Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-169) and indexes.
Formatted Contents Note:
Introduction: The Jesus of History and the Challenge of Faith -- Part 1. Jesus, History, and Legend-Making -- 1. Miraculous Claims and the Critical Mind: Can Intelligent People Still Believe in the Supernatural? -- 2. Most Unexpected Legend: How Paganized Was First-Century Palestinian Judaism? -- 3. "Long, Long Ago and Far, Far Away?" The Question of Paul and the Historical Jesus -- 4. Rising Gods, Legendary Heroes, and Divinized Teachers: How Unique Is the Jesus Story? -- 5. Oral Traditions and Legend-Making: How Reliable Were the Early Church's Oral Traditions about Jesus? -- Part 2. Gospels and Ten Tests of Historical Reliability -- 6. Following the Paper Trail: The Questions of Textual Reconstruction, Literary Genre, and Historical Intent -- 7. Who, When, and Why? The Questions of Historical Position and Bias -- 8. Superfluous and Self-Incriminating Testimony: The Questions of Incidental and Self-Damaging Details -- 9. How Am I Supposed to Believe That? The Questions of Consistency and Plausibility -- 10. Jesus and Ancient Non-Christian Writers: The Question of Literary Corroboration -- 11. Excavating Jesus: The Question of Archaeological Confirmation -- 12. Myth Incarnate: The Lord of Legend and Love.
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