Just Jesus: The Evidence of History
147 pages, $9.99 (paperback), ISBN-13: 978-1-936341-42-9
This book is subtitled “The Evidence of History” which is what the author is offering to us, that makes this book different from the hundreds of other books about Jesus that are on the market. We agree with Mr. South's view that there is not a great deal of material on the historical evidence for Jesus that is written for the everyday person.
Some years ago we published a booklet by Steve Williams titled The Real Jesus of History which deals with the false historical claims made by some who wish to discredit Christ on a historical level. That book is a class study guide with discussion questions at the end of each chapter.
Just Jesus takes a different approach. It gives short discussions about relevant questions concerning Christ — what we can know and how we can know it, how Jesus lived, and how Jewish was Jesus. There are two chapters on the historical data about the death and resurrection of Christ and a final chapter on knowing Jesus today.
One of the main strengths of the book is that it explores the material that the media presents in attempts to discredit Christ as the Son of God — the Jesus Seminar and its weaknesses, Jesus as an “Exorcist,” the use of BC/AD verses BCE/CE, the Judas gospel and the Gnostics, Jewish burial customs, and Christ's appearances after his crucifixion are all included.
This book would make a good adult Bible study and could be used in youth group classes. It is well written, easy to read, and functions at a good level of understanding. We recommend it.