Bøger af Maurice Goguel

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Originally published in 1926, this classic investigation into the question of the historicity of Jesus by Maurice Goguel, Professor of New Testament Criticism at the University of Paris, is considered one of the most important rebuttals of the "Myth Theory" of Christian origins. Advocated by a number of scholars in Europe and America, the theory maintained that Christianity evolved as an amalgam of salvation myths in circulation during the early centuries of the Roman Empire. The corollary of the theory is that the historical Jesus never existed.Goguel first examines the meager non-Christian evidence from antiquity that attests to the existence of Christianity -- i.e., in the works of Tacitus, Pliny, and Josephus, among others. Based on a statement about Christians in the Annals of Tacitus, Goguel is convinced that Tacitus knew of a document that "connected Christianity with the Christ crucified by Pontius Pilate." He then devotes considerable attention to the letters of Paul, pointing out many points of historical reference in Paul that make it highly probable that Jesus was an actual religious leader. In particular he notes the sometimes-contentious relation between Paul and James, the brother of Jesus, as well as Jesus' apostles. He asks why such details of conflict and disharmony among early Christians would be preserved in accounts that were completely fabricated.Finally, he examines the four gospels. While recognizing their inadequacy as reliable historical accounts and the implausibility of reports of miracles in them, he argues that claims of miraculous power were commonplace in describing extraordinary persons in antiquity, including Roman emperors and heroes. Goguel's analysis is especially important because he applies a thoroughly rationalist critique to the gospels without suggesting that the historical core of the story is negated by the fabulous and mythological details that give it context.This classic text is essential reading for anyone interested in the modern quest for the historical Jesus.