Título: The Historical Evidence for Jesus
Autor: G. A. Wells
Sinopse: In this thoroughly researched study, G.A. Wells has squarely faced the question of whether a man named Jesus lived, preached, healed, and died in Palestine during the early years of the first century of the Christian era - or indeed, at any time.Building on the biblical studies of Christian theologians, Dr. Wells soberly demonstrates that we have no reliable eyewitnesses to the events depicted in the New Testament. He publicizes a fact known to theological scholars but little-known in the average Christian congregation: that the order of books of the New Testament is not an accurate chronological arrangement. Indeed, Paul, who never saw Jesus, wrote his epistles to early Christian congregations before the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John were written.It may come as a great surprise to Christians and other monotheists, to agnostics, atheists, and humanists alike, that "the earliest references to the historical Jesus are so vague that it is not necessary to hold that he ever existed; the rise of Christianity can, from the undoubtedly historical antecedents, be explained quite well without him; and reasons can be given to show why, from about A.D. 80 or 90, Christians began to suppose that he had lived in Palestine about fifty years earlier."The Historical Evidence for Jesus is not a frontal attack on Christians per se; rather it is an easily understood but scholarly examination of the evidence for many long-accepted notions about the "biography" of the man called Jesus. This book takes up and quotes extensively from the Epistles and the Gospels of the New Testament, thus letting the evidence speak for itself in words familiar to every Bible reader. For example, Wells closely compares what Paul said about Jesus with what the author of Matthew, who lived later, wrote of him. Then he explains why these discrepancies apparently exist. Startling indeed is his proof that "earlier writers sometimes make statements which positively exclude the idea that Jesus worked miracles, delivered certain teachings, or suffered under Pilate."There is also interesting material on the topics of Jesus' supposed family, the so-called Shroud of Turin, and the myth-making that even today surrounds the figure of Jesus. Dr. Wells does not, however, attempt to demolish belief in God or the ethical precepts held by Christians. His presentation is always fair and couched in moderate tones.
Contexto da obra
Como livro em inglês, esta obra costuma ganhar também uma camada própria de interesse editorial e linguístico. “The Historical Evidence for Jesus”, de G. A. Wells, publicado pela editora Prometheus, em 1988 e com 277 páginas, integra a categoria Livros em Inglês. Por isso, o interesse da obra tende a se ampliar quando o leitor considera também a relação com a língua em que ela circula.
Editora: Prometheus
Páginas: 277
Ano: 1988-01-01
Edição: New Edition
Linguagem: en
ISBN: 087975429X
ISBN13: 9780879754297
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora PROMETHEUS apresentam uma leitura que transita entre narrativas densas e reflexivas, com temas que vão da complexidade das relações humanas e dilemas pessoais até análises filosóficas e geopolíticas. O ritmo das obras varia entre o envolvimento emocional intenso, como em histórias que exploram conflitos familiares e identitários, e abordagens mais didáticas e analíticas, em textos que discutem ciência, história e filosofia. A linguagem costuma ser acessível, ainda que profunda, convidando o leitor a refletir sobre questões contemporâneas e universais. O catálogo revela uma preocupação em equilibrar obras que dialogam com o público adulto interessado tanto em ficção literária quanto em ensaios e biografias que trazem narrativas detalhadas e contextualizadas.
