Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman

Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Bart D. Ehrman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Some of the reviewers below don't like what historian Bart D. Ehrman has to say, so they simply misconstrue what he actually wrote in this book. The part of the book's description that best summarizes this book is, "Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet--a man convinced that the world would end dramatically within the lifetime of his apostles and that a new kingdom would be created on earth." Ehrman does not diminish the importance of Jesus in any way. In other books he wrote, he explained that he has personally gone from being a literal interpreter of the Bible to an atheist and maybe that's what's drawing the ire of some reviewers. My (non-literalist) Christian beliefs are not in any way threatened by a careful historical analysis of what Jesus probably actually said based on multiple Biblical references and the historical context of the time. I think this is very well-done and gives me a lot to think about.

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