Eerdmans

Historical Jesus
What Can We Know and How Can We Know It?
Anthony Le Donne
Popular and engaging philosophical take on the Jesus of history
This provocative little book addresses two primary
questions: What does “historical” mean? and How should
we apply this to Jesus?
Anthony Le Donne begins with the unusual step of
considering human perception — how sensory data
from sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell are interpreted
from the outset by what we expect, what we’ve
learned, and how we categorize the world. In this way
Le Donne shows how historical memories are initially
formed. He unpacks the nature of human memory and
how it interacts with group memories. Finally he
demonstrates how his definition and philosophy of
history can be used to illuminate three dimensions of
Jesus’ life: his dysfunctional family, his politics, and his
final confrontation in Jerusalem.
Le Donne’s Historical Jesus is ideal for readers with no
background in religious studies — and even those with
no faith stance — who wish to understand who Jesus
truly was and how we know.
Anthony Le Donne is assistant professor of New
Testament and Second Temple Judaism at Lincoln
Christian University, Lincoln, Illinois.
Of related interest
The Historical Christ and
the Theological Jesus
Dale C. Allison Jr.
978-0-8028-6262-4
Familiar Stranger
Michael J. McClymond
978-0-8028-2680-0
The Original Jesus
N. T. Wright
978-0-8028-4283-1
Why Study the Past?
Rowan Williams
978-0-8028-2990-0
Jesus Studies
October / 978-0-8028-6526-7
6″ × 9″ paperback
112 pages / $12.00 [£7.99]
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