★★★★★ 5
Buy it for the Resurrection but Stay for the Logic
Format: Kindle
Being a huge fan of Bishop Robert Barron on YouTube, I turned to this book for a specific issue: what is the historical evidence not only that Jesus lived but that He was resurrected? In addition, I wanted something that wasn't written from the perspective of theology but from a more neutral, historical stance. Furthermore, I wanted a book that wasn't a 900 page academic treatise but a book that a layperson could read, easily, and get an overview to the historiography.
AN OVERVIEW TO THE HISTORIOGRAPHY
This book fulfilled that role. Whether you accept its evidence or not hinges a) on your own religious perspective and open mindedness, and b) whether you accept the veracity of many of the early writings of Christianity. Not being an expert, I can't really reach a firm conclusion on "b." The authors are clearly fervent Christians, but they do an admirable job of leaving their beliefs aside and resting their survey to the facts and the historiography.
The book is an excellent overview to the logic and argument in favor of the resurrection. If you're curious or you've ever wondered whether there is any evidence... this is an excellent choice.
AN EXPOSE ON LOGIC
What I found surprising and enjoyable, however, was the writers' expose on logic. If x is true, then y is true. If a is not true, then b cannot be true - etc. The discussion of historical logic, above and apart from the Resurrection, was eye-opening. It made me think - a lot - about how I apply logic to my own understanding of "reality," whether a scientific theory (e.g., evolution) or a historical theory (e.g., that Christ was resurrected).
For that alone, the book is worthy of the read. Did Jesus live? Was he resurrected? This book is not only a good survey of the evidence and arguments but also a wonderful adventure in logic. Read it, and you decide.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2015


