The Christ Files by John Dickson
In The Christ Files, published by Blue Bottle Books, John Dickson explores how historians know what they know about Jesus. He give examples of sources used by historians such as ancient Greko-Roman texts, Jewish writings, new testament sources, the oral tradition, the old testament and archaeology1.
I found one point in the chapter on new testament sources quite interesting. That is, the new testament is a collection of independent sources, not a single source. One of the basic principles of historical study is the criterion of multiple attestation. The letters of Paul, the epistle of James, the gospel of Mark and others were composed separately, so when they independently say the same thing, this demonstrates their reliability.
The book is a short read at 101 pages (I read the book in a day), but this must have required broad and deep reading on the author’s part. The ease of reading reflects John Dickson’s ability to understand and communicate his material. This is a great read for Christians and sceptics alike.
1 Find a review of The Christ Files on sydneyanglicans.net.
© Danny Haynes
