The Witnesses to the Historicity of Jesus
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| historicity of Jesus |
The present work is an abbreviated and amended version, for English readers, of the volume which the author recently published as the second part of The Christ-Myth (English translation, 1910, Fisher Unwin).
The author described this part as "an answer to his opponents, with special reference to theological methods," and dealt in the early part of it with the theological critics who had assailed the results and the methods adopted by him. It will be seen that the fault of the method is entirely on the side of the opponents and that theologians can maintain the historical reality of Jesus on methodical arguments only when their methods are pre-arranged to lead to that result.
It is not the author's intention wholly to omit the points of this controversy, as in this respect, there is no difference between the theologians of Germany and those of other countries. The chief aim of the work, however, is to collect, examine, and refute the arguments which are advanced on the theological side for the historicity of Jesus. Despite their arrogant behaviour, the German theologians have not been able to produce one single decisive reason for the historicity of Jesus. It remains to be seen whether the English authorities can adduce better proof of the validity of the Christian belief than their German colleagues have done. Besides doing this necessary critical work, it is hoped that the book may also provide a better explanation of the rise of the Christian religion than historical theology, as it is called, has yet afforded.
by Arthur Drews
Translated: Joseph McCabe
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