Behold the Man: The Real Life of the Historical Jesus (ISBN 1581126336)

So close, yet so far off!:
This author does a commenable job of describing the political realities of the Roman occupation of Judea, and the political intrigue of the day. But Jesus was not mere man! Although fully man, he is also fully Diety. To assert an earthly father is to belie any trust in what Jesus said of himself. Take, for instance, when Jesus said "before Abraham came into being, I am" Abraham, the patriarch of the Jews, was born some 2,000 years before Jesus, and yet Jesus claimed to already exist! Jesus did not need to be saved by his suffering, we did! His is OUR savior! He is perfect, we are flawed. Those flaws disqualify us from being able to exist in the presense of a Holy God. Before he created the universe, this God decided to pay the price for our failings, and through our acceptance of this payment allow us full access to ont only the throne, but to the adoption as His children! That Jesus did miricles is not something that can be dismissed, or denied, merely because of the passage of time! That these things were as natural to him as breathing is to us was witnessed not only by his chroniclers, but by thousands who did not know him. Those who were familiar with the lame, the blind, the leporous and the dead. This is not the work of some magician who used accomplices to dupe observers. The mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends and neighbors were witness' of these things! Ichi Home! Behold the Man! This 'god' that I have had torn to shreds before your eyes! Take pity on him, as I have done! This was the cry of the Pilot! Caught in the aftermath of a failed attempt on Ceasar's life. Desparate to show his ability to bring peace to a troubled region. Having already been recalled to answer for poor administration, fearing the rumours that inevitably find their way back to Rome. (Failure was often rewared with a command to commit suicide!) And this was not some tragic end to a possible heroic life. This end was foretold, in detail, hundreds and thousands of years before it happened. The Tora, the bible of the Jews, had come to it's then current version some 300 years before the birth of Jesus. Everything, every aspect of his life was foretold. From his birth, the things he would teach to the type of death he would experience - all clearly written down hundreds of years before it happened. Finally, his resurection. This is the seal, the confirmation of all he said and did. And this was not witnessed simply by a handful. Upwards of 500 people at one time, who saw him on that cross (and don't be fooled - the Romans never allowed someone down from a cross alive!) saw him walk the earth, talked to him, touched and ate with him after being crucified. Two of the men who wrote the gospels and the letters, Matthew and John, were eyewitnesses to these events. Mark and Luke wrote down what they heard from eyewitnesses. All of the New Testament was written before the Roman General Titus, the son of the Emporer Justinian, executed the Roman version of the "Final Solution" in 70 AD. Although well written, this "story" must be rejected as from one who himself rejects the true nature of Jesus and what his life, death and resurection is all about.

interested Christian:
Any book that purports to represent the historical Jesus and yet claims He has an earthly father and that His miracles were some form of medicine is pretty much more of a fairy tale rather than a true story of Jesus. I think the author was trying to steal the real Jesus from people by pretending this great knowledge. Historically, it is impossible to have proof either way that Jesus was born of God or not, Having witnessed many genuine miracles Jesus has done in this day, I feel sorry for the guy who thinks Jesus Christ is a phony. There is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and get saved! The recent discovery of the burial box of James, brother of Jesus is archeological proof that Jesus, the man, existed. It's up to each one whether to accept him as God or not. I was disappointed that this promising book did not back up Jesus as God.

Wronnnnng!:
To assert that Jesus was merely and only man, and that He had an earthly father reveals the secularist nature of the writer's opinions about Christ. However, this is not the real Jesus -- merely man and ONLY man. Jesus became man for a short time, for us, for the world. But He is part of the Triune Godhead and today is most definitely not merely a man, not merely an "influential historical figure" as non-Christians enjoy portraying Him. This book will appeal to secularists, non-Christians and certain Christian sects which do not consider Jesus to be Divine. But this book is also not to be construed as the truth as it regards Jesus' nature; He is fully God and was fully man. To ignore the "fully God" part or to gloss over it is to ignore the very nature and truth of Christianity as one of the world's great monotheistic religions.

Jesus Lives! Film at 11...:
Obviously, we don't have footage of the events surrounding Jesus' life. But Kimball does bring Jesus to life with his descriptive writing, painstaking research, and numerous illustrations. The political and religious atmosphere of the period are exhaustively covered, as well as Jesus' own beliefs. Some other reviewers have complained this book doesn't declare Christ's divinity on each page; they missed the point. There are hundreds of books from that perspective, starting with the New Testament. This book claims to be "The Real Life of the Historical Jesus," and that's what it is. But the door is still left open for the reader to come to his/her own conclusions. A must read for anyone interested in the subject.

abe rios seeker, open minded:
the book is great and is similar to the "jesus dynasty" by james tabor, not exactly the same but similar, very interesting and also could be true, by the way i am a catholic but open minded and facinated by ancient biblical history, and ancient civilizations