The Historical Jesus

What can we know about the historical Jesus of Nazareth? How and why does the life of the historic figure differ from competing (and contradictory) accounts in the New Testament? What can other sources tell us, including non-Christian accounts as well as gospels left out of the canon?

John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will outline an overview of what can and cannot be known about the historical Jesus and will talk about the difference between the portrait painted by academic history, the portraits painted by scripture, and the experience of the divine Christ as understood by Christians.

A Q&A and discussion will follow the presentation. Please send your questions on the live chat.

Lecture topics include:
Historical Jesus of Nazareth
Christ myth theory
Source criticism
Textual criticism
Biblical studies
Historicity of Jesus
Quest for the historical Jesus

#lecture #cofchrist

[Jubilee-eoni]

Lectures do not come better than this.

[kentuky]

This is a great relaxation video. I'm agnostic but I've been going to sleep with Jesus for the last week. Thank you and thanks the Lord almighty for this sound sleep 🙏

[theitineranthistorian]

wow john, you give an exclamation point! to your name along with a long line of “johns”. your synthesis of religious thoughts is fresh and “enlightened”. i’m not a believer but you give me hope for the future of mankind.

I tried to write some elaborate comment, buy to put it simply: I really enjoy your lectures:) Thank you!

[The_Wandering_Nerd]

Having grown up in the Utah-based LDS Church, where the view of Christian history was presented solely as Jesus died -> the Church immediately apostasized -> Joseph Smith fixed everything, I find it refreshing and amazing that such an informative view of the historical background of everything is being presented and/or hosted by a Mormon offshoot group

[davidpalmer]

As always very well done. Very well researched. Thank you.

[VSP]

I can not find words to express my gratitude for these lectures. There are objective, equidistant, modern and very informative. Thank you CentrePlace and John Hamer.

[VinzRex]

Thank you very much for this informative and very interesting lecture, I agreed with you on nearly all the points you made.
Just one small correction from me as a Historian specializing in Roman history: Constantine did not make Christianity the sole official state religion, this would only be done decades later. He merely supported the Christians, ordered to cease their persecution, granted them privileges and incorporated certain Christian elements into his reign. But Christianity can not be called a real 'state religion' of the empire until the reign of Theodosius I.

[robertdinneen]

I would buy any book this man wants to write. What a fascinating lecturer, every single time.

[aerx]

Would be really interesting to see a civil discussion (not debate) with Carrier and Hamer.

[DesGardius-megf]

There's so little known about who Jesus was that everyone really sees what they want to see.

[alinedavis]

Thank you John, I absolutely love your lectures and listen to them over and over always looking forward to the next 🙏

[glenn-younger]

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed your lecture. And I'm loving this format where questions are handled at the end without all the interruptions. Thank you! I'll continue donating because you are consistent in giving balanced presentations.

[joelrivardguitar]

Carrier and Lataster have raised some good points regarding a lot of this information.

[danielmalinen]

This made me wonder even more that why Israel Finkelstein still holds on to his possible "Moses like figure" even though we know better today that real historical events don't create myths, legends, fictions and other untrue stories. On the contrary, the writing and study of history rejects and overturn them completely. And he also insists that there has been some kind of small movement of the people that, according to Finkelstein, has served as a source of inspiration and is reflected in the core of the Exodus narrative. But it is more likely that there has never been any of Exodus, Moses, Joshua, Shaul, David, or Solomon. Just like most scholars have accepted. And the 20, 000 to 140, 000 imagined wandering Israelites on the desert aren't "small movement of the people." There should be many visible and permanent traces of such a great desert march if it were true. But actually there are none.

But thanks for your video and good presentation.

[ace]

I can't wait for this one! Love all your work!

[saintbrush]

Im extremely impressed by how you, a follower of the philosophies of Jesus of Nazareth, take a very nuanced apporach to the history of the movement. As an exchristian I must say, I consider these lectures most valuable and I learn so much. Thank you.

[dbry]

Love your work. Thank you. On R. Carrier, I read his book on the Bayes theorem approach, and it was a mistake trying to wedge historical/lit analysis into a mathematical formula. But it is a useful model for thinking about historical knowledge, which is uncertain. It's about what's probable given all this other stuff we accept as fairly certain. For me, Jesus need not have walked on Earth to explain all that was written about him. Whether he walked or didn't, he's been lied about a lot by powerful people, so much so that who the man actually was doesn't seem to matter. I'm for certain values he is said to have promoted, and I take them quite seriously, whether he lived or not.

[mariaalvarez]

Grasias me gusta la lectura grasias bendisiones

[DinoDudeDillon]

Yet another fascinating lecture from Center Place