Lord or Legend?: Wrestling with the Jesus Dilemma - Softcover

Puts skeptics' claims to the test against multiple scholarly disciplines - including history, ethnography, anthropology, and folklore - to uncover truths about the historical Jesus.

Did Jesus ever really exist--and if so, who was he?"This is a marvelous study of the historicity of the gospels and the reliability of the biblical narrative. At times this book reads like a good detective story: it lays out the clues and the methods of evaluating those clues, and then draws conclusions based on the best evidence. From the most ancient witnesses, like Josephus and Irenaeus, to contemporary critics like Burton Mack, the authors ably rebut the critics' claims of inconsistency and historical error. They further explore the value of the fantasy works of popular writers like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien . . . . This book is intended for the general reader, the average churchgoer who may be struggling with difficult questions about the Jesus story. It's a fascinating and valuable work that merits a wide readership."--Publishers Weekly"Boyd and Eddy do not shy away from the tough historical, cultural, textual, and logical questions and their implications. Both those of a modernist and those of a postmodernist bent will find this a helpful clarification of issues relating to the truth about the historical Jesus."--Ben Witherington III, professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary"Boyd and Eddy present a compelling case that the Gospels were composed using eyewitness accounts passed down from the earliest followers of Jesus. This volume should be read by anyone interested in the ongoing discussion of the reliability of the Gospels and the truth about the historical Jesus."--Mark L. Strauss, professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary San Diego"This accessible reference tool provides an overview that answers many of the major criticisms that circulate in both scholarship as well as in the popular media. Some of the issues included here are rarely treated elsewhere."--Gary R. Habermas, distinguished research professor and chair, department of philosophy and theology, Liberty UniversityGregory A. Boyd is the senior pastor at Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the author of numerous books, including Letters from a Skeptic.Paul Rhodes Eddy is a professor of biblical and theological studies at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the coauthor (with Boyd) of The Jesus Legend.