The Jesus Legend Endorsements and Reviews

Endorsements

“Eddy and Boyd provide a clearly written, carefully researched, and powerfully argued defense of the historical reliability of the Synoptic Gospels. What makes this book noteworthy is the careful treatment of underlying issues in historical methodology and philosophy. A pleasure to read and a wonderful resource for those who have encountered troubling skeptical claims about the Gospels.”
–C. Stephen Evans, University Professor of Philosophy and Humanities, Baylor University

“I am gratified that my friends and colleagues Paul Eddy and Greg Boyd have taken my work as seriously as they have in this comprehensively researched book. Bravo for their repudiation of any bias of philosophical naturalism! Amen to their urging that the burden of proof is on whomever would reject any bit of gospel tradition as unhistorical. Other than this, I would dispute almost every one of their assertions–but that is why I recommend the book! What can you learn if you only reinforce your own viewpoint? I urge any reader of my books to read this one alongside them!”
–Robert M. Price, professor of biblical criticism, Center for Inquiry Institute, and fellow of the Jesus Seminar

“A most welcome survey and critique of modern-day imaginative reconstructions of the rise of Christianity that attempt to justify faith in the presupposition of a non-supernaturalistic Jesus. . . . Well-written and organized, containing a masterful command of the literature. Eddy and Boyd show the difference between an open historical investigation of the life of Jesus and much of today’s fictional writing that claims to be historical research concerning the origin of Christianity. A very useful introduction for college and seminary students.”
–Robert H. Stein, senior professor of New Testament interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Eddy and Boyd have provided a thoroughly compelling cumulative argument–one of the very best available–for the reliability of the Synoptic Jesus tradition. Their book constitutes a superb treatment of the various issues, involving both fresh research and a brilliant synthesis of material from a variety of relevant disciplines (philosophy, anthropology, historiography, as well as New Testament, early Judaism, and Greco-Roman antiquity). It is far better argued and documented than the works of the vast majority of the skeptics it challenges.”
–Craig S. Keener, professor of New Testament, Palmer Seminary

“Misinformation about the historical Jesus and the reliability of the New Testament Gospels runs rampant in the twenty-first century. Some of this comes from eccentric or flawed scholarship; some from purely fictitious novels. Eddy and Boyd have surveyed technical and popular writing alike, in meticulous detail, and present what can be concluded responsibly about the trustworthiness of the Synoptic Gospels and the portraits of Jesus they contain. They compile a detailed and erudite case that supports Christian faith, but without the simplistic and unwarranted generalizations that one often hears in grassroots evangelical circles. Highly recommended!”
–Craig L. Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary

“This is one of the most important books on methodological issues in the study of Jesus and the Gospels to have appeared for a long time. It deserves to be widely read.”
–Richard Bauckham, professor of New Testament studies and Bishop Wardlaw Professor, St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews

“The Jesus Legend is the best book in its class. Authors Eddy and Boyd demonstrate mastery of the disciplines essential for critical assessment of the Gospels and competent investigation of the historical Jesus. Again and again they expose the dubious assumptions and underpinnings of the theories proffered by those who assume that Jesus either did not exist or that the New Testament Gospels give us little more than myth and legend. I recommend this book in the highest terms.”
–Craig A. Evans, Payzant Distinguished Professor, Acadia Divinity College, and author of Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels

Reviews

“Skeptical answers to the question of what can be historically known about Jesus of Nazareth have elicited from evangelical authors a plethora of responses. This one, by biblical scholar Eddy . . . and megachurch pastor Boyd . . . is certainly among the best. It is accurate, up-to-date, grounded in a critical but fair understanding of its opponents’ positions, and thoroughly situated within the academic literature. . . . Eddy and Boyd understand and accept the value of critical biblical studies, and they avoid much of the defensiveness that characterizes the genre. . . . [The authors offer] compelling, nuanced critiques of tradition-critical readings of the Gospels and helpful surveys of relevant external and archaeological data. Highly recommended for all academic libraries.”
–Steve Young, Library Journal

“The authors leave no doubt that the gospels are completely reliable in communicating the fundamentals of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and that the gospel writers were neither attempting to deceive or were themselves deceived. Moreover, Eddy and Boyd marry accessible language with exhaustive, serious research, making The Jesus Legend the best one-volume debunking of the debunkers you could possibly give a college student, seminarian, or curious layperson.”
–Anthony Sacramone, First Things

“The most complete book now available on the historical reliability of the Gospels. . . . This book does something no other book does: it focuses on those who are most skeptical of the Jesus of the Gospels and the Church. . . . If you need a complete study, this is it.”
–Scot McKnight, jesuscreed.org

“The authors examine the claims of Jesus myth theorists in detail, but also launch an all-out assault on the assumptions of Gospel literary critics who teach that the oral tradition leading up to the formation of the Gospels was fundamentally unreliable. . . . Using recent intercultural, interdisciplinary studies on the nature of ancient oral tradition, the authors demonstrate convincingly that, although the period of oral tradition for the Gospels was relatively short, lengthy stories were often handed down very accurately over long periods of time. These new studies in oral tradition call into question the way scholars have assessed the formation of the Gospels throughout the last century. This book is very well written with extensive footnotes and indexes. It will be hard to take seriously any future book on the reliability of the Gospels that has not interacted with it. . . . Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.”
–D. Ingolfsland, Choice

“Answers a timeless question: Can we trust the Gospels to report to us an historical portrait of Jesus? This is simply an amazing book: exhaustive in its coverage, elegant in its style. Will see heavy use for many years to come.”
—Christianity Today Book Awards