Evans lays out a few examples of how archaeology has proven the Jesus from Bible was a real person and not a legend created for the church. But what he selects to prove his point are areas that I didn't think are too significant.
This may be because I'm not an expert discussing these matters. The areas in this book are:
Growing up in Nazareth - this discusses the reality of what Jesus would have experienced in his youth and how that affected his life.
Synagogues - The Bible talks about Jesus spending time in these buildings but were they actually part of the life in his day? Evans shows that they were.
Could Jesus read? - This is obvious but I was wondering what the point was. Would it matter if he couldn't? How would that disprove his existence?
Jesus vs the Priests - this deals with the strong confrontations between the two.
Jewish burial traditions - again obvious.
These are not the areas I would tackle when exploring the existence of a person. The talking heads and researchers must be pointing out areas that aren't "juicy" to make headlines but to look at the surrounding areas. While it's good for evidence, I didn't get much to help me in my belief or debates.
This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Westminster John Knox Press
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