Craig A. Evans

the archaeological evidence

Jesus and his world

Ethan E. Harris

Craig A. Evans picks up the challenge laid down by modern non-Christian scholarship by addressing a number of objections to the historicity of New Testament culture. "Jesus and His World" is published by Westminster John Knox Press, ISBN: 978-0664-2341-33.

Evans’ style is appreciated, dealing squarely with evidence without appealing to pity or tradition as the basis from which he proposes his themes. And although dissenting scholarship is addressed, it is not done so in a negative or demeaning manner. This is an honest, forthright study of archeological insights into uniquely historical events that have rightly come under the scrutiny of some of the most respected Biblical critics. 

An example of his scholarly integrity can be seen in a chapter dealing with the supposed burial chamber of Christ and His family. Although the existence of the actual burial tomb of Jesus would arguably be a boon to Christian researchers, Evans takes a cautious route, analyzing Jewish funerary customs to show how Jacobivici and Cameron stepped too far over the edge of scholarship into a garden of unjustifiable speculation.

Evans turns the process of intensive archeological processes into a narrative that is accessible to the layman. His ability to address issues like Nazarene culture in the first century is simple, straightforward and compelling. 

I could see every reason for including this book on the syllabus of any apologetic course, whether offered in the pew or in a post-secondary setting. Although certainly not an exhaustive examination of every cultural argument against first century Christian origins as portrayed in the New Testament canon, Evans comprehensively addresses the most speculative of contemporary sensationalistic rebuffs of the Christian faith.

I highly recommend “Jesus and His World” by Craig A. Evans. Its engagement of serious issues with sound reasoning and evidentiary based argumentation should certainly be in investigator’s win column.

Jesus and his world the archaeological evidence

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