Jesus

Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium

By: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrated by: Tom Parks

Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

In this highly accessible discussion, Bart Ehrman examines the most recent textual and archaeological sources for the life of Jesus, along with the history of first-century Palestine, drawing a fascinating portrait of the man and his teachings.

Ehrman shows us what historians have long known about the Gospels and the man who stands behind them. Through a careful evaluation of the New Testament (and other surviving sources, including the more recently discovered Gospels of Thomas and Peter), Ehrman proposes that Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet - a man convinced that the world would end dramatically within the lifetime of his apostles and that a new kingdom would be created on Earth.

According to Ehrman, Jesus's belief in a coming apocalypse and his expectation of an utter reversal in the world's social organization not only underscores the radicalism of his teachings but also sheds light on both the appeal of his message to society's outcasts and the threat he posed to Jerusalem's established leadership.

©1999 Oxford University Press, Inc. (P)2019 Tantor

Wonderful

Great book from a great author. Check out his courses also. You can find on Amazon.

A Phenomenal Must Read

I had been looking for a time to get questions answered I have always swished around. Raised non-denominational, then to Protestant Baptist, then converted to Roman Catholicism, I questioned differences of interpretations.

This superior writing has not only answered questions but opened my eyes and mind to be able to make my own judgment of beliefs.
The author writes in a way to inform not to criticize. I urge anyone who has questions that need to be answered to listen with an open mind. With all the conspiracy theories I hear myself in this day of time, this novel answers the questions I have always had.

Worth the read

Great introductory text, can get rather repetitive but also heavy concepts so the repetitiveness is necessary. Worth the read or listen.

His best

A good book for anyone curious about the history of the historical Jesus. I highly recommend !

Good Read

Ehrman is a wonderful combination of accessibility and scholarship. His point about what Jesus believed about the imminent end of the world is well taken.

the historical Jesus for beginners

if your looking to learn about the historical Jesus this is a great book. The author does a good job laying it out so a lay person can follow along. the narrator wasn't horrible enough to ruin the book.

Another good book by Bart Ehrman

I really enjoy the history aspect of the book and how it is analyzed. It continues the theme of the other books.

It makes so much sense now!

I really appreciate a historical approach. This makes so much and was an incredibly interesting listen. My brain is a buzz and putting lots of things together!

Excellent book

This is indeed a great book. It is everything a reader/listener would want in a work of nonfiction: the author clearly states his points, the author clearly states how these points are known to be true, and the author knows his topic. And in this case, the topic is of great importance: what is known about the historical Jesus. It turns out, according to Ehrman (assuming that Jesus did exist, and that we know some of the things he said and something about his worldview), Jesus was an apocalyptic prophet. Albert Schweitzer, and many other scholars, came to similar conclusions. The book has enormous implications for the understanding of cultures which are or were Christian. For example, many of the Christian values taught over the past two thousand years as applicable to ongoing human social organization began as recommendations for getting into God’s good graces in time for the soon-to-come apocalypse, when human social organization would no longer exist in any recognizable form.

Good intro to historical look at Jesus

I’ve read a lot of Bart’s books and I find this one to be a good intro to a historical look at Jesus, but has some pieces that don’t hold up well compared to his later books or other historical books of the last 5-10 years. Overall a good intro for someone interested in the history, but I suggest moving from this to some of Ehrman’s more recent works.