The Christ Files, John Dickson
The Christ Files, John Dickson
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The Christ Files
How Historians Know What They Know about Jesus

Author: John Dickson, Professor Alanna Nobbs

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 2 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/20/2011


Synopsis

Uniquely among the world’s religions, the central claims of Christianity concern not just timeless spiritual truths, but tangible historical events. At the heart of the of the Christian faith are things that are meant to have happened in Palestine between 5 BC and AD 30. It’s as if Christianity happily places its head on the chopping block of public scrutiny and invites anyone who wants to come and take a swing.Some of Christianity’s claims are so spectacular that they provoke a firestorm of questions, scrutiny, debate, and misinformation whenever they are discussed. The popularity of The Da Vinci Code and the frequent airing of TV documentaries delving into the darker uncertainties of Christianity show that such skepticism flourishes in the Western world today. In The Christ Files you will learn how historians know what they know about Jesus. Historian John Dickson embraces the need to examine Christianity’s claims in the light of history, opening readers to a wealth of ancient sources and explaining how mainstream scholars—whether or not they claim Christian faith personally—reach their conclusions. Christianity arrived on the historical scene at a time of great literary activity. While many texts penned by ancient philosophers, historians, poets, and playwrights can reliably inform us about Jesus himself and about the culture in which he lived, others are not so credible. Dickson skillfully highlights both types of sources along with the historical methods used to study Christianity’s claims. He also shows how historians asses the reliability of available data, and provides an honest but informed perspective on where historical issues are clear-cut and where personal faith comes into play. The Christ Files is a must-read for those looking to expand their understanding of early Christianity and the life of Jesus.

About John Dickson

John Dickson (PhD, Macquarie University) serves as the Jean Kvamme Distinguished Professor of Biblical Evangelism and Distinguished Scholar in Public Christianity at Wheaton College. A speaker, historian, and media presenter, John is the author of more than 20 books, two of which became television documentaries. He also cohosted the documentary For the Love of God: How the Church is Better and Worse Than you Ever Imagined. He is an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Sydney, a Visiting Academic in the Faculty of Classics at Oxford University (2016-2021), and Distinguished Fellow in Public Christianity at Ridley College Melbourne. John presents Australia’s no.1 religion podcast, Undeceptions, exploring aspects of life, faith, history, culture, or ethics that are either much misunderstood or mostly forgotten.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Legacy

I'm halfway through this great book on how scholars and historians evaluate the history of Jesus and the New Testament. What I really like is that Dickson chooses to stay away from the fringes that most of us hear about so often in the media and from books (Dawkins, Hitchens on one side and Strobel,......more

Goodreads review by David

An accessible book on the evidence of the existence of Jesus Christ 8 May 2014 John Dickson has sure come a long way since he started a band to spread the news of Jesus to the people of Sydney. In the time that I spent away from the church he has gone from being a pastor of an inner city Sydney churc......more

Goodreads review by Joel

Exactly what it says on the cover, this book is a well referenced summary for non-academics of the historical evidence outside and inside the Bible about the life of Jesus. The book itself is not too long, it is followed by a study guide which is meant to go with a DVD series made by the author to ac......more