How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation Of A Jewish Preacher From Galilee (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
I have never come across a work on this subject matter, from either christian or non-christian, which goes into the history of the belief in Jesus being the son of God. The author does a wonderful job ob of exploring both the social milieu during the evolution of the beliefs, as well as the biblical text, and the various beliefs held by believers and non-believers, and what the author feels to be the most likely. I found this to be a pleasant read with some new insights. I confess, I am quite familiar with much of what Dr. Ehrman explores, but his framing of the topic was new and enlightening. I was particularly interested in the parallels between the ascension of Augustus to a god and Jesus. I really appreciate the way in which he keeps the discussion within reach of anyone while not ignoring the relevant scholarship. I found it interesting that one could read this as a believer or nonbeliever. In my experience, most believers are almost totally unaware of the many traditions that eventually interacted to create what we know today as Christianity. Dr. Ehrman treads the fine line in such a way that he never comes off as taking a side on the whole divinity thing. If you are interested in how a poor, semiliterate peasant can come to be seen as a god, this will be interesting. My main criticism of the book is actually unfair. As a student of religion, I would like to have seen the book take a look at the traditions and dogma's of todays religions in light of those he explores so well up through 425 CE. From Jehovah's Wittness to Mormons, to Calvinists and Catholics and Orthodox, the arguments really haven't changed. In fact, they continue to rehash the same issues as the early church. But like I said, this would be unfair, as this was clearly not the purpose of the book and would have detracted from his main theses.I read this as the Kindle edition. Formatting was satisfactory.Darrel Ray, author of The God Virus, and Sex and God: How Religion Distorts Sexuality
What do You think about How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation Of A Jewish Preacher From Galilee (2014)?
It's really repetitive, and he speaks down to his audience. :( a really interesting topic, though.
—toryvm
Excellent book, had some minor disagreements, but definitely a good read.
—amirul
