Craig A. Evans is Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and has written extensively on the historical Jesus and the Jewish background of the New Testament era. He has appeared frequently as an expert commentator on network television programs, such as Dateline, and in various documentaries on the BBC, the Discovery Channel and the History Channel.
. . .great value for evangelicals. Evans demonstrates that good
scholarship is on the side of Scripture.
*Richard A. Fordyce, Stone-Campbell Journal, Fall 2008*
"This is a work that can be given to a genuinely interested
skeptic, and you will not be embarrassed. Recommended."
*Samuel Lamerson, Journal of the Evangelical Theology Society,
March 2008*
"Dr. Evans has done a formidable service to evangelical
Christianity . . . [and] has ably championed the integrity of the
original New Testament documents as reliable evidence of the
traditional Historical Jesus."
*Frank Z. Kovacs, Haddington House Journal, 2008*
"[A]s a resource to quickly find some responses to or literature on
some bewildering issues in Jesus studies, this volume will prove
very helpful."
*Jack Barentsen in Criswell Theological Review, Spring 2008*
"Fabricating Jesus is an excellent resource for basic information
about the texts, issues and major players in the historical Jesus
debate."
*Juan Hernandez Jr. for Religious Studies Review, April 2007*
"In this book, aimed primarily at a nonspecialist audience, Craig
A. Evans intends to show that traditional views about the Gospels
and Jesus are historically well founded. Evans brings his
considerable expertise to bear on a wide variety of topics."
*Daniel A. Smith for The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, January
2008*
"Overall, this work makes a major contribution to historical Jesus
studies."
*Christian Apologetics Journal, Summer 2007*
"In the genre of conservative evangelical responses to The Da Vinci
Code and the Jesus Seminar, Fabricating Jesus stands out as a
generously civil yet firm critique of the way some scholars distort
Jesus."
*Perspectives on Science Christian Faith, June 2007*
"[This book] is a timely, succinct, and well-written guide for
those perplexed by this subject that is much in the news these
days. In this wide-ranging book Evans covers numerous contemporary
and perennial academic topics related to the historical Jesus."
*On Mission, Fall 2007*
"This thorough, well-written book debunks a number of serious but
widespread and influential misinterpretations of the New Testament
Gospels, and thus provides an invaluable service."
*CHOICE, September 2007*
"Fabricating Jesus is yet another resource from Evans to help our
generation wrestle with the challenges of radical skepticism."
*Scott Lamb, Providence Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri, The
Pathway, April 13, 2007,
http://www.mbcpathway.com/article70162.htm*
"Fabricating Jesus exposes the misinformed nonsense that has
confused the reading public over the past few years. Craig Evans is
a well-read and thoughtful scholar who knows all the ancient texts.
In this well-written book, he exposes the misguided assumptions and
dubious sources that lie behind the wild theories that have plagued
the public. He has also presented Jesus and the Gospels in their
proper historical context. With enthusiasm, I recommend this book
for scholars and all interested in Jesus and Christian
origins."
*James H. Charlesworth, George L. Collord Professor of New
Testament Language and Literature, Princeton Theological Seminary,
and Director and Editor of the PTS Dead Sea Scrolls Project; author
of Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls and The Beloved Disciple*
"Few scholarly debates are more controversial or more vulnerable to
distorted views from right and left than the discussion about the
historical Jesus. The increased attention given to extracanonical
texts such as the recently published Gospel of Judas and even the
fictional vapors of The Da Vinci Code can seem in the eye of the
casual reader to put the historical and theological credibility of
the New Testament materials themselves in question. That is why
Craig Evans's thoughtful, well-informed and balanced review of the
debate is so welcome. Fabricating Jesusis not a reaction to modern
biblical scholarship but a judicious guide through the
evidence--and a fair-minded and careful assessment of how scholars
have dealt with it."
*Donald Senior, President and Professor of New Testament, Catholic
Theological Union in Chicago, and author of Jesus: A Gospel
Portrait*
"Craig Evans has written a necessary book on historical Jesus
research. His book is exemplary for a 'conservative enlightenment.'
It is aptly critical as scholarship--but it is also critical of
sensational modern approaches in Jesus research that do not live up
to the standards of academic research. In this well-written, lucid
book, Evans informs readers of exciting new developments in Jesus
research which outdate some hypotheses that were once in vogue. He
knows academic scholarship from within--and also the very human
aspects of all those who are engaged in Jesus research. So it is
not only a very good scholarly book, but also a noble and fair
book."
*Gerd Theissen, Professor of New Testament Theology, University of
Heidelberg, and author of The Shadow of the Galilean and The
Gospels in Context*
"This book belongs with the excellent work Craig Evans has already
published on the historical Jesus. Professor Evans consistently
uses evidence in a truly scholarly and properly balanced manner to
reach convincing conclusions--so different from some sensationalist
claims about Jesus that quickly turn out to be based on mere
wishful thinking. This is contemporary Gospel apologetics at its
very best."
*Gerald O'Collins, S.J., Professor of Theology Emeritus, Gregorian
University (Rome), and author of Jesus Our Redeemer*
"In Fabricating Jesus, we have one of the greatest talents in
biblical studies applying his skills to one of the biggest problems
in popular culture--the eclipse of the true Jesus, to whom history
gives abundant witness. Craig Evans does a masterful job of
exposing the sort of tabloid scholarship that captures headlines
and confuses the general public. He returns us to the clear-headed
analysis of genuine historical inquiry, demonstrating the
reasonableness of the Gospel accounts. This book will clarify
matters for ordinary readers, yet satisfy scholars too."
*Scott Hahn, Professor of Theology and Scripture, Franciscan
University of Steubenville*
"Craig Evans is a prolific and distinguished scholar whose many
books and articles are well known to his colleagues in the academy.
Fabricating Jesus adds another fine work to the list of his
accomplishments. For decades now, the unsuspecting American public
has been subjected to dubious academic claims about the historical
Jesus that hardly rise above the level of sensationalistic novels.
In particular, the Coptic Gospel of Thomas has been misused as a
privileged route to the historical Jesus, when in fact it is an
interesting and valuable source for knowledge of the patristic
period. Especially in regard to the Gospel of Thomas, Professor
Evans's arguments against the misuse of apocryphal Gospels are
especially cogent. This book is a healthful antidote to a great
deal of what claims to be the quest for the historical Jesus in the
United States today."
*John P. Meier, William K. Warren Foundation Professor of Theology,
University of Notre Dame, and author of the multivolume work on the
historical Jesus titled A Marginal Jew*
"Many recent studies of Jesus are arguing that evidence requires a
Jesus redo. Some works are written by well-known academics, while
others are written by less well-known authors. Enter Craig Evans,
who has given his life to the historical study of Jesus. Mincing no
words, he calls most of these efforts what they are--fabrication.
However, his tone is irenic, the style is accessible, his
argumentation is sound, and his scope is comprehensive. This book
is a necessary exposé of many recent works, taking us from the hype
to the historical Jesus. Eminently qualified, Evans has done us all
a great service."
*Darrell Bock, Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas
Theological Seminary, and author of The Missing Gospels*
"Craig Evans is well-known in academic circles for his expertise in
Judaism and the history of early Christianity. In this new book he
brings a refreshing mixture of scholarly erudition and critical
common sense to an evaluation of the various documents that have
been thought to undermine the credibility of the New Testament and
demonstrates convincingly that they cannot bear the burden of proof
that has been placed upon them. Such documents as the Gospels of
Thomas and Peter have no significant new light to shed on the
historical Jesus. At a time when much baseless fiction is being
developed by novelists on the basis of such dubious sources, it is
good to have this exposé of just how fictitious such writings
are."
*I. Howard Marshall, Honorary Research Professor of New Testament,
University of Aberdeen, and author of I Believe in the Historical
Jesus and The Origins of New Testament Christology*
"This powerful and persuasive book is a much-needed antidote to the
outrageous distortions about Jesus and the Gospels that have been
popularized in recent years. It's authoritative while still being
accessible, and well-argued without being mean-spirited. I strongly
recommend this outstanding resource to both Christians and
spiritual seekers."
*Lee Strobel, author of The Case for Christ*
"Few scholars are as well positioned, well trained and well
informed as Craig Evans to critique the recent spate of books that
have hit the stands, touting a new Jesus for a new day. In a
scholarly world where almost anything can pass for knowledge of the
historical Jesus or earliest Christianity no matter how
far-fetched, it is comforting to have someone like Craig Evans as a
sure guide through the maze of books on Jesus and supposedly lost
Christianities. Fabricating Jesus is simply the best and most well
informed popular-level book ever written on the Gnostic and
apocryphal Gospels, as well as on a host of other early traditions
that in some way touch on the story of Jesus. Along the way, Evans
also provides us with a sane and sober reconstruction of Jesus and
his aims and the history of earliest Christianity. I hope this book
will gain the wide audience it so richly deserves."
*Ben Witherington III, Professor of New Testament, Asbury
Theological Seminary, and author of The Jesus Quest and What Have
They Done with Jesus?*
"The quest of the historical Jesus has been seriously misled by
much poor scholarship and distorted almost beyond recognition by
recent pseudoscholarship. But now Craig Evans out-skeptics the
historical skeptics, demonstrating from his own intimate
familiarity with the biblical texts and his mastery of ancient
sources how unfounded are many of the claims made and how
ridiculously bizarre are the hypotheses thought to give some
support to The Da Vinci Codeand its like. The mature judgment of
such an accomplished and front-rank scholar cannot be ignored or
lightly gainsaid--a welcome draft from a clear spring after all the
muddied waters of recent years."
*James D. G. Dunn, Lightfoot Professor of Divinity Emeritus,
University of Durham, and author of Jesus Remembered and
Christology in the Making*
Ask a Question About this Product More... |