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The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ
The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ
The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ
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The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ

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Charles Foster thought he knew the familiar story of the resurrection of Jesus. He thought Christianity rested on sound historical foundations.

But could he be wrong? Could Christianity be built on a terrible mistake or downright lie?

As nagging doubts began to surface, Foster turned to countless Christian books to find comfort and proof. But all he found were more questions. What began as a personal quest for reassurance quickly turned into an in-depth examination of the most astounding historical claim of all time. He crawled through Jerusalem tombs, dusty libraries, and the recesses of his own mind in search of an answer. He turned the war in his head—the war between faith and doubt—into this heated, no-holds-barred debate, which presents the case both for and against the resurrection of Jesus.

The Jesus Inquest takes you through medical evidence, Jewish burial practices, archaeological hypotheses, maps, ancient artifacts, the canonical and non-canonical gospels, biblical criticism, and much more, providing an unbiased examination of the facts of the case. A practicing trial attorney and University of Oxford academic, Charles Foster vigorously argues both sides of the issue, presenting information in compelling courtroom style and leaving no hard question unaddressed.

The Jesus Inquest gives readers the tools necessary to debate the most remarkable and controversial event of world history—a debate so crucial and fascinating it cannot be ignored.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherThomas Nelson
Release dateJan 10, 2011
ISBN9780849949180
The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ
Author

Charles Foster

Charles Foster is the author of the New York Times bestseller Being a Beast, which was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction and the Wainwright Prize, won the 30 Millions d'Amis prize in France, and is the subject of a forthcoming feature film. A fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, in 2016 he won the Ig Nobel Prize for Biology.

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised: and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain (1 Corinthians 15:13-14).Throughout its existence, Christianity has been founded upon the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. If Jesus did not die and/or was not raised from the dead, Christianity is just another fiction. But if Jesus did die and He was raised from the dead, then the claim that Jesus is Lord and that we ought to serve Him must be taken very seriously. Therefore, from the beginning until now, the validity of the claims of Jesus' death and resurrection have never lacked a challenger.Charles Foster enters this fray with The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ. Foster, an English jurist, attempts to use the same rigorous mode of inquiry that is used before a court in order to weigh the arguments for and against the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. The end result is one of the most comprehensive yet understandable analyses of the current state of arguments for and against Jesus' death and resurrection.Arguments are made against the claims of Christianity through the guise of "X"; the Christian response is presented though the guise of "Y". The two sides are lined up against each other on whether Jesus really died on the cross or not, how Jesus was buried, the matter of the empty tomb, the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, whether the early church believed in Jesus' physical and bodily resurrection, and the potential sources for the story of the resurrection. Appendices include further examinations into Jesus' cause of death, the Shroud of Turin, statistical analyses and the "Jesus Family Tomb," and the text of the Gospel of Peter.Foster wonders if he puts the arguments of "X" forcefully enough; as a believer more sympathetic to "Y," I nevertheless believe that he has "X" and his character fairly well presented. The arguments presented are about as well done as can be, under the circumstances.The presentation of the evidence goes a long way to show just how weak the case against Jesus' death and resurrection is-- one might be able to make a few challenges regarding the way the story is presented in the New Testament, but no credible, serious, and sensible counter-explanation can be provided to explain the emergence of the beliefs surrounding Jesus of Nazareth as the crucified and risen Son of God.One must take care to remember that "X" is presented as a hot mess-- Foster is providing all kinds of counter-arguments, most of them inconsistent with each other. One does not do well to see the inconsistencies and thus write "X" off entirely. My one criticism of the book would be the fact that "X" will present the sensationalistic as well as the standard challenges to the Christian narrative without a whole lot of clear demarcation between the two. The claims of Holy Blood, Holy Grail or The Jesus Family Tomb do not belong in the same category as arguments about the vinegar as an opiate leading to a coma or arguments about the possibility of the wrong tomb (not that the latter are inherently any more accurate, but they are not as ridiculous). Considering the author's purpose, I don't know how it could be better handled, but I thought it was worth noting.While Foster never comes out and says where he ultimately stands, his sympathies with "Y" are clear enough, as well they should be. The Jesus Inquest is an excellent resource for everyone, as it provides a good introduction to where the disputes about Jesus' death and resurrection have led and presents the arguments reasonably well.*--book received as part of early review program
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster is a book that takes a look at the arguments both for and against the resurrection of Jesus. The book offers the views against first, then answers those objections from the Christian perspective. There are a great number of interesting facts and objections in this book. My struggle was that it seemed nothing more than that, leaving the reading dry at times. Being a fan of apologetics, that tends to happen sometimes in this genre. However, what bothered me was a lack of any supernatural power of God. The book seemed to written from the perspective that everything should be able to be answered by natural means. In a book about a person dieing and rising from the dead, some things can just not be explained in natural terms. Some of this probably stems from my theological difference with the author on the bible. With the author admittedly not a believer in the verbal inspiration of the bible, he would see less of a supernatural power in it. If you are looking for a book that is full of facts and interesting history,then you may very well enjoy this book. If you are looking for a book that displays the power and glory of God through the resurrection, you will need to look elsewhere.

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