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was fairly interesting, especially the final chapter on the Shroud of Turin, which pushed up my rating by a star.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christian religion, as a religion, is a historically rooted tradition. At the heart of the message is the historical Jesus. We might not be able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he existed, but few scholars, Christian or otherwise, reject the historicity of his existence. As to whether he said everything and did everything recorded in the Gospels, that's a very different issue.

While there have been more esoteric movements within the tradition, often lying on the fringes, there has always been a desire to connect in tangible ways with the original story. This led not only to the writing down of the story of Jesus as seen in the Gospels, both canonical and non-canonical, but also the veneration of relics. While they may be forged and faked, they have served as markers and reminders of the message and person of Jesus.

CNN has created a mini-series that looks into the story of Jesus, using a set of six "holy objects" as the gateway into the story. These relics range from Gnostic gospels to the Shroud of Turin. The book "Finding Jesus" is a companion to that miniseries. Written by journalist David Gibson, who is well known for reporting on religious issues, including the Roman Catholic Church, and Michael McKinley, an author and film maker whose name was unknown to me prior to reading the book.

The authors take a journalistic look at the relics. While they conclude that most of these relics cannot truly be traced to Jesus or tell a story that doesn't hold up under scrutiny, they try to keep an open mind, letting both sides tell the story. For the most part the scholars they work with are mainstream, ranging from evangelical Ben Witherington to Catholic Candida Moss to agnostic Bart Ehrman. They don't show much confidence in the Jesus Seminar movement.

This is a nicely written, thoughtful look at the way that we have tried to anchor our faith in things tangible, even if those relics and holy objects in the end do not have true historical provenance.

[Analisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review on my book review blog!

[Eileen Decamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book after I had watched the first two episodes on CNN. I found it very well written and thought provoking.

[victoria brukoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

I choose to give this book a five star rating because the book took an objective view of the objects it talked about. It was well researched and interesting to read.

[Gato Negro · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book full of history, archaeology and stories about Jesus and the relics which remain and are hotly debated with regard to their authenticity. Enjoyable.

[Jo Burl · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the archeology of the artifacts was interesting, there were numerous statements about Christianity that weren't true. Equating what is considered a heresy, gnosticism, of which Paul wrote on numerous occasions with a valid expression of Christianity is over the top. Also, calling scraps of a document a gospel (the Mary Magdalene section, section on Judas) is stretching things. These documents are more like an early expression of fan fiction from someone trying to invalidate Christianity.

The authors could have had a good reformed Protestant advisor, but I didn't notice any. There are numerous who would have improved the book.

On the whole, not the best, but I should have expected that with CNN involved. Any media outlet is after ratings more than truth.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is related to the mini-series created by CNN that looks into the story of Jesus and six "holy relics" associated with him. Each chapter focuses on one of the relics and provides some historical information around different eras, religions and cultures. This book is not religious, if that's what you're expecting. It's a journalistic look at the relics and Jesus, his life, the people in it and religion. The writers do try to keep an open mind by telling different versions of the story. If you're open to hearing varied perspectives, this will work. If not, put it down.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's informative and easy to read, but it's simply not informative enough. It's more of a faithful transcript of the CNN TV documentary episodes than a work of research in its own right, I can only salivate at a more in-depth work on the same subject. Nevertheless, it stands as a breezy trip through religion & history that leaves behind interesting questions to contemplate.

[Maryanne Chestnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and interesting read especially in my current situation - Lent, a trip to the Holy Land in January where some of these items and places were exolored, and our current pandemic crisis, inspiring me to gain more knowledge about the actual history surrounding Jesus and his contemporaries.

[Ellison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Profiles six Holy-type objects, shares data about them. Occasional insight. Akin to Sunday School lessons.

[Gregory Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. I felt that the authors backed into their evidence a bit and mixed science and scripture a bit too much

[Celena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was quite an interesting read. I think even a non-believer might find it interesting; the holy objects spoken of, the details gone over a little more deeper... I quite enjoyed it.

[Gabby Njie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book.

[Lisbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I would have liked even more background and history on the objects, but was impressed with the research included.

[Cathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insights into 6 relics and what they tell us about history and Jesus:
- bones of John the Baptist
- James ossuary
- Mary Magdalene
- gospel of Judas
- the True Cross
- the shroud of Turin

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good tha I'm reading it again.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. Excellent intro, if you want to know more these people and objects.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good read, especially the first four objects. I would have liked it a lot more had it not been for some very unclear passages that seemed to be hiding the ball. Weasel words abounded in the last two "object" sections.

[Ricardo Portella · Rating 3 out of 5]

É um livro interessante que aborda principalmente questões sobre evangelhos não canônicos e mitos sobre Maria Madalena. Somente faz reforçar a opinião dos primeiros cristãos que separaram o joio do trigo sobre a vida de Jesus. Os Evangelhos oficiais não são oficiais a toa. É porque eles são os mais próximos de Jesus de qualquer outro escrito. A parte sobre o sudário de Turim é interessante, mas pouco detalhada.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published in 2015 by MacMillan Audio.
Read by Peter Larkin.
Duration: 7 hours, 55 minutes.
Unabridged.

This is not a deep book theologically, but it does take a balanced look at 6 things that are associated with Jesus and a few related topics and is respectful of the faithful while doing its exploration. If you are expecting a book that is out to burst religious bubbles, this is not your book.

The topics are:

1) John the Baptist. Who was he? Is he in the historical record? Are the relics of John the Baptist in scattered across Europe actually him?

2) James, the brother of Jesus. Who was he? Was he Jesus' half brother through Mary or a step-brother from a previous marriage of Joseph? Is the James Ossuary (a casket to hold bones) that was discovered a few years ago real?

3) Mary Magdalene. Who was she? Was she a disciple or simply a follower of Jesus? Why is she not mentioned after the four gospels? Was she the wife of...

Click here to read more: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2017/...

[Mark]

Selected as another follow-on to The Good Shepherd: A Thousand-Year Journey from Psalm 23 to the New Testament by Kenneth E. Bailey.

I'm glad that I did ... this selected kept my attention throughout the nearly 8 hours of the audio book. The authors explore 6 religious objects and shedding historical, scientific, forensic, and religious light on their importance.

A nice addition was the concluding (short) interview with the authors.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. David is a colleague of mine at Religion News Service and what I most love about his writing he brought to this book - a great objectivity, a remarkable ability to translate difficult theological concepts into understandable ideas and a wonderful sense of fun that balances out the seriousness of the subject. The book is not academic, tho it relies heavily on academics for its quotes. And that's really one of its great strengths - with academic books I often find myself saying "tell me less." With this book, because it was such a delight to read, I found myself saying "Tell me more." A good read, an informative read, an interesting read and just a fun read too.