Did Jesus Exist?

The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth

By: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Large numbers of atheists, humanists, and conspiracy theorists are raising one of the most pressing questions in the history of religion: "Did Jesus exist at all?" Was he invented out of whole cloth for nefarious purposes by those seeking to control the masses? Or was Jesus such a shadowy figure - far removed from any credible historical evidence - that he bears no meaningful resemblance to the person described in the Bible?

In Did Jesus Exist? historian and Bible expert Bart Ehrman confronts these questions, vigorously defends the historicity of Jesus, and provides a compelling portrait of the man from Nazareth. The Jesus you discover here may not be the Jesus you had hoped to meet - but he did exist, whether we like it or not.

©2012 Bart D. Ehrman (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

Great

Great job all around. This is my 4th Ehrman book and in some respects I think it might be the best.

Great audiobook and story — error

Great audiobook and story but a chapter is repeated. I take it it’s an error on audible’s part.

Great book – no agenda/dogma, just facts

Any additional comments?

This is a great book that is not biased; rather, it is a logical exploration about if Jesus was an actual historical person and what was he really like. The author was not overly impressed with himself and did not get into a plethora of “academic speak”. Simply an outstanding book that causes one to really think.

Ehrman is not an agenda-bender.

Any additional comments?

I've 'read' all of Bart Ehrman's audiobooks plus his lecture series offered elsewhere and viewed his Youtube lectures because the subject matter is interesting and entertaining.
The premise of this book is the least interesting to me because I already believe that Jesus did exist in the flesh.So this is preaching to the choir.
I did not enjoy the book at first for that reason, but in the usual Bart way it still hooked me -though it took longer. Ehrman responds to many writers -point by point- who don't believe Jesus really existed. His own belief is that a man named Jesus did exist and this is pretty much the view of biblical scholars.
I read a criticism that this book dismisses writers who are outside of academia and that those inside academia would not be there if they did not believe Jesus existed. So they are all biased. This is true. True in the same way that academic biologists all believe in evolution and are biased against creationism.
After discussing and refuting many of the arguments that Jesus was just a fabrication, and many of the beliefs held in that era, then we get back onto familiar turf with discussions of contextual criticisms, sources and a final look at what Jesus may have been like and actually said. (The good stuff).
The contextual criticism is covered in many other Ehrman works of course, but I still got quite a bit from this because one does not absorb it all the first time if one is not taking notes and reviewing it.
The principle discussion was informative too. It discussed what we know about Jesus and informed me of the arguments others make about Jesus being a fabrication along with many of the curious beliefs of that period which I did not know. If you like to hear about the early Jesus movement, this is more Ehrman gold, though not completely new. That is fine by me. What I really like about the writer is his scholarship and his pursuit of the truth no matter where it leads. The book comes across as a logical, fully informed work that doesn't have a particular agenda. Ehrman is not an agenda-bender.That is worth so much in learning about Jesus and why I like his work so much.

Very informative

Nice to read this side of the argument made by an agnostic. A wealth of information much like many of his other books

Another Ehrman Classic

If you could sum up Did Jesus Exist? in three words, what would they be?

Jesus Certainly Existed. The arguments presented clearly here are thoughtful and not superficial. From a secular, scholarly point of view, the arguments and evidence are displayed convincingly and carefully. This is what we expect from Ehrman, and he delivers. He does away with common superficialities and the reader is satisfied.

Great Info

love Ehrman. a voice of reason when evaluating the Bible as a historical document. wasn't a big fan of reader, but the info is great.

A different Ehrman book, but as reliable as always

For those familiar with Bart Ehrman, you will definitely find this one interesting. For a change, people of faith actually will probably like much of what he has to say in this book, while certainly some atheists will find it annoying. To be sure, Ehrman isn't switching sides here, he's simply arguing a very specific point: that whatever you think about Jesus of Nazareth, he most certainly existed.

As always, Ehrman's book is well-outlined, fast paced, and never boring.

The narrator is perfectly fine for this subject.

Makes a good case.

Ehrman makes a good case. It’s not 100%, but it raises the odds, in my mind.
If only it were possible for modern scientists to perform a DNA test. I think Jesus would be found to be a distant cousin of all of us.
A book I’d like Ehrman to consider writing is one which concerns the existence of James; the brother of Jesus, and his precise relationship to Jesus. Assuming James did once exist on Earth. I think he probably did.

Great Perspective of Jesus

Whether you are one who believes in a supernatural Jesus or one who doesn’t believe Jesus even existed, Dr. Ehrman provides an organized perspective on a historical, human Jesus as recorded in history. He does so by looking at the Gospels and other biblical/non-biblical writings of Jesus, and pieces together a historical interpretation of who Jesus, the man, most likely was. Ehrman isn’t trying to prove any religious or theological points, only that Jesus did exist and stood for something that neither religion nor theology have been able to portray clearly.