How The Gospels Became History - Jesus And Mediterranean Myths

A compelling comparison of the gospels and Greco-Roman mythology which shows that the gospels were not perceived as myths, but as historical records. Did the early Christians believe their myths? Like most ancient—and modern—people, early Christians made efforts to present their myths in the most believable ways. In this eye-opening work, M. David Litwa explores how and why what later became the four canonical gospels take on a historical cast that remains vitally important for many Christians today. Offering an in-depth comparison with other Greco-Roman stories that have been shaped to seem like history, Litwa shows how the evangelists responded to the pressures of Greco-Roman literary culture by using well-known historiographical tropes such as the mention of famous rulers and kings, geographical notices, the introduction of eyewitnesses, vivid presentation, alternative reports, and so on. In this way, the evangelists deliberately shaped myths about Jesus into historical discourse to maximize their believability for ancient audiences. Somebody out there/some personal observations about the book: This is not a bad book, BUT most likely a reader who is into the filed will find as problematic some of the notions/points which are apparent from the text. Just few things: Throughout the book author plays over and over again with the word MYTH. Christianity is there for last 2 thousand years with own ups and downs but the author says: “If Christian religion(s) ever fades away (or evolves into something new), its stories will still likely survive not just in cavernous library stacks but in the archives of the human imagination. University students might take courses in Christian mythology, as they do now with classical (Greek and Roman) mythology or Hindu mythology. Alternatively, Christian mythology may simply be incorporated into a course on classical mythology, ancient Middle Eastern history, or ancient literature.” p. 221 It is clear from the first to the last page that the author comes with a philosophical agenda into the game.Basically what we have got there is just continuation of the "Der historische/mythos Jesus" German school from the middle of 18th century with a slight make up. One of the most esteemed scholars in the field Larry Hurtado already has criticized Ltiwa's methodology and the very approach to the field. Yele University besides Harvard Univeristy in the USA is one of the most liberal with regard to field of the New Testament and it is not just by chance that this book was published by Yale Uni Press. YES we hear stories about the academia/scholarship/ objective research etc... it is the way it is.... Read the book and see for yourself what you will make out of it..... Good luck! :)