Annotated Bibliography on the Life of Jesus

The definitive Bible Dictionary in 6 volumes. Six years in the making, this state-of-the-art dictionary offers the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of biblical subjects and scholarship. An essential reference for every serious reader of the Bible.

Examining the history of Gospel criticism, the persistent allegations of inconsistency among the Gospels, and the information provided by extrabiblical sources, Craig Blomberg makes a strong and comprehensive case for the historical reliability of these texts.

Boyd gives an overview of historical Jesus research and then summarizes the main arguments of his two opponents, Crossan and Mack (Jesus Seminar). He then proceeds to show why the theories of Crossan and Mack are almost certainly false. Boyd argues convincingly for the canonical gospels and Paul's writings being much more reliable sources than the Gospel of Peter or Gospel of Thomas for information on Jesus.

Roman Catholic Father Raymond E. Brown presents an intelligible introduction to the way Jesus was understood in His lifetime and in the lifetimes of His original followers.

750+ pages long. Roman Catholic Father Raymond E. Brown's cyclopediac treatement of the infancy narratives. No study of the birth of Christ is complete without reading Brown. Liberal in some places, but always scholarly and fair in his treatment of the materials.

First in a two volume set, this 875+ volume deals with the death of Jesus. Commentary on the passion narratives in the Gospels.

Second in the two volume set, this 700+ page volume deals with the death of Jesus. Commentary on the passion narratives in the Gospels.

Because Christianity claims to be a historical revelation, says Bruce, the quesion of the reliability of the documents on which it was founded is a crucial one. Here he presents the most convincing evidence for the historical trustworthiness of the canon of the New Testament.

Was the resurrection of Jesus a fact of history or a figment of hallucination? Was it an event that entailed a raised and transformed body and an empty tomb? Or was it a subjective, visionary experience-a collective delusion? In the view of many, the truth of Christianity hangs on the answer to this question.

Jesus' Resurrection: Fact or Figment? is a lively and provocative debate between Christian philosopher and apologist William Lane Craig and New Testament scholar and atheist Gerd Lüdemann

Dr. Craig offers a number of compelling reasons for accepting the historicity of both the empty tomb and resurrection of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels. Extensive references to the primary literature are provided for those who wish to do further study. A "must read" title, particularly for those who have questions about the veracity of orthodox Christianity.

Warning: Grant is not a Christian, but a historian. He approaches the test from the position of a secular historian. However, Grant rejects much of the historical agnosticism of Wells and explains historical methods of research quite well. Read with caution.

"Luke Timothy Johnson calls the bluff of the Jesus Seminar and other purveyors of trendy 'historical Jesus' marketing hype. This timely book offers an engaging account of what serious historical scholarship can--and cannot--say about the Jesus of history. Johnson refocuses the debate by posing fundamental questions about the relation between history, tradition, and faith." (Richard B. Hays, Duke Divinity School, author of The Moral Vision of the New Testament)

Citing positive proof from the New Testament and from non-biblical historical accounts, the authors offer irrefutable, historical evidence which proves that Jesus of Nazareth did, in fact, walk this Earth and that He was, beyond question, precisely who He was.

128 pages. Short paperback. Popular introduction to the life of Christ. If you want to give a good book on the life of Jesus to someone, this is the best introductory book.

More conservative than Brown, yet quite scholarly treatment on the life of Jesus.

Second Volume.

In The Last Days according to Jesus, respected Calvinist theologian R. C. Sproul focuses on what Jesus himself taught about the last days and the timing of his return. Sproul answers critics who claim Christ's teaching was "defective" and addresses several key questions regarding the last days.

This basic biblical reference book compares and contrasts the synoptic Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, and Luke--by aligning them side by side to show where they agree, complement, and/or differ from each other. More reliable than a harmony of the Gospels, this book does not force the events related in the Gospels to follow an interpreter's suggested time-line or sequence of events.

Warning: Wells is a non-Christian and writes from the point of view of an extreme historical agnostic. However, Wells is frequently cites by the anti-Christians as an authority.

For a refutation of Wells' materials from a Christian perspective read this.

Wenham reconciles the accounts of the resurrection of Christ.

Biola/Talbot Professor JP Moreland answers the Jesus Seminar.

Jesus scholar, Ben Witherington III, has provided a trustworthy map through the tortured landscape of twentieth-century research on the historical Jesus, putting into perspective media sensationalism and the work of the controversial Jesus Seminar.