Bart D. Ehrman, Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth (New York: HarperOne, 2012). $26.99, 361 pages.

A small but prolific group of agnostics and atheists argues that Jesus of Nazareth did not exist. Many of them are cranks and conspiracy theorists. A few of them are scholars, though generally not with expertise in the relevant fields of New Testament studies. They refer to themselves as “mythicists,” i.e. people who believe that Jesus was a myth.

In Did Jesus Exist?, Bart D. Ehrman refutes the core thesis of mythicism by providing a careful historical argument for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth. Like the mythicists, Ehrman is not a Christian. He describes himself as “an agnostic with atheist leanings.” Unlike the vast majority of mythicists, however, Ehrman has relevant expertise in New Testament studies and the history of early Christianity.

Ehrman divides his argument into three parts: First, he outlines the evidence for the existence of Jesus from a variety of sources, both outside and within the New Testament (chapters 2–5). Second, he responds to specific mythicist claims, showing that they are “weak and irrelevant” (chapter 6), or, if relevant, nevertheless “not persuasive” (chapter 7). Third, he identifies criteria for establishing “historically accurate” traditions about Jesus (chapter 8): “contextual credibility,” “multiple attestation,” and “dissimilarity.” On the basis of those criteria, he concludes that the historical Jesus was an “apocalyptic prophet” (chapter 9).

As an evangelical Christian, my response to Did Jesus Exist? is ambivalent. On the one hand, I agree with Ehrman’s argument that Jesus of Nazareth existed, and I find his refutation of mythicism persuasive. On the other hand, I disagree with his conclusions about what we can reasonably infer about the historical Jesus based on available evidence. Or rather, I believe that we can reasonably infer more about the historical Jesus than he does.  But that is an argument for another day. For today, it is sufficient to thank Ehrman for his yeoman work in refuting “the Jesus myth.”

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