Craig A. EvansAnmeldelser

BE2337MP

In this course, Craig Evans answers a question commonly asked about the New Testament—can we trust the manuscripts? Because the answer has serious consequences, Dr. Evans clearly outlines the history of these important documents. He discusses the quality, quantity, and age of the manuscripts and how these elements compare to nonbiblical ancient texts. He describes the practices of ancient writers and scribes and provides numerous examples to show that the manuscripts of the New Testament are reliable.

In this course, Dr. Craig Evans explores various ancient sources that refer to Christ. He focuses on the evidence from extrabiblical sources, and looks at what they reveal about the life of Christ and how Jesus was perceived by early non-Christian witnesses. He examines references to Jesus in Roman, Jewish, and other writings, and looks at where Jesus’ name was invoked in both Christian and pagan charms and incantations.

Summary: A festschrift in honor of David Wenham focused around the centerpiece of Wenham’s theology, the relationship between Jesus and Paul and Wenham’s insistence that Paul was not the founder of Christianity but a disciple of Jesus.

In 1995, David Wenham, a British theologian who has taught at Wycliffe Hall and Trinity College, Bristol, published Paul: Follower of Jesus or Founder of Christianity?, a groundbreaking work. He contended that Paul was significantly informed and influenced by the Jesus tradition, demonstrating parallels between Paul’s writing and what became the gospels. Much of critical scholarship at this time (and still) contended that Paul significantly re-shaped the Jesus tradition from what was a particular sect of Judaism to the faith that spread through the Gentile world and stood apart from Jesus and his earliest followers.

Defending and extending this work was an important aspect of Wenham’s scholarship, and the research he mentored with his graduate students. In this work, a number of those former students as well as an international group of scholars contribute works in his honor, pointing to ways biblical scholars have built on his signal insights.

David Wenham contributes a foreword to the work that serves as a review of his scholarly career and concludes that scholars like himself negotiate a path between parallelmania and parallelphobia, the challenge of seeing strong parallels between the teaching of Jesus and Paul. Aaron W. White’s preface adds biographical information on David Wenham and explains the organization of the work. Stanley E. Porter then introduces the history of the discussion of the continuities and discontinuities between Jesus and Paul, from the early Fathers to the present, noting the fluctuation between continuity and discontinuity..

The remainder of the work is organized in six sections. In “Jesus, Paul, and Gospel Origins,” N. T. Wright, somewhat provocatively argues that if not the founder of Christianity, Paul did invent “Christian theology,” the work of thinking deeply about God, the world, Israel, the Messiah, what it means to be human, and the future. Graham Twelftree considers the origins of Paul’s gospels: scripture, the Jesus traditions, and revelation. Stanley E. Porter advances the intriguing hypothesis that Paul may well have met Jesus and heard some of the teaching of Jesus and knew of the reports surrounding his life. Rainer Riesner explores the handing along of the Jesus tradition and its use by Paul, whose writings are the earliest in the New Testament corpus. Christoph W. Stenschke examines the continuities between the ministries of Jesus and Paul (including miracles, opposition, suffering, Jerusalem and the temple) and developments. Joan Taylor makes the striking proposal that the author of the “we” passages in Acts, was a woman, likely Thecla (I did not find this persuasive). Editor Aaron W. White concludes this section with an exploration of Paul’s use of possessives (‘my” and “our”) in speaking of the gospel.

Part Two on “Jesus, Paul and Oral Traditions” consists of two articles. Bruce Chilton explores the reliance of Paul on the oral traditions of Matthew’s “little apocalypse” in the writing of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 and the role Silas may have played in conveying “the word of the Lord.” Armin D. Baum considers the numerous parallels between 1 and 2 Thessalonians and contends on the basis of other documents in antiquity that Paul, using pre-formed material to materials and produced these parallels himself. Part Three explores “Themes in Jesus and Pauline Studies” Alister McGrath begins with a sparkling essay on metanoia and the transforming of the believing mind. Peter Turnhill turns to those who do not believe, particularly, those of Israel and how Paul wrestled with this in his apologetic. Craig Evans explores to what degree there is a connection between Paul on food and Jesus on what defiles and how this impacted Peter. He concludes that on food, Paul was not a “founder,” given the precedents set both by Jesus and Peter. “Women According to Jesus and Paul” consists of two studies of women in Paul. Sarah Harris considers how women are remembered in the gospels and Paul. Erin M. Heim focuses on Junia (who was in Christ before Paul, and thought by some to be the Joanna of Luke 8:2-3. and Phoebe, and more briefly on the other named women of Romans.

Part Five explore “Paul and The Synoptics.” Michael F. Bird observes twelve convergences between Matthew and Paul (not readily thought to converge on anything). Charles Nathan Ridlehoover considers the allusions to the Lord’s prayer in Colossians 1:9-14, as well as allusions elsewhere to much of the material in the Sermon on the Mount. Craig Blomberg considers Wenham’s case for a pre-Markan eschatological discourse to which Paul had access. Steve Walton considers Luke, who wrote on Jesus and Paul, and the parallels Luke draws between them. Part Six turns things around and looks at “Jesus in the Paulines.” Each chapter considers a specific text and its dependence on the Jesus tradition. John Nolland looks at “every sin that a person commits is outside the body” in 1 Corinthians 6:18b. Peter Davids examines 1 Corinthians 5 and the contention that “Jesus is Lord.” Greg Beale considers Colossians 1-2 in terms of the temple and anti-temple in Colossae. Finally, Holly Beers closes out the collection on a high note on Colossians 1:24 on the puzzling statement about “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions,” drawing on allusions to Isaiah’s Servant and the Servants in Second Temple Judaism.

The collection surveys the field of studies concerning Jesus and Paul quite ably. Stanley Porters proposal of Paul’s possible content with Jesus in Jerusalem before the crucifixion was something I’d not considered but makes sense from Paul’s own biography and the Acts accounts. The basic case of the parallels between the Jesus tradition and Paul showing both his dependence, and as Wright argues, his creative appropriation stirred me to think about how I read Paul in light of that tradition, rather than in the stand alone fashion I often do. The articles on women remind me of how we have often overlooked their importance in both the ministries of Jesus and Paul.

It is easy to take a pass on festschrifts but this is worth a look as an introduction to an important aspect of David Wenham’s work as well as the important questions of how the gospels and Pauline materials connect. The stellar line-up of scholars who write are a mark of the esteem with which Wenham is held and an indication of the scholarly work one will find in this volume.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

7/10 (good): I'm a big fan of Craig Evans, but I was slightly disappointed with this Mobile Ed course. There's nothing wrong with it — it's solid, and covers all the necessary ground. But it's a little pedestrian, and there's no real flair. Workmanlike.

This book is part of my collection that really focuses in on Biblical Commentary more than anything else (including some well known authors in the theological world). All of these books haven't been read cover to cover, but I've spent a lot of time with them and they've been helpful in guiding me through difficult passages (or if I desire to dig deeper).

The book is a look into the history of Islam and ISIS. It seems to be throughly searched and has many facts throughout the book. I enjoyed reading about this subject that has been at the forefront of the news . We may never understand the why's of this group , but it makes you more aware of what may be coming . The media does give us a bit of insight into this subject, but the book digs deeper and gives examples that I never thought of before. I didn't know that ISIS uses Twitter to send out messages to people around the world. But what better way to get information out, then to use social media which is used daily by millions of people. For each of us, we must choose to be more diligent in being aware of our surroundings.

I received a copy of this book from The BookClub Network for an honest review.

Craig Evans does a great job clearing the fray regarding who Jesus is, was, or could be. He lines up many of the claims such as cynic, magician, Essene, etc and evaluates all of the criteria and lays out a practical and nonsense understanding of why Jesus most likely was NOT these things. He backs it all up very well with history, dating, and archaeological data. The guy did his homework for this one. He takes MANY areas surrounding the study of the Historical Jesus and simply puts them under the microscope. Areas like the validity of the gospels of Thomas, Mary, Secret Gospel of Mark, etc are rightly explained why they should not be used for serious research on the historical study on Jesus. It was a fascinating and rather quick read.

His approach is very blunt and practical. In a respectful and tactful manner he calls out many scholars and their methods and I think, rightly disproves their theses and hypotheses. Esp Eherman,Funk,Borg, and Crossan and the whole Jesus Seminar.

Negatives: He does a great job bringing clarity to many of the debated issues, but I feel like he drops the ball in explaining how some of the other areas do shed light on our understanding of the Christian faith. The NT apocrypha is no doubt fascinating and important works of history, but after reading this you would think they have no importance at all, for historical Jesus research or anything. He does put forth his views after disproving common assumptions and I agreed with the majority of them. Last negative, it lacks a cohesive flow. Its a bit bumpy from chapter to chapter. Still a great read. Id recommend it especially to anyone interested in understanding who in fact Jesus was. One would enjoy it especially if you have read Schweitzer, Sanders, and Erhman.

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.

received from NetGalley for review

This book is timed perfectly for an around Easter release.
A clear, concise view of biblical archaeology by scholar Craig Evans.
I am not a biblical scholar, and I had no difficulty understanding Evans work. It is a highly readable accoung of the archaeological discoveries related to and from the time of Jesus of Nazareth.

The book consists of 5 chapters delving into various aspects of Jesus's home, time in history and teachings.

Evans easily explains several elements of Jewish law, burial practices and general Jewish lifestyles.

He presents this information in an unbiased manner. I learned quite a lot from this book and will purchase other books by Mr. Evans.

NO OF PAGES: 176 SUB CAT I: Dead Sea Scrolls SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: The editors have assembled eight essays from outstanding scholars who address the issue from a variety of angles.NOTES: SUBTITLE:

NO OF PAGES: 281 SUB CAT I: Extra Biblical Writings SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: Experts on Christian origins recognize that the 66 canonical writings provide only a partial picture of the vibrant culture that produced the New Testament. Over 500 additional works must be known, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, the Versions of the Old Testament that circulated in ancient Palestine before A.D. 70, Philo's and Josephus' writings, the Targumim, Rabbinics (especially the Mishnah and Tosepta), the Nag Hammadi Codices, the early church 'Fathers,' and the New Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. There has been no one-volume guide to this vast amount of literature. Now, C. A. Evans fills this lacuna with insight and lively, engaging prose. Evan's introduction is more than a map to terra incognita, it is a helpful companion for all who study Judaism and 'Christianity' before the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire."NOTES: Donated by Tim Hegg. SUBTITLE:

NO OF PAGES: 0 SUB CAT I: Commentary SUB CAT II: SUB CAT III: DESCRIPTION: This three-cassette set covers the topics "What are the Targums and how do they help?" and "The Targums and Shaul ha-shaliach: Proclaiming Yeshua's message", followed by a question and answer session. This was an all-day seminar featuring Dr.Craig Evans, and hosted by Beit Hallel in Tacoma, WA.NOTES: Donated by the Beit Hallel tape ministry. SUBTITLE:

Wonderfully short book for the interested layman which details the historical evidence for the passion and resurrection of Jesus. Passages from biblical, second temple, and other late antiquity sources abound. Great book for anyone wanting a brief but substance discussion on the historicity of the core of the New Testament.

In Evans’ text, the author is willing to take on many of the modern critics and skeptics of the day, so as to prove the faulty research upon which the criticism stands. He states early on in the beginning of the text that, “I find that loss of confidence in the historical reliability of the New Testament Gospels is often occasioned by misplaced faith and misguided suspicions” (21). Evans then begins to attack the skeptical views of Funk, Robinson, Price and Ehrman. The core message that Evans delivers over and over again is that the criticism of the scholars is often “skepticism masking itself as scholarship” (46).
The author does well at showing the faulty viewpoints of the extracanonical gospels (Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Mary, Secret Gospel of Mark, etc.) as he points to the late origin of many of these texts and thus proves that a historical validity cannot be used. Evans is quick to show the reader that what is at stake is the false fabrication of Jesus according to a “distorted” picture of the historical Jesus (62). A major fault of Evans would be his one-sided view of the extracanonical gospels. He is quick to give the fallacies of the extracanonical gospels, but not willing (perhaps because of length) to give the defense for the extracanonical gospels.
As Evans continues to compare the historical Jesus seen by the fabricated scholars, he constantly shows the truth of the canonical gospels and gives the reliability of the canonical gospels. One aspect that strengthens his argument is his willingness early on within the first chapter of the text to discuss some of the major textual problems, such as Mark 16:9-20. In all of the passages comprised of possible textual problems, none of them alter the teaching of Jesus or salvific truth (29-30). In proving the reliability of the canonical gospels, Evans discusses the “authenticity criteria” (historical coherence, embarrassment, multiple attestation, etc.) used to prove the authenticity of the gospels (48-50). A perhaps troubling or problematic statement that he makes in the final chapter needs to be more well defined. In discussing new archaeological research and discoveries, he states that “these discoveries may require an adjustment here and there. But thus far these discoveries have tended to confirm the reliability of the Gospels and disprove novel theories” (235). The reader can only assume after reading Evans’ defense of the canonical gospel that he is stating this to show how archaeological discovery over the years has lent credibility to the gospel truth. The problem is that he leaves the statement open-ended so as to leave questioning for the reader or skeptic as to whether the canon could perhaps be opened due to a new discovery.
One of the more interesting discussions within his text was concerning the popularized book, The Da Vinci Code. This is a book that many in the postmodern and relativistic era of today have bought into as far as “misplaced faith” and “misguided suspicions”. In fact, Evans himself states that the book “says more about the gullibility of modern society than it does about Dan Brown’s skills” (204). A proper conclusion of Evans’ text would have been to point to the prominence of new faulty research and scholarship, and recapitulate the main thrust of his text; which was the proper canonical gospel interpretation of Jesus in light of extracanonical mistruths. There is no doubt that Evans made his point clear and provided Scriptural and historical evidence for his defense of the canonical gospels in light of the extracanonical gospels, diminished deeds, skeletal sayings, etc.
Evans’ book is definitely a great apologetic foundation for the authenticity of our present day canonical gospels. He accomplished his aim of the text which was to point to the need for more adequate scholarship, displace extracanonical mistruths, and point to the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the overarching theme of the gospels. Though, Evans states that the text was intended for “nonexperts”, the aim of his audience appears to be the academic circle of scholars, skeptics and some students (14). With the abundance of the ancient “alternative gospels” today, there is a greater fascination and appreciation for the canonization made by the early church (98). This text is a must read for anyone interested in coming to terms with the misguided historical research of the Jesus Seminar and the abundance of fictional texts accepted as canonical truth in today’s generation.½

I've posted a series of section by section reviews of chapter one of this book on my Vridar blog site -- they are all collected

For me, this book is an indispensable study resource. My seminary studies prepped me for in-depth and arduous exegesis. As such, I am quite familiar with the names of all the appropriate ANET to consult. However, in many cases, that is all I know... the name of the resource and little else. Evans' book helps to demistify these texts by giving ample explanation as to what each of them are as well as how they apply to the New Testament. The book is conveniently broken into categories that nicely and conveniently catalogue the resources he discusses into appropriate sections.½

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Logos Library

Modern historical study of the Gospels seems to give us a new portrait of Jesus every spring--just in time for Easter. The more unusual the portrait, the more it departs from the traditional view of Jesus, the more attention it gets in the popular media. Why are scholars so prone to fabricate a new Jesus? Why is the public so eager to accept such claims without question? What methods and assumptions predispose scholars to distort the record? Is there a more sober approach to finding the real Jesus? Commenting on such recent releases as Bart Ehrman's Misquoting Jesus, James Tabor's The Jesus Dynasty, Michael Baigent's The Jesus Papers and the Gospel of Judas, for which he served as an advisory board member to the National Geographic Society, Craig Evans offers a sane approach to examining the sources for understanding the historical Jesus.