What Have They Done with Jesus? Beyond Strange Theories & Bad History-Why We Can Trust the Bible

by Ben Witherington III

Utilizing a fresh “personality profile” approach, Witherington highlights core Christian claims by investigating the major figures in Jesus’s inner circle of Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, Peter, James the brother of Jesus, Paul, and the mysterious “beloved disciple.”

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christianity, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, Christian, History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books, including The Jesus Quest, The Paul Quest, and The New York Times bestseller The Brother of Jesus. He has appeared on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

The scholarship is generally sound, but BW is obviously very enamored of his own intellect. Many if not most of the footnotes (of which there are dozens) refer the reader to BW's other books! While some of his observations were helpful or interesting, after a while I got bored with his style. It seemed a little incongruous that Witherington was challenging persons who make suppositions or theological statements about Jesus not based on Scripture; yet he himself does this while exploring possibilites that the Scriptures leave open or "suggest."

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have been more interesting and made more sense if I were more familiar with the New Testament. As it was, I was completely lost during discussions of how writing styles differed or were the same among different books. I was also lost when it referenced chapters and verses, as they were often only cited with a John 1:3 or something and not actually quoted. It was interesting, but I'm sure I missed or misunderstood much of what the author was trying to get across because of my ignorance.

[Rebecca Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very interesting book. There was a lot of information about myths surrounding the New Testament, which I was unfamiliar with. It was informative, but also engaging. Sometimes, books that are purely informational end up being rather dull. I thought the author did a good job of making the material approachable and in a sense, entertaining. I think those who enjoy learning and thinking about new things will like this book. I would recommend it for junior high and up.

[Mark Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Witherington has written a marvellous work about those closest to Jesus while he pursued his time on earth, and how they saw him. He shows how the gnostic views of several modern books are false, and guides us back to the real Jesus as shown in the Bible.
The Appendix takes us through the work "The Jesus Dynasty" by James Tabor, and shows how an author skilled in History and Archaeology, but not Theology can go so wrong, and far from the truth of the Bible.
This book would be a valuable guide after reading Dan Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code" which also strays far from the Biblical orthodoxy.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some very good insights, but he kept referring to gospel writers as leaving out details that were in other writings (Gospels) for their own reasons, I decided to end early. Will hold on to the book for study reference though.

[Rick Boyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very useful, informative, and well-written text, which seeks to counter some of the spurious, specious, and foolish "reconstructions" of Jesus which have hit the bookshelves in the last ten to fifteen years or so. To accomplish his goal, Dr. Witherington considers what we can know about, and learn from, the "inner circle" of Jesus' closest disciples (for example, Peter, James, Paul, Mary Magdalene, the Beloved Disciple, etc.) Witherington gives us a very close and penetrating examination of the pertinent biblical texts, along with assorted secondary sources, including the works of Josephus and some of the earliest church Fathers. The result is a work which sheds much light on some heretofore "under the radar" aspects of Jesus' life and ministry. As a pastor and teacher, I found this effort to be quite helpful and illuminating.

Dr. Witherington proposes some novel, but biblically defensible, ways of considering the gospel narratives. A good and very intriguing example is his well-reasoned argument that the Beloved Disciple of the Gospel of John is none other than Jesus' dear friend, Lazarus. Witherington goes even farther, and contends that this same Lazarus may well be the primary witness behind the Johanine gospel; either as the actual writer, or the source of information which was written down and later edited by someone else. It's a very interesting idea, and Witherington does a good job of making his case for it.

This is a helpful book for pastors and biblical teachers, and educated laypeople who would like to have a more in-depth understand of some key Scriptural material. Dr. Witherington writes in a very engaging and easy to comprehend way, keeping the theological mumbo-jumbo to a minimum. I happily recommend this book!

[Brent Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Witherington is a legitimate scholar in every sense - very prolific as well as an author of popular books like this one.

I gained lots of insights and understandings - how Jesus related to his familyl and friends. He speculates whether Lazarus could be the author of the Gospel of John. Interesting ideas like that! Witherington is - how would you say it - conservative scholar? He takes very seriously Christian truth claims and historical claims, while using critical tools for understanding them. Nice combination of critical and faithful tools.

This could be a good place to start for those interested in an intro to Jesus scholarship.

[James (JD) Dittes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid work of New Testament scholarship and insight. Witherington has some startling ideas (the role of Johanna in the early church and the true identity of The Beloved Disciple, to name two). But his use of solid, scholarship and Biblical backing really makes a case. I recommend this book for all those who are trying to broaden their knowledge of the New Testament, along with the context of the 1st-century world in which it was written.

[Brad Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven. Moments of brilliance badly tainted by errors in basic Biblical facts, arguments from silence and other annoying issues. Also, this book could have been half as long....lots of repetition, unnecessary material, and arguments that would have been better left out. Nonetheless, there were frequently insights that were so excellent that it was worth wading through to get there.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though much of it is long, stretched speculation, Witherington fascinated me in his creativity and willingness to explore the humanity of those that fill the pages of Scripture. Really enjoyed this one.

[Joshua Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

BW3 is smart. This book is...............good, and smart.

[Guguk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entahlah~ ada beberapa teori Mr. Witherington yang aku kurang sreg ╮(￣ω￣;)╭ entah juga kalo aku-nya yang gak paham (^^;)>

[David Hardin]

Fascinating

Really enjoyed this. Well written. I learned a lot. Not exactly a page turner though. If you are at all interested in New Testament background read it.