This Paperback Book item from Overlook TP was reviewed on 24-Oct-2008.
Search ISBN:1585672521 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ Reference Book. Classifications : jp-unknown3 Specialty Stores Books General Church History Christianity Religion & Spirituality Subjects Books General AAS Church History Christianity Religion & Spirituality Subjects Books General Chr . Click the following link to view the cover of Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ. Related topics: jp-unknown3. Specialty Stores. Books. General. Church History. Christianity. Subjects. Books. General AAS. Church History. requestid: f527947e-7e0c-41e4-9f15-2fe10bfb9ada
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1) Paperback Book Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ by Overlook TP. Gospel writers had several tasks. They had to transform a minor Jewish preacher into a supernatural God, the long awaited Messiah, and they had to explain his rejection by his own people (directly contradicting the prophecies). Orthodox Jews considered the union of a woman and a god as heretical, a pagan Greek idea. Countless Old Testament "prophecies" (and some not in the OT) are used to "prove" his Messianic calling though the leading of Israel to glorious victory is omitted.
We have learned that the order of the New Testamen is incorrect and that Paul did not write all the books attributed to him. He preceded the Gospels. It´s always seemed odd that Paul never spoke of a historical Jesus but of a spiritual Christ. Odder still, the historical Jesus was fleshed out decades later by various writers, four of which were voted by Council as being correct. This accounts for the numerous contradictions and variances among the stories. Ellegard contends that Jesus was a historical figure but lived 100 years before. He was associated (or adopted) by the Essene movement that was still strong when Paul began preaching a new message - Jesus died for our sins and was raised by God. In the maelstrom of disorganized Christianity of the day this kind of talk had huge implications.
Ellegard reviews and redates several documents of the period (comparing certain words, writing styles) to show that the spiritual Christ became the physical Jesus rather than the reverse as most assume. The biographies are noteworthy for their reliance on OT "prophecies" chosen, it seems, for their applicability. Modern scholars have revised the order of the four Gospels. John, once thought to come last, now is seen as the first written and this fits in with Ellegard since it features a "spiritual" Christ. Hi Jesus makes long theological speeches referring to himself.
There´s LOTS of repetition here, as if the author wanted to make sure we got the point. Some of the book could be ommitted with little problem. There is also a lot of casual assumptions...yes, most scholars think this was written in 60 AD but it was actually in 120 AD. But his message is valid - Paul´s "vision" and Eusubius´ words produced the Gospel tales of Jesus, not the other way around. It would be difficult to find such a complex theology fullblown as Paul presents it. More likely this was part of some ongoing movement when he received his vision. And the rest is, as they say, history.¤ 2) Paperback Book Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ by Overlook TP. The author opens up this work: "I shall argue in this book for an entirely new perspective on the earliest history of Christianity." Hardly! As I write this, I have another book before my eyes - written in 1903, no less - entitled "Did Jesus Live in 100 B.C.?" by the Theosophical Society scholar G.R.S. Mead.
One would think that a former Dean of a University, in the process of presenting his thesis proposing the origins of Christianity a hundred years earlier than traditionally perpetuated, would have taken into consideration the work of a predecessor! Yet there is not even so much a mention of Mead in his bibliography, nor even so much a passing consideration of the intriguing material from Jewish and patristic sources covered by Mead in his classic work (such as the hostile gospel "Toldoth Jeschu", elements of which Mead traces to Tertullian and others), which Ellegard could have employed to his advantage. Such blaring omissions by Ellegard are most puzzling and disappointing, to say the least.
Comparitively speaking, back in 1900 Mead didn´t have the advantage of material that scholars do today (the Dead Sea scrolls, the Nag Hammadi Library, etc.) - but he certainly made the most of what little he had to work with at the time.
A consideration of the hypothesis set forth by Ellegard can never be complete without a review of G.R.S. Mead´s volume and the material which he covered, which can be read online at the Gnostic Society library. A copy can also be ordered from Amazon.
¤ 3) Paperback Book Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ by Overlook TP. I started reading this book out of curiosity. The author actually makes a good argument in the beginning of the book. The earliest Christian writings of Paul, James, Peter, and the Epistles of John make very little or no refernce to the historical Jesus but refer to him as if he were a Heavenly figure who lived in the distant past and appeared to the apostles in visions. In addition, Paul writes to his various communities, ie Romans, as if they were already firmly established several years prior.
These theories were somewhat intriguing so I read further. When the author made the claim that the gospels were written in the second century and borrowed the words of the second century apostolic fathers, particularly Ignatius of Antioch, I quit reading. This is basically putting the cart in front of the horse. The idea that the gospels quoted the apostolic fathers instead of the apostolic fathers quoting from the gospels is too absurd for any intelligent person to believe. The idea that the apostolic fathers staked their lives on something they made up is ridiculous.
The apostles weren´t interesed in writing biographies of Jesus. They wanted people to convert to the faith of Jesus. You can´t get people interested in joining a movement by writing a historical sketch of someone´s life which has no relevance to their present or future situation.¤ 4) Paperback Book Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ by Overlook TP. This book should be read by anyone interested in biblical scholarship, especially those concerned with dating the Gospels. Ellegard analyzes the early Christian literature and makes an excellent case that the canonical Gospels and Acts are mid 2nd Century products while Paul, Hermas, Barnabas, Didache, 1st Clemens and Revelations are 1st Century works. This may be a minority view, but Ellegard provides ample evidence that it is not without foundation. From here, Ellegard cleverly and deductively composes a picture of Jesus from his 1st Century texts, and then compares this composite to what we know about the Teacher of Righetousness. Using Philo and Josephus as his base, he goes on to deconstruct the early Christian church as an extension of the Essenes and the Therapeutae (whom he considers Diasporic Essenes). The bottom line - the Jesus who appears in the Gospels in the mid 2nd Century is drawn from the Teacher of Righteousness.
Ellegard´s theory is not new (see the works of G.A.Wells, Helmut Koester, Freke and Gandy, etc), but his scholarly approach is impressive. Readers of any alternative or non-traditional view of Jesus will find this book enormously useful.
My only reason for not giving this book 5 stars (on a 10 point scale I would give it a 9) is that the book is a little difficult to read and not necessarily organized in the best fashion (I suggest you start with Chapter 13 first). Otherwise this book is scholarly, well-documented, thorough, and innovative. It definitely warrant a look¤ 5) Paperback Book Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ by Overlook TP. Although Mr Ellegard is rehashing some sholarship, there is much in this book that is new and intriguing. His dating of many biblical and extra-biblical documents is insightful and well presented. He does not appear to be pre-judging or allowing a bias to draw his conclusions for him in advance of his research. He presents his evidence in a clear and readable manner.¤ 6) Paperback Book Jesus: One Hundred Years Before Christ by Overlook TP. It is commonly believed that the story of Jesus as told in the Gospels contains elements of fiction and myth, but in this ground-breaking and controversial book, Alvar Ellegard argues that even those ideas agreed to be the basic facts about the life of Jesus are fictional: Jesus was not born in the time of Augustus Caesar (27B.C. - 14A.D.). He was not baptized by John. He was not sentenced to death by Pilate. And he never roamed Palestine as a wandering preacher and miracle worker. In fact, none of Jesus´ supposed contemporaries ever saw him in the flesh but only through visions, as the Christ raised by God to heaven.
This closely researched and argued study takes the reader through the earliest Christian writings, including Paul´s Letters and various other biblical and non-biblical texts, and presents the provocative argument that not one of these writers had ever met Jesus or refer to anyone who had. Indeed, Ellegard postulates, even the earliest Christians describe Jesus as a great Jewish prophet and teacher, who had already become a figure of mythology-not a contemporary crucified before their eyes, but a historical figure, on a par with the Old Testament prophets. Readers will surely be fascinated by this purely historical, non-theological approach to Christianity´s origins.
"Deserves a serious look not just for its ingenuity but also for the questions it raises." (The Cleveland Plain Dealer)
"The reading is close, full of references in the main text as well as in endnotes...anyone interested in the argument will easily grasp and just as easily devour it." (Booklist)¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 21-Nov-2008, 15856725219781585672523, 860-580-860-710-740-1X0-891-211-90B-8 
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