What Jesus Didn't Say
Building from a wide range of scholarly discussion in recent decades, Gerd Luedemann offers his own careful analysis of statements ascribed to Jesus, in an easy-to-read and easy-to-discuss format. --Eugene TeSelle, Professor Emeritus of Church History and Theology, Vanderbilt Divinity... Unquestionably, Lüdemann's conclusions are based on a detailed and meticulous analysis of the Gospels' sayings material. Lüdemann is to be commended for taking the Gospels seriously, and also for taking seriously Christianity's truth claims. Even Christians who find themselves at odds with his revisionist agendas can recognize his point. If the Gospels do consist largely of fabrications, then there is a serious lack of connection (to say the least), between the real Jesus and the church that rose from the ashes of his martyrdom. If Christianity intends to speak to the real world and proclaim in Jesus thetelosof history, it must be grounded in actual historical events and not in the hopes of those who dream of an alternative existence. ... --Catholic Biblical QuarterlyIssue 75 (2013)