This book by Paul Barnett is a calculated reaction against the popular dichotomy between the Jesus of history and the Christ of faith. In Finding the Historical Christ Barnett seeks to establish that the two figures are, in fact, one and the same. The culmination of Barnett's After Jesus trilogy, Finding the Historical Christ carefully examines the ancient sources pertaining to Jesus, including writings by historians hostile to the Christian movement (Josephus, Tacitus, Pliny), the summarized "biographies" of Jesus in the book of Acts, and especially the four canonical Gospels. Based on compelling historical evidence, Barnett maintains that Jesus of Nazareth regarded himself as the prophesied Christ, as did his disciples before Jesus died and rose again. This is the only way to explain the phenomenon of the early church worshiping Jesus. Like his previous works, this volume by Barnett is accessible, well organized, and convincing.
