Historical Jesus in The Books Store

The Empty Tomb provides a sober, objective response to arguments offered in defense of Christianity’s central claim.

Uniting Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, this book teaches how early mystics--including Jesus--may have meditated in the three great religions springing from the Middle East. World-renowned religion scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz finds that all three faiths, in spite of differences, share an emphasis on the story of creation and sacred beginnings. Over the centuries, he points out, Westerners have progressively lost this sense, instead emphasizing apocalyptic endings. Now Dr. Douglas-Klotz seeks to reclaim the life-affirming energy of "beginning time," so that we can experience its creative power for ourselves--and perhaps for our world.

New Testament scholar Robert M. Price, a member of the Jesus Seminar, examines the creative uses of history in Brown’s novel, showing that, however intriguing Brown’s fictional speculations may be, the real facts behind the novel are even more fascinating. What does the best historical evidence say about the possibility that Jesus might have survived the crucifixion? How did the Gospels come to be accepted as the established accounts of Jesus’ life and why were other Gnostic traditions suppressed? How did the Roman Emperor Constantine figure in the development of Christian dogma? What was Mary Magdalene’s role in early Christianity and how was it adapted in later attempts to develop a "sacred feminine" element in Christianity? These are some of the important questions about Christianity that Dr. Price pursues in this engrossing discussion of Christian history. Price combines sophisticated historical analysis with completely accessible and witty prose in this enlightening, factually based sequel to Brown’s speculative bestseller.