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A Documented Biography of Jesus Before Christianity
" From the author of the acclaimed historical novel, The Matthias Scroll , comes this nonfiction advance in Gospel interpretation. As fresh translations and undeniable inference open the Christianizing shells of lore and legend, a complete biography of Jesus emerges. For the first time, this penetrating study brings us together with the one so many have been seeking to know and appreciate as a human being.
Never considered possible, Epstein’s critical analysis crosses seemingly insurmountable linguistic hurdles, solving millenia-old riddles about the historical Jesus. “With his arrest foreshadowed by formerly unknown circumstance,” Epstein suggests, “most serious New Testament scholars are likely to be amazed by the facts surrounding his capture, crucifixion, and interment.”
Praise from eminent scholar and author Shaul
“Delightful and provocative! Epstein has constructed a novel portrait of Jesus’ life based on New Testament passages juxtaposed to the Judaism of his time. Applying his own method of interpretation, the author challenges the Gospel account, recovering biographical dimensions of a pre-Christian, humanized Jesus. Joining the tradition of ‘the search for the historical Jesus,’ what results is a readable, provocative thesis.”
Shaul Magid
The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Chair
Professor of Jewish and Religious Studies
Indiana University
"
Never considered possible, Epstein’s critical analysis crosses seemingly insurmountable linguistic hurdles, solving millenia-old riddles about the historical Jesus. “With his arrest foreshadowed by formerly unknown circumstance,” Epstein suggests, “most serious New Testament scholars are likely to be amazed by the facts surrounding his capture, crucifixion, and interment.”
Praise from eminent scholar and author Shaul
“Delightful and provocative! Epstein has constructed a novel portrait of Jesus’ life based on New Testament passages juxtaposed to the Judaism of his time. Applying his own method of interpretation, the author challenges the Gospel account, recovering biographical dimensions of a pre-Christian, humanized Jesus. Joining the tradition of ‘the search for the historical Jesus,’ what results is a readable, provocative thesis.”
Shaul Magid
The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Chair
Professor of Jewish and Religious Studies
Indiana University
"
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 3, 2015
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July 16, 2016
Not everyone will find this book about Jesus easy to read. Author Abram Epstein takes the events recorded in the four Gospels and examines them in relation to their original Jewish context, revealing a Jesus plagued by self-doubt and self-loathing due to the illegitimacy of his birth and unwanted claims of his divinity by his disciples. His examination uncovers plausible references as to the true nature of Jesus' mission, assigns a new identity to the beloved disciple, explains the true cause of Judas' ultimate betrayal, underlines the dire urgency behind Jesus' repeated admonishments to Simon Peter, and demonstrates the schism within the not-so-tight-knit group of Apostles. Thought-provoking and insightful, Abram's "A Documented Biography of Jesus Before Christianity" is teeming with conjecture ... and - taken in the context with which it is presented - most of it makes sense! I recommend this read for anyone interested in being open to a new interpretation of the four Gospels and getting a closer look at the historical life and times of Jesus.
Displaying 1 of 1 review