Finding Jesus: The Book

I just picked up a book that I have wanted to look at for some time called "Finding Jesus" Faith, Fact and Forgery which was featured in the original series "Finding Jesus" on CNN

I have always been interested in the historical Jesus. As I was growing up with two parents who believed in Jesus who were ministers, it was hard often to separate fact from fiction. 

But, never the less I was always interested in the historical Jesus rather than the mythical one. Because the Historical Jesus likely was flesh and blood like you and me whereas the mythical one we could never be like. So, the historical Jesus always made much more sense to me than the mythical one. Just like there is the mythical Gandhi and the historical Gandhi and there is the mythical Martin Luther King and the historical Martin Luther King and there is the mythical Mandela and the Historical Mandela, there likely also is a mythical Jesus and also a historical one. I thought I would quote the front flap and back flap of the book for you:

Begin quote:

ISBN 978-1-250-06910-8
THE MAN WHO CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY LEFT NO EARTHLY TRACE OF HIS EXISTENCE---

Who was Jesus of Nazareth, and what do the relics left behind tell us about this fascinating figure? A burial box that has Jesus's name on it? A Papyrus "gospel" referring to his wife? A piece of wood from the cross? A linene shroud that wrapped Jesus's corpse? Are any or all of these real? Or are we being scammed?

Finding Jesus provides a  fresh look at the life of the greatest man who ever lived, through six blockbuster artifacts--including the Shroud of Turin, pieces of the True Cross, and bones of John the Baptist--that give us the most direct evidence about the life and world of Jesus. Telling the story behind each artifact, "Finding Jesus" investigates, in the company of sleuths and scholars who use modern-day tools to solve ancient riddles, whether the stunning relics are authentic or frauds.

As both companion to the CNN TV series and as a deeper inquiry into the story of what Jesus left behind, "Finding Jesus" draws on fascinating debates, controversial figures, and forensic evidence to reveal a story for the faithful, the skeptical, and the curious alike. end quote.


This was only from the inside flap of the book as the back flaps are about the authors and people recommending the book.

However, since it is an interesting study to say the least I thought I would share this information with you.


One of the most interesting things I have personally learned about Jesus is it is much more likely he was married than not, because men who were not married or raising a family by about 20 to 25 were not thought well of at all in Jewish culture then. So, it is very unlikely at all he would have been a single man or he wouldn't have been respected by the common people if he weren't married. So, it is very likely that he was married to Mary Magdelene and possibly eventually even had children with her.

Why was she left out of the Bible mostly? Because it was a patrilineal society and even though historically she was from a wealthy family and well educated even better than Jesus, she was left out because she was a woman.

But, imagine what a catch Jesus would have been for any woman of the times.

I decided to quote the first couple of paragraphs of the book which I also like:

Begin quote page 1 "Who is Jesus?"

The question must be posed in the present tense because, for believers, Jesus is God and he exists in the here and now every bit as much as he ever did: "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever," as the New Testament says. To be a Christian is to have a relationship with a Jesus who is alive in heaven and with us at every moment of every day.

Yet Jesus is also profoundly present for today's agnostics and even die hard skeptics, who are engaged with Jesus of Nazareth, in their own way, almost as devoutly as Christians are.
end quote from the first page.