Jesus, the Final Days: What Really Happened Paperback – January 16, 2009

This morning I read this short book which is comprised of three lectures given at the Symposium for Church and Academy lecture series at Crichton College (Memphis, TN). The three lectures aim to discuss the historicity of Jesus' death and resurrection - two on the former by Craig Evans, one on the latter by The Bishop himself (I mean, who else are you going to get to talk about the resurrection at this point?).Three lectures, three chapters - 1. The Shout of Death; 2. The Silence of Burial; 3. The Surprise of the Resurrection.Admittedly, there isn't much here that you cannot readily find in other books (both for Evans and especially Wright). But there is much to be said for having this type of data assembled together in a concise overview aimed toward a wider readership than is considered typical.1. The first chapter focusses on Jesus' death, quickly dismissing flimsy claims that Jesus did not actually die and emphasizing the reasons for the death of Jesus. Here Evans provides solid overview and foundation of the many converging factors of why Jesus was executed. Admittedly, many Christians do not understand the complexity of history on this point, and I was glad to see Evans go right at the nonsense of Jesus being crucified because he was more popular than the Pharisees, et. al. Further, the chapter investigates the question of whether or not Jesus anticipated his own death and how this anticipation shaped his preceding ministry. From this Evans then discusses the trial of Jesus, the mockery and the actual crucifixion itself - all without becoming lost in the physical suffering of Jesus but remaining forthright so as to maintain historical credibility.2. Knowing that these lectures are not designed to be entirely apologetic, I must confess that I was unsure how a full essay on the burial of Jesus was going to be possible. But Evans engages the material well, not only interacting with the charges against the tomb account as given in the Gospels but by exploring the traditions of burial in the first century Jewish world. Again, there is a wealth of information neatly gathered and succinctly presented regarding the intricacies of tradition and culture which are largely unknown among Christians who recite the Easter story year after year. Not only does this help with the defense of our faith, but grasping the context of the burial accounts also bolsters modern faith. I probably consider this the best essay of the three.3. The third chapter is basically a condensed version of N. T. Wright's fuller treatments - a short essay of summation. I agree with the notes on p. 75 that those who desire a fuller treatment will find such in his seminal works,  The Resurrection of the Son of God (Christian Origins and the Question of God, Vol. 3)  and  Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church . One cannot say much more than that, for this material is being widely discussed and a few comments here would be terribly lacking. But (again) understanding how this book is designed, one would consider this essay as a solid introduction to the material for a wide readership. And The Bishop is certainly capable of that.In the end, I highly recommend this book as both an introduction for the uninitiated on this topic, and a timely seasonal review and reflection for those more familiar. (I might also add that those who have studied this material at some length may just find perspectives or data which is somewhat new to them, as I have not seen this particular gathering of material presented in such a manner very often. Worth considering.)

The three essays in this book were originally written as lectures for a symposium for pastors and scholars regarding several of the issues surrounding the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The book has edited the three essays for more popular consumption, though the average reader will still need to read a little slowly, and will happily learn several new things about the general topic of Easter.To give away the ending, the authors believe that Jesus really was crucified, really died, really was buried, and really did rise from the dead physically. The first two essays, written by Craig A. Evans, take a look at first century Jewish and Roman execution and burial practices. The third, written by N. T. Wright, is a look at what the early church believed about Jesus' physical resurrection from the dead and argues for the conclusion that they believed he did, and, he really did.Dr. Evans, a recognized and prolific New Testament scholar, tackles the question of whether the Gospel accounts of Jesus' trial, death, and burial are likely to have happened the way they are recorded by the Evangelists. Combing through copious amounts of source materials regarding how Jewish and Roman culture and legal systems worked in the day, he builds a strong case for why Jesus was opposed by the Jewish authorities, the Passover pardon of Barabbas, the scourging, his death on the cross, and his burial in the tomb. For the faithful, these seem to be simple and obvious details within the Easter story, but as Dr. Evans shows throughout, there are plenty of modern-day theories which attack each. In the end, however, he shows that each theory which opposes these details has the burden of proof, and it is a heavy burden indeed.Bishop Wright, possibly the leading living scholar on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, takes for his approach a kind of definition and explanation of the word "resurrection." What was the Old Testament (and thus prevailing view in Jesus' culture) understanding of it? Was the general, ancient view of resurrection something compatible with what became the Christian understanding? And finally, what was the Christian teaching regarding Jesus' resurrection? He argues convincingly that the Christian view is a distinct departure from their Jewish heritage, the pagan cultures around them, and is shockingly stable and unified through the years. The explanation for this break and persistent belief? Jesus physically rose from the dead and became the Christ-follower's hope.In the end, this volume tackles many of the details that we often either take for granted or don't even pay attention to when we come around to Easter. The way the details are handled provide further support for the traditional Christian belief about the last days (and resurrection) of Jesus Christ, and make it harder for the skeptic to simply brush the whole story off as ancient and simplistic legend.

This book is physically well constructed. The cover feels nice and the pages seem slightly thicker than normal.The book has 3 chapters, which are revised lectures that cover:1. CrucifixionThis chapter examines Jesus' crucifixion and how the narrative matches up with other historical data from the same time period. It covers why Jesus' was put on trial, Pontius Pilate, and mockery.2. BurialThis chapter I found the most interested and covers Jewish burial practices and laws. A case is made that it was very probably that Jesus was buried in a tomb and that the tomb's location was known.3. ResurrectionThis chapter how Jews and understood resurrection and changes that took place after the supposed resurrection of Jesus'. It does not focus on the resurrection appearances.It was nice to see these lectures use non biblical historical text and archeological evidence. This book isn't intended to be an apologetic work, as stated in the introduction, so the reader may be somewhat disappointed if they are expecting it to be.

I loved this book. It's a collection of essays about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It's scholarly, well researched, engaging, and interesting. I cannot recommend this book hard enough.

Evans does his usual fine work in this book. He has two lectures - One on the death of Jesus and one on the burial practices of the earlyfirst century. The use of ossuaries is interesting. In the last chapter Dr. Wright gives a lecture on the resurrection of Jesus and and presents it as a fact in history. This three lectures will give you needed information.

Excelente livro sobre os últimos dias de Jesus. O livro trata de questões com uma abrangência muito boa. Particularmente eu estava interessado na questão de Barrabás, sobre o costume de liberar um preso por ocasião de uma festa judaica. O texto abrangeu o tema com profundidade mostrando diversos outros exemplos de perdão a presos por parte de romanos.

In my opinion, until now, in the history of the world's great religions, there have been no greater "events" than the trial, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and this book, "Jesus: The Final Days", discusses the historical evidence, theological meaning and "faith" implications of these events. After reading this, and other books on this subject, I have completed my quest for the historical Jesus and have come to believe in the truth regarding the Passion & Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Examining the evidence led me to knowledge and removed my ignorance, doubt and fear and I hope others, like me, will come to believe in the "truth" of these events by reading this and other such books.

Authors are the best biblical schollars of our times. Their popular approuch in this small book will give for non professionals very fair wiev about described events!

This was such a good buy. The content was exceptional, both historical and theological but at a non-academic level. It was one of the best reads I have had recently.

Really short & concise, really easy to read. I've learned many things from this book. References are clearly mentioned. I would recommend this book if someone wants to learn a short & sweet explanation of the resurrection of Jesus.