Historical Figure of Jesus

¶ … Jesus by E.P. Sanders

The Historical Figure of Jesus is an account of the life of Jesus the man. This is in contrast to the life of Jesus as presented by the bible.

The author looks at what we really know about Jesus's life. The emphasis is not about saying whether he is or is not the son of God, instead it just looks at what historians know about the life of Jesus. The book is in no way an attack on Christianity, it simply accepts that Jesus was a man and attempts to compile his life as a man.

At the same time, the book is not a biography of Jesus, it is more a look at what historical information exists and what it shows us about Jesus.

The author describes when the search for historical information began in the 18th century, showing us how scholars of the time approached the subject and what they found.

The author also shows how the approach to understanding the history of Jesus changed, up until the recent 20th century where the trend emerges where Jesus is accepted as an enigma, with historians almost wanting to believe that nothing real can be known about Jesus.

Sanders does not declare to know everything about Jesus's life, but he does piece together what historical knowledge there is.

Through this knowledge he covers the basic teachings of Jesus and the basic life of Jesus up until his execution.

Sanders also looks at Jesus in the context of what is known about the time period in which he existed. This is a refreshing approach that adds a new dimension to the story of Jesus that is not always considered. We see Jesus in the setting of the historical Palestine, with the historical information presented including the fact that the Roman Empire ruled over Palestine.

Sanders also notes the historical aspect in that the time period was one when miracles and magic were accepted occurrences. This is an interesting point in understanding the miracles that Jesus is said to have performed and Sanders discusses these miracles in this context.

This work is also a considered one. Sanders' goal was to use historical data to understand the life of Jesus. He does this in a methodical way with a focus on providing an accurate account. This means that his account is not a full account but also that it is free from bias. At some points Sanders makes assumptions, but in each case he reports them as assumptions and provides justification for them.

Overall the book offers a historical perspective of the life and times of Jesus with his life put into the perspective of the environment in which he lived. This approach gives a very different view of the man than many biblical texts offer. While some may see this as anti-Christian, Sanders makes no claims to this. The book is instead a look into the man that Jesus was.