Echoes of Jesus
Echoes of Jesus
Echoes of Jesus - now in its second edition - is a Christian apologetic response to these issues. It presents evidence in an engaging manner, following a logical journey of discovery. It is accessible to both Christian believers and those who know little about Jesus. Questions for discussion and reflection at the end of each chapter reflect this welcoming approach. This highly readable journey of discovery considers gospel textual criticism, authorship of the Gospels, Christian historiography, literacy & more. See evidence for the reliability of the recounting of Jesus.
After reading this book you will: understand the extent of literacy and historical awareness in ancient civilisations appreciate how it was possible for the first disciples to accurately record Jesus' life and teachings have a highly readable explanation of ancient New Testament documents and know what they have to say about accuracy in copying know the content and credibility of non-Christian ancient literature that comment on Jesus and the first Christians.
Endorsements:
Rev Dr John Sweetman, D.Min (USA); Principal of Malyon College, Brisbane: This is a book for those who like to question and think and who are not satisfied with pat answers. This is an excellent resource for theological faculty and students as well as for anyone genuinely searching for truth. If you have questions or doubts about the identity of the real Jesus or the reliability of the Bible, this is the book for you.
Dr Bernie Power, D.Th, lecturer in Islamic Studies: Echoes of Jesus is a very insightful and much-needed book in the area of apologetics. I plan to use it as a text in Australia's only theologically-accredited Apologetics to Islam course run at the Melbourne School of Theology.
Dr James M. Leonard, PhD (Cambridge), former Adjunct Professor (LSU, Notre Dame Seminary, Loyola University, John Brown University, Arkansas, US): This well written work on the biblical account of the historical Jesus exposes the reader to key issues that are often overlooked in popular Christian apologetics. It raises the believer's confidence levels in the reliability of the Gospels and the apostolic writings, and should be taken seriously by scholars.
Echoes of Jesus (second edition) is the result of Jonathan Clerke’s deep thirst for the truth about the origins of the New Testament books and the reliability of the versions we have today compared with the originals. With an open and enquiring mind, he meticulously answers every conceivable question you may have about the validity of the Bible, and many you would never have thought to ask!
Not content to simply compare ancient manuscripts with our current translations, he delves into the accounts of non Christian historians such as Lucian, Pliny the Younger and Josephus who were contemporaries of the early church authors, seeking their collaboration on facts presented in the New Testament.
He questions the literacy skills, education and gullibility of the people who lived at Jesus' time and investigates ancient history-writing techniques. He challenges the view that the disciples were incapable of remembering their time with Jesus to the degree recorded in the Gospels and he explores the techniques Jesus used to aid memories.
And as if that weren’t enough he painstakingly leads the reader on a journey into the histories of the ancient copies of the New Testament, from their origins to their final resting places in such diverse places as mouldy baskets in an Egyptian Monastery to the Vatican vaults.
Echoes of Jesus is truly a remarkable book. I intended to use it a resource book and to just reference it when certain issues warranted investigating, but it is so readable and fascinating that I ended up reading it from cover to cover. Highly recommended.
