Did Jesus Exist?**
**Book Review**
Regardless of your stance on God or Christianity, this book is a must read for anyone interested in the facts about the historical evidence surrounding, “the man,” Jesus Christ. Bart Ehrman spends the first half of the book breaking down many of the misconceptions promoted by the “mythicists” camp, and then proceeds to build a solid foundation why historical sources (both biblical and secular) indicate a strong case for the existence of a literal Jewish man named Jesus, circa AD 30.
He carefully lays out the method scholars use to determine the validity of historical documents, and then explains why some can be trusted more than others. One of the things I like about Ehrman’s approach, is that he is an equal opportunity offender, and does not feel threatened by validating a biblical or Jewish position (much to the chagrin of atheist’s and agnostics) if he believes it to be true, but this two-edged sword is similarly painful for many Christians, because he brings up difficult questions about apparent inconsistencies in the Bible. The basic premise Ehrman closes the book with, is, yes, Jesus did exist, but no, he was not God.
I am sure he is aware of the vast hermeneutical differences amongst Judeo/Christian scholars, but he did not offer any indication of this disparity in his personal version of orthodox arguments and apologetics. This arrogant tone is not unusual for an Ehrman book, but if he had acknowledged multiple vantage points within the religious community, I would have given this book a five star review instead of a four since it is well written and backed up with facts addressing both the pro and con viewpoints.
