Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium

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Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium
First edition
AuthorBart D. Ehrman
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectsChristian history
Biblical criticism
PublisherOxford University Press
Publication date
1999 books
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages368
ISBN978-0195124743

Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium is a 1999 book by New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman. In it, he argues that Jesus of Nazareth was an apocalyptic preacher, i.e., his main message was that the end of history was near, that God would shortly intervene to overthrow evil and establish his rule on earth, and that Jesus and his disciples all believed these end time events would occur in their lifetimes. Ehrman also analyzes New Testament passages such as Jesus' supposed birth in Bethlehem of a virgin and finds them not historically credible.[1][2][3]

Reviews

The book received positive reviews by other scholars on the historical Jesus and early Christianity: Paula Fredriksen described the book as "an excellent introduction to this often elusive figure, the Jesus of history", while Catholic New Testament scholar John P. Meier stated that the book is "a healthy and needed correction to the portrait of Jesus common in many American academic circles today, influenced as they are by the Jesus Seminar".[better source needed]

Kirkus Reviews called Ehrman's work "an elegantly written, much-needed book", while Publishers Weekly called it "the single best introduction to the study of the historical Jesus".[4][5]

References