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Echoes of Jesus: Does the New Testament Reflect What He Said?
New York Times bestselling books have taken the view that the oldest New Testament documents paint a very different picture to later copies. Others are of the opinion that the original gospel accounts were never intended to be historically accurate. Many people assume that the bias of the original NT authors distorted their recollections of Jesus, and Jesus' words were not put into written form for several decades. Echoes of Jesus - now in its second edition - is a Christian apologetic response to these issues. It presents evidence in an engaging manner, following a logical journey of discovery. It is accessible to both Christian believers and those who know little about Jesus. Questions for discussion and reflection at the end of each chapter reflect this welcoming approach. This highly readable journey of discovery considers gospel textual criticism, authorship of the Gospels, Christian historiography, literacy & more. See evidence for the reliability of the recounting of Jesus. After reading this book you Rev Dr John Sweetman, D.Min (USA); Principal of Malyon College, This is a book for those who like to question and think and who are not satisfied with pat answers. This is an excellent resource for theological faculty and students as well as for anyone genuinely searching for truth. If you have questions or doubts about the identity of the real Jesus or the reliability of the Bible, this is the book for you. Dr Bernie Power, D.Th, lecturer in Islamic Echoes of Jesus is a very insightful and much-needed book in the area of apologetics. I plan to use it as a text in Australia's only theologically-accredited Apologetics to Islam course run at the Melbourne School of Theology. Dr James M. Leonard, PhD (Cambridge), former Adjunct Professor (LSU, Notre Dame Seminary, Loyola University, John Brown University, Arkansas, US): This well written work on the biblical account of the historical Jesus exposes the reader to key issues that are often overlooked in popular Christian apologetics. It raises the believer's confidence levels in the reliability of the Gospels and the apostolic writings, and should be taken seriously by scholars.
482 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 11, 2014
Echoes of Jesus: Does the New Testament Reflect What He Said? is a very well researched book. This book examines the earliest known manuscripts of Scripture and secular writings by such historians as Josephus and Pliny the Younger to argue the case for the accuracy of the New Testament, the actual existence of Jesus and the authenticity of the words that are attributed to Him in the New Testament to which we now have access.
The arguments are very cogent and well presented. They are well balanced in coming both from the ancient New Testament manuscripts and the secular historical writings. I really enjoyed the appendices which delved into Judea, the description and events of Jesus biblical and non-biblical side by side comparison and the argument for the existence of the city of Nazareth in Jesus' lifetime.
I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to learn more about the historical Jesus as well as Jesus the Christ and anyone curious about the accuracy of the New Testament we now have.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads
The arguments are very cogent and well presented. They are well balanced in coming both from the ancient New Testament manuscripts and the secular historical writings. I really enjoyed the appendices which delved into Judea, the description and events of Jesus biblical and non-biblical side by side comparison and the argument for the existence of the city of Nazareth in Jesus' lifetime.
I recommend this book for anyone who wishes to learn more about the historical Jesus as well as Jesus the Christ and anyone curious about the accuracy of the New Testament we now have.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads
September 24, 2014
The Bible is under attack, as it always has been, but with the advent of “New Atheism” combined with modern means of communication, this attack is reaching more people, including those who would not normally take an interest. Christians need to have the tools to defend the Bible and this is what has impressed me about Echoes of Jesus; the detail in the Table of Contents enables the reader to be able to go directly to the page of interest and thereby be readily provided with information for a robust defence. Jonathan Clerke’s coverage of early Greek New Testament documents (chapters 7, 8 and 9), which is an area normally heavy with jargon, their grouping and his explanation of their variances is the clearest I have come across. The book is written in a scholarly manner with each piece of new information adequately referenced, thereby giving confidence to the reliability of the statement. Echoes of Jesus will hold a valuable place in my library.
November 4, 2014
"Echoes of Jesus" has a conversational style as you follow Mr. Clerke’s journey to explore the life and times of people in and around the Roman Empire 2000 years ago. Mr. Clerke shares his extensive research from a range of ancient historians and modern archaeologists and provides footnotes on nearly every page for those who wish to find out more. He explores the evidence for the reliability of the ancient copies of the New Testament as an accurate record of Jesus’ words and actions. There are also interesting asides that all enlighten the reader’s understanding of how politics, religion and the justice system operated at that time.
It provides the reader with a much stronger confidence to rely on the New Testament as accurately relaying Jesus' message to us as well as those of his time.
I recommend it to all enquirers who have ever wondered how can we be sure the Gospels are accurate historical records of Jesus and his teachings since he didn't write the Gospels.
It provides the reader with a much stronger confidence to rely on the New Testament as accurately relaying Jesus' message to us as well as those of his time.
I recommend it to all enquirers who have ever wondered how can we be sure the Gospels are accurate historical records of Jesus and his teachings since he didn't write the Gospels.
February 10, 2015
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and was pleasantly surprised. This is a research paper with extensive footnotes and appendices. But it is not a dry academic read. Rather, the author brings the reader along with the presentation of facts in a logical manner, expressing his view point and conclusions. This is not just a regurgitation of others' works, but utilizes the detailed work of others in specific areas while delving into original, primary source data as well.
This is a very good book for understanding how the New Testament can be relied upon as an authentic source for the teachings of Jesus.
This is a very good book for understanding how the New Testament can be relied upon as an authentic source for the teachings of Jesus.
January 27, 2015
I didn't think I would like this one but it caught me and I enjoyed every minute of it.
January 21, 2015
Pretty interesting book
February 10, 2020
Echoes of Jesus (second edition) is the result of Jonathan Clerke’s deep thirst for the truth about the origins of the New Testament books and the reliability of the versions we have today compared with the originals. With an open and enquiring mind, he meticulously answers every conceivable question you may have about the validity of the Bible, and many you would never have thought to ask!
Not content to simply compare ancient manuscripts with our current translations, he delves into the accounts of non Christian historians such as Lucian, Pliny the Younger and Josephus who were contemporaries of the early church authors, seeking their collaboration on facts presented in the New Testament.
He questions the literacy skills, education and gullibility of the people who lived at Jesus time and investigates ancient history-writing techniques. He challenges the view that the disciples were incapable of remembering their time with Jesus to the degree recorded in the Gospels and he explores the techniques Jesus used to aid memories.
And as if that weren’t enough he painstakingly leads the reader on a journey into the histories of the ancient copies of the New Testament, from their origins to their final resting places in such diverse places as mouldy baskets in an Egyptian Monastery to the Vatican vaults.
Echoes of Jesus is truly a remarkable book. I intended to use it a resource book and to just reference it when certain issues warranted investigating, but it is so readable and fascinating that I ended up reading it from cover to cover. Highly recommended.
Not content to simply compare ancient manuscripts with our current translations, he delves into the accounts of non Christian historians such as Lucian, Pliny the Younger and Josephus who were contemporaries of the early church authors, seeking their collaboration on facts presented in the New Testament.
He questions the literacy skills, education and gullibility of the people who lived at Jesus time and investigates ancient history-writing techniques. He challenges the view that the disciples were incapable of remembering their time with Jesus to the degree recorded in the Gospels and he explores the techniques Jesus used to aid memories.
And as if that weren’t enough he painstakingly leads the reader on a journey into the histories of the ancient copies of the New Testament, from their origins to their final resting places in such diverse places as mouldy baskets in an Egyptian Monastery to the Vatican vaults.
Echoes of Jesus is truly a remarkable book. I intended to use it a resource book and to just reference it when certain issues warranted investigating, but it is so readable and fascinating that I ended up reading it from cover to cover. Highly recommended.
May 14, 2020
A phenomenal amount of research has gone into the publishing of this book and it is a fabulous read. If you want to know how reliable is the bible, especially the New Testament, then you must read this book.
January 13, 2015
The cover of this work claims that it is a "...wide-ranging and comprehensive study". It is not so.
In the preface of this book, the author notes that he is not qualified as an historian, a New Testament critic, or a philosopher. Can a credulous parasitologist and physiotherapist possibly undertake the prodigious task of examining a book written in in the first century CE for historical veracity using textual criticism and historical methods with no training in these fields? It's certainly possible, but I would suggest that in this case, that is not what unfolded.
The author addresses some of the problems the New Testament faces as a historical document.
Some of the issues that are addressed:
-The fact that Jesus didn't write anything
-The fact that The Gospels are written decades after the alleged events
-The fact that there is no extant copy of the New Testament that dates before
the 4th century CE
-The fact that the Gospels have many contradictions (less than a full page dedicated to this!)
-The New Testament was certainly changed, and for various reasons
-The absence of contemporary writings on the subject
Now, the author does address some of the profusion of problems in relying on the New Testament as a historical document. However, I can't imagine objective Biblical scholars accepting many of these answers as evidence. The ideas presented are little more than Christian apologetics masquerading as legitimate scholarly ideas.
The author also fails to address many of the other predicaments that Christianity continues to face, such as:
-Pseudepigrapha (forgeries) among the Pauline epistles (The artist formerly known as Saul of Tarsus) canonical
-Pseudepigrapha in other New Testament books
-The Gospels are written anonymously, not by the people for whom they are titled
-The synoptic gospels use each other as source material (They are not unique perspectives)
-The Gospel authors fulfilling prophecies by addition to the text
Either the author is unaware of these additional problems, or he simply ignores them.
While the author certainly cites many sources, these sources seem to be drawn from works which largely agree with the conclusion that he set to make: that the New Testament is a reliable source from which we can extract the truth inherent in the tenets of Christianity.
To summarize, this book is in no way a comprehensive study of the New Testament and its veracity as a historical document. This book is a devotional book for Christians and little more. It is an exercise in Christian apologetics, and a poorly made one at that. If one seeks to learn more about scholarly Biblical work, one would do far better with Bart Ehrman, Robert Oden, Charles Kimball, Amy Jill Levine, et al. This "comprehensive study" had reached a conclusion long before any "research".
There is a book inside of all of us, and in this case, that's where it should have stayed.
Disclaimer: This book was provided at no charge by the author and/or publisher through Goodreads "First Reads" program for the purpose of review.
In the preface of this book, the author notes that he is not qualified as an historian, a New Testament critic, or a philosopher. Can a credulous parasitologist and physiotherapist possibly undertake the prodigious task of examining a book written in in the first century CE for historical veracity using textual criticism and historical methods with no training in these fields? It's certainly possible, but I would suggest that in this case, that is not what unfolded.
The author addresses some of the problems the New Testament faces as a historical document.
Some of the issues that are addressed:
-The fact that Jesus didn't write anything
-The fact that The Gospels are written decades after the alleged events
-The fact that there is no extant copy of the New Testament that dates before
the 4th century CE
-The fact that the Gospels have many contradictions (less than a full page dedicated to this!)
-The New Testament was certainly changed, and for various reasons
-The absence of contemporary writings on the subject
Now, the author does address some of the profusion of problems in relying on the New Testament as a historical document. However, I can't imagine objective Biblical scholars accepting many of these answers as evidence. The ideas presented are little more than Christian apologetics masquerading as legitimate scholarly ideas.
The author also fails to address many of the other predicaments that Christianity continues to face, such as:
-Pseudepigrapha (forgeries) among the Pauline epistles (The artist formerly known as Saul of Tarsus) canonical
-Pseudepigrapha in other New Testament books
-The Gospels are written anonymously, not by the people for whom they are titled
-The synoptic gospels use each other as source material (They are not unique perspectives)
-The Gospel authors fulfilling prophecies by addition to the text
Either the author is unaware of these additional problems, or he simply ignores them.
While the author certainly cites many sources, these sources seem to be drawn from works which largely agree with the conclusion that he set to make: that the New Testament is a reliable source from which we can extract the truth inherent in the tenets of Christianity.
To summarize, this book is in no way a comprehensive study of the New Testament and its veracity as a historical document. This book is a devotional book for Christians and little more. It is an exercise in Christian apologetics, and a poorly made one at that. If one seeks to learn more about scholarly Biblical work, one would do far better with Bart Ehrman, Robert Oden, Charles Kimball, Amy Jill Levine, et al. This "comprehensive study" had reached a conclusion long before any "research".
There is a book inside of all of us, and in this case, that's where it should have stayed.
Disclaimer: This book was provided at no charge by the author and/or publisher through Goodreads "First Reads" program for the purpose of review.
January 30, 2015
‘Echoes of Jesus’ is a must-have book for all those interested in the person of Jesus, the credibility of the Bible, and in particular the New Testament. Written in an easy-to-understand and logical format Jonathan answers the pertinent questions a person may have about literacy in the ancient world, the teaching methods of Jesus, and the amazing accuracy and credibility of the New Testament accounts as well as including a selection of ratifying evidence for Jesus from early Christian and non-Christian witnesses. Whether you’re a layperson wanting for proof for Jesus or a theological student researching the accuracy of the Bible ‘Echoes of Jesus’ will more than satisfy your needs.Jonathan ClerkeEchoes of Jesus: Does the New Testament Reflect What He Said?
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews