Rating: 
Summary: The Real Jesus hits back at the Seminar.
Review: 'The Real Jesus' is a brilliant arguement against the present trend to 're-evaluate' Jesus in light of archaelogical reconstruction. Directed specifically against the 'Jesus Seminar' and its liberal opinions, Johnson deftly uses tongue-in-cheek arguement to deflate many of the pontifications of the Seminar. There is only one recent book that I would more highly recommend than this book and that would be the inspired "The Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years" by Richard G. Patton. No matter which side of the fence you find yourself - faith or modern archaelogical revelation - Patton has depicted a believable teacher of great compassion that straddles both camps. Undoubtedly this debate will outlive all of us, but Johnson has crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's in favour of Faith being the determinant of Ultimate Truth. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed this book...
Review: ...but not right away. The first couple of chapters seemed too strongly written against the Jesus Seminar and the media for me to take it seriously. It felt like he was a little too passionate to present a fair argument. I think it's important to write more objectively about such a sensitive subject. I was glad, however, when he ripped into some of the so-called "Amateurs." Popular books written by people like Bishop John Spong are dangerous to the Church because of the attention they receive...and people read them and assume that the writer is telling the absolute truth. I do certainly have more respect for "Academicians" Borg and Crossan. They seem to be making a reasonable, scholarly attempt at finding the Truth. Yet Johnson made several good points against their work, too.Deeper into the book, Johnson gives a great discussion of history and its limits, and is probably the most honest and convincing take on the subject I've read in a long time. Chapter 5 ("What's historical about Jesus?") is worth the price of the book by itself. Johnson's methodology is the most logical for reconstructing the historical Jesus that I've come across, and he doesn't seem to get ahead of the data and make false assumptions. He actually starts with non-biblical sources for information on the historical Jesus, and then moves to the earliest writings we have in the New Testament (Paul's letters), whereas the Jesus Seminar gives little-if any-value to these early writings that we have. I do think it is important to realize that each and every one of us comes to the table with thoughts and ideas so embedded in our minds that it's practically (if not literally) impossible to approach the Historical Jesus subject objectively. Borg does, Crossan does, and even the author, Johnson does. That's why I think it's best to get books from several perspectives. Don't just limit yourself to what you believe. Let some other works stretch you. Peace.
Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed this book...
Review: ...but not right away. The first couple of chapters seemed too strongly written against the Jesus Seminar and the media for me to take it seriously. It felt like he was a little too passionate to present a fair argument. I think it's important to write more objectively about such a sensitive subject. I was glad, however, when he ripped into some of the so-called "Amateurs." Popular books written by people like Bishop John Spong are dangerous to the Church because of the attention they receive...and people read them and assume that the writer is telling the absolute truth. I do certainly have more respect for "Academicians" Borg and Crossan. They seem to be making a reasonable, scholarly attempt at finding the Truth. Yet Johnson made several good points against their work, too. Deeper into the book, Johnson gives a great discussion of history and its limits, and is probably the most honest and convincing take on the subject I've read in a long time. Chapter 5 ("What's historical about Jesus?") is worth the price of the book by itself. Johnson's methodology is the most logical for reconstructing the historical Jesus that I've come across, and he doesn't seem to get ahead of the data and make false assumptions. He actually starts with non-biblical sources for information on the historical Jesus, and then moves to the earliest writings we have in the New Testament (Paul's letters), whereas the Jesus Seminar gives little-if any-value to these early writings that we have. I do think it is important to realize that each and every one of us comes to the table with thoughts and ideas so embedded in our minds that it's practically (if not literally) impossible to approach the Historical Jesus subject objectively. Borg does, Crossan does, and even the author, Johnson does. That's why I think it's best to get books from several perspectives. Don't just limit yourself to what you believe. Let some other works stretch you. Peace.
Rating: 
Summary: The book "The Real Jesus" is about the Real Jesus
Review: A lot of nonsense has been written about Jesus during the last few years, and meant to be swallowed as serious scholarship. The unwary reader is perhaps the easiest target for this kind of stuff. In just one book Dr.Like Timothy Johnson puts Jesus in the correct perspective. A must for scholar and layman alike.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent rebuttal, but does he point the right way forward?
Review: A penetrating rebuttal of the pretentious "findings" of the half-baked "scholarship" that the Jesus Seminar, and others like it, represent. It is also a diagnosis of the woeful state of biblical scholarship in the much of the church and academy. Johnson's book is especially significant, because not only does he take on the "scholarship" that the Jesus Seminar and others like it represent, but he also seeks to analyse the cultural and intellectual trends that have made groups like the Jesus Seminar possible. The most controversial part of his book is his construal of the relationship between faith and history. It is a carefully constructed arguement that goes against a lot of the rationale that underlies much of the "Third Quest" literature - even the conservative literature from scholars like N. T. Wright. Although he does not advocate the radical seperation of the Christ of faith from the Christ of history or complete skepticism in regard to the New Testament as a historical source for Jesus' life, as Bultmann did, for example, this is, nevertheless, by the nature of the arguement, the direction that the reader is pushed in. Because of this, and despite the stirring epilogue, Johnson leaves me a little unsatisfied with his arguement. One would like to ask: how is the Jesus of faith a more "authentic" knowlege of the real Jesus than the Jesus of history or how is existential, personal knowlege necessarily more reliable in matters of Christian faith than historical knowlege? He seems to perpetuate a false dichotomy, in my opinion between Christ as experienced today and the figure that walked Palastine 2000 years ago. Despite this Johnson distills a wealth of reflection and learning into a readable book. It's a book not only written to rebut pseudo-scholarship, but also to interpret the signs of the times in the church and point a better way ahead for all Christians.
Rating:
Summary: Right On The Money
Review: A perfect demolition of the quackery and pseudo-scholarship of the Jesus Seminar. It is amazing how people have been duped by Borg, Crossan, et.al. simply because they call themselves "scholars" and falsely portray themselves as representing current mainstream "scholarship". The real Jesus is in the Bible, exactly as he is revealed there by God's inspired Word, and the truth about his divine birth, life, miracles, death, resurrection and saving is found there too. He is who the Bible tells us He is, period. Thanks to Luke Johnson for setting the record straight once and for all.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent scholarship!
Review: A superb exposition of many of the fallacious methods of research and reasoning both implicit and explicit in the "Jesus seminar" and other attempts to get at the historical Jesus. It's disturbing to see how some of these scholars are, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, nibbling away at the basic Christian mysteries while holding up their research as somehow corrective of the ancient doctrines.. Johnson exposes this and yet manages to give credit where credit is due. His reflections on the "real Jesus" as the resurrected Christ encountered by the Christian community puts the historical Jesus quest in proper perspective. Five stars for this book of solid research by a first-rate Scripture scholar!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent scholarship!
Review: A superb exposition of many of the fallacious methods of research and reasoning both implicit and explicit in the "Jesus seminar" and other attempts to get at the historical Jesus. It's disturbing to see how some of these scholars are, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, nibbling away at the basic Christian mysteries while holding up their research as somehow corrective of the ancient doctrines.. Johnson exposes this and yet manages to give credit where credit is due. His reflections on the "real Jesus" as the resurrected Christ encountered by the Christian community puts the historical Jesus quest in proper perspective. Five stars for this book of solid research by a first-rate Scripture scholar!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Book
Review: Anyone interested in the entire historical Jesus enterprise should own this book. Johnson's critique of the methodologies (or lack thereof) of the higher critics of the gospel is enlightening.
Rating:
Summary: A Clear Statement of Half the Story
Review: Anyone who reads Luke Timothy Johnson's The Real Jesus owes it to themselves to read Robert J. Miller's The Jesus Seminar and It's Critics as well. Not to do so would be less than honest. Together the two books offer both sides of a debate that is important for Christianity and historical scholarship. Johnson presents his views well, if a bit polemically, but why would anyone want to get only one side of the story? Read both and decide for yourself who is right.
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