Is Jesus History?

Shortlisted for 2020 Australian Christian Book of the Year

What can we really know for sure about the past? Can anything from ancient history be regarded as 'fact'? In particular, how seriously can we take the historical sources for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? Did he really even live in first-century Galilee and Judaea, or is he a figure of legend?

In this timely book, historian Dr John Dickson unpacks how the field of history works, giving readers the tools to evaluate for themselves what we can confidently say about figures like the Emperor Tiberius, Alexander the Great, Pontius Pilate, and, of course, Jesus of Nazareth.

He presents the evidence, methods, and conclusions of mainstream scholars-both Christian and not-and asks some pertinent contemporary questions, without offering any pushy answers: If Jesus really did exist, what are we to make of his own claims and those of his followers, and what would any of it mean for us today?

THE OXFORD APOLOGETICS SERIES:

Science and psychology, sex and suffering, philosophy and history. There are many complex questions that are either blockages to faith for those who are not Christian, or problems of faith for those who are Christian believers.

In this series, top academics in their field grapple with these questions in a way that is accessible to those who may have little or no background in the area. The authors are drawn from a pool of academics, writers, speakers and thinkers connected to the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics.
- Publisher

"I have a brand new book out today! It's called Is Jesus History? It tries to show believers and doubters - especially doubters - why secular scholarship over the last 10-20 years has become more confident, not less, about the general course of Jesus' life. If we apply the normal rules of History - the ones we apply to Alexander the Great or Emperor Tiberius - we can safely conclude that the Gospels are substantial historical sources outlining a genuine first-century life. The book is partly a defence of the discipline of history itself, and partly a demonstration of how that discipline 'works' in connection with the man from Nazareth."
- John Dickson, 30th September 2019, Facebook, used with permission.

What can we really know for sure about the past? Can anything from ancient history be regarded as 'fact'? In particular, how seriously can we take the historical sources for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? Did he really even live in first-century Galilee and Judaea, or is he a figure of legend? In this timely book, historian Dr John Dickson unpacks how the field of history works, giving readers the tools to evaluate for themselves what we can confidently say about figures like the Emperor Tiberius, Alexander the Great, Pontius Pilate, and, of course, Jesus of Nazareth. He presents the evidence, methods, and conclusions of mainstream scholars-both Christian and not-and asks some pertinent contemporary questions, without offering any pushy answers: If Jesus really did exist, what are we to make of his own claims and those of his followers, and what would any of it mean for us today?
-Publisher