Jesus after 2000 Years

This major book may be regarded as Gerd Liidemann's magnum opus, summing up as it does the result of 25 years' study of Jesus of Nazareth. It is dominated by the question: what words and actions attributed to Jesus must be regarded as the result of legends which formed at an early stage, and what can in all probability be regarded as genuine? Here is no secondary survey of the work of others, nor a thematic approach. Rather, all the extant traditions of Jesus from the first two centuries are retranslated, after which their historical value is investigated - in a way that even those without a technical training can follow. After an introduction describing the approach of the book, four chapters deal with the New Testament Gospels. Then come chapters on the Gospel of Thomas and Jesus traditions outside the New Testament. The book ends with a brief life of Jesus. There is an index of all the authentic words and actions of Jesus. In this way Gerd Luedemann seeks to give guidance about the contradictory pictures of Jesus in both scholarly and popular literature. He is convinced that people living within a culture shaped by Christianity should have good historical information about the roots of Christianity in Jesus, whether they are believing Christians or not. -------------------------- From the Inside Flap It is widely recognized by New Testament scholars that many of the sayings and actions attributed to Jesus in the gospels cannot be factually traced to him. The gospels, written many decades after the death of Jesus, are composites of hearsay, legends, and theological interpretations, reflecting the hopes and beliefs of the early Christian community more than the actual teachings of the Galilean prophet. Despite these difficulties, Gerd Ludemann shows in this fascinating analysis of early Christian documents that the tools of historical research can succeed in reaching at least a close approximation of some of the original words and deeds of Jesus. Ludemann first establishes the criteria by which the alleged words and actions of Jesus can be judged authentic or inauthentic. He then examines every text about Jesus from the first two centuries. By this careful methodology, he is able to separate what the historical Jesus actually said and did from inaccurate legends later attached to his name. Unique in its comprehensiveness, JESUS AFTER 2000 YEARS covers the canonical gospels, as well as the more recently discovered Gospel of Thomas and apocryphal Jesus traditions. Ludemann concludes with a short life of Jesus in which he pieces together in narrative form what can be known about Jesus based on the historical evidence. Also included is an index of all authentic sayings and actions of Jesus. JESUS AFTER 2000 YEARS is not a secondary survey of the work of others, nor does it take a thematic approach. Rather, all the extant traditions of Jesus from the first two centuries are retranslated, after which their historical accuracy is investigated in a way that even the educated lay reader can follow. For all those with an interest in Christian origins, this volume is an invaluable resource.