Nijay Gupta interviews Craig Keener on his new book, Christobiography. Craig summarizes the book, in part, saying that
A number of scholars are more skeptical of the Gospels’ portraits of Jesus than the evidence warrants. If someone wrote a biography today about a figure who lived fifty years ago, we wouldn’t start with the assumption that events fifty years ago are shrouded in legend and therefore reject any claim that we could not prove.
For the balance of the interview, see Nijay’s original post. For insight into Craig’s research and writing process, see his contribution to the “Pro Tips” series.
Now available from Brill is Antti Laato’s Understanding the Spiritual Meaning of Jerusalem in Three Abrahamic Religions. According to the publisher, the volume
analyzes the historical, social and theological factors which have resulted in Jerusalem being considered a holy place in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It also surveys the transmission of the religious traditions related to Jerusalem. This volume centralizes both the biblical background of Jerusalem’s pivotal role as holy place and its later development in religious writings; the biblical imagery has been adapted, rewritten and modified in Second Temple Jewish writings, the New Testament, patristic and Jewish literature, and Islamic traditions. Thus, all three monotheistic religions have influenced the multifaceted, interpretive traditions which help to understand the current religious and political position of Jerusalem in the three main Abrahamic faiths.
HT: Jim Davila
