Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Rick Sumner · 08-11-2003, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Peter Kirby
While I'm trying to get people to write reviews for my site, I thought I might give those with mythicist leanings something to dissect.

This book is not as important as Doherty's, so I'm going to make the offer to just the first person to take up the challenge providing that:

1. You have read over a dozen books on early Christianity.
2. You agree to write a critical review within 6 months.

The book is The Evidence for Jesus by R. T. France, recently reprinted. The book is pro-HJ, but concludes that there is little independent confirmation outside the NT. Bede once recommended it.

best,
Peter Kirby

Well, I took your advice a year or so ago, and got France's book, and had Doherty's book (your advice again) shortly before that, so I'm not in need of any free copies, but will send you reviews of each anyway.

I've intended to write a review of Doherty's for some time, but my position on it vacillates so much that I can't seem to get it done--That which seems a serious caveat today almost seems a strength tomorrow. I'm not wholly persuaded, however, so the review will fit what you indicated you were looking for in the Doherty thread--one that disagrees--but it won't be terribly negative regardless. His position is well-presented, I just don't think it's right.

I'll get it done at some point, at any rate, and send it to you when I have.

France's is a much easier review, I'll send that in the more foreseeable future.

Incidentally, if you're looking for a copy of France's book, www.abebooks.com has four.

Regards,
Rick

Peter Kirby · 08-11-2003, 10:31 PM

I appreciate your taking the time to review this books. I look forward to seeing them.

For those who are interested, I wrote a guide for Amazon entitled So You'd Like To... Know if there was a historical Jesus. It contains some of the books in our Recommended Reading and more.

best,
Peter Kirby

godfry n. glad · 08-12-2003, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cretinist
The main problem I have with it is that much of the book isn't exactly readable. Plowing through 30 pages of quotes from Sufi texts and the NT trying to look for dissimilarity is absolutely boring, not to mention seemingly pointless. Perhaps Price thinks what 10th century Muslim mystics had to say about Jesus has any relevance at all to the origins of Christianity, but he's probably the only one. At least, the possibility of a connection seems very dubious to me.

The chapter on Ren� Girard ideas seemed absurd in the extreme. I've always been hyper-skeptical of similar sounding notions like Jung's archetypes, and it just strikes me as unverifiable, unfalsifiable psycho-babble.

In the end, it seems like Price wrote the book simply to throw things at various NT scholars to see what happens to stick to them.

I'll have to tell you, Vork, I'm with Cretinist on this. So many here are falling over themselves about DeconJebus and it just didn't resonate with me. I never even finished it. All that crap about 10th century Sufis was so far off the point that I tossed the book aside....

Actually, that brings to mind the old Dorothy Parker quote, which I'll paraphrase for this occasion:

"This book should not be tossed aside lightly, it should be thrown with great force."

What did I miss?

godfry

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08-11-2003, 10:31 PM	#12
Peter Kirby Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: the reliquary of Ockham's razor Posts: 4,035	I appreciate your taking the time to review this books. I look forward to seeing them. For those who are interested, I wrote a guide for Amazon entitled So You'd Like To... Know if there was a historical Jesus. It contains some of the books in our Recommended Reading and more. best, Peter Kirby

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