Rating: 
Summary: Pure Revisionism
Review: This is a purely revisionist text with little basis in reality or fact. Jesus was a normal name in the first century AD. How do we know? Because Josephus, a Jewish scholar who worked for the Romans and fought in the Jewish War of 70 AD. Josephus reported that a man named Jesus had been a leader among the Jewish people and created a 'tribe' o Christians, followers, who he reported 'to this day exist'. Thus we see that a very accurate history by a contemporary of Jesus wrote about Jesus as a real person, a real man. The deeds and the acts of Jesus may very well be mythic but the reality of a living person named Jesus is just not up for debate. This book tries to defame and revise the history of the Gospels by claiming that the 'sect' of Christianity had some Pagan elements. This may be true due to interactions of early Christians with Pagan tribes in Anatolia and Rome, but this doesn't cast the existence of Jesus in doubt, rather it casts the Christian theology into doubt. So here we have a classic text that tries to pretend Christianity is a 'myth'. But the reality is he early gospels of Mathew have many very historical parts to them. For instance Matthew details the lineage of Jesus back to King David, thus trying to make Jesus out to be a legitimate Jewish Messiah. If Jesus was a pagan god then why would Matthew have wasted time tracing his genealogy? This is one of many factual holes not addressed in this work. Seth J. Frantzman
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling Arguments
Review: A very interesting and compelling book and abundantly referrenced. Their arguments, while not exactly original, are worthy of reading for those who have never investigated this topic. However, don't expect anything like a definitive argument on any topic addressed here in this book. While their points are interesting, they are made in a rather patchy manner. I don't recall any argument being made in an exhaustively logical and completely documented manner. This is not to say that the book is unworthy of its arguments, for the book is clearly a mere introduction or invitation to further investigate the subjects addressed. I would like to see the authors write the rest of the story to their many suppositions. I certainly find the book worthy of purchase and a good read. However, there are other weaknesses. The authors can hardly hide their enchantment with the Gnostic tradition. This is a very pro-Gnostic book. Yes, they do argue that the Gnostics were the only christians who understood the true meaning of the Jesus Mystery, but to the discerning reader it becomes clear that they favor a Gnostic perception and interpretation of God. This is all fine, but their objectivity is at risk when they convey, in their writings, this bias. On many levels, though, they have made clearer many of my own long-time difficulties with bible texts. Many technical flaws of the bible are pointed out in this book, but for me it is a deeper feeling of uneasyness about the veracity of many biblical passages that they have illuminated. Anyway, get this book, read it, and expect to be at the start of a new journey towards a fuller understanding of the person of Jesus and the new testament. Whether you accept their arguments or reject them, this side of the story of Jesus is worth knowing.
Rating: 
Summary: the truth your preacher desperately wants to hide
Review: For years I searched in vain for the answers that this book contains. It is one of the most powerful and basic books available for refuting Christian literalism. The essence of its benefit is this: there are crucial comments made in the ancient texts written by Clement of Alexandria which are some of the weightiest arguments against Christian literalism that exist. Yet hardly any Christian preacher has even heard of them! Modern Christianity thrives on ignorance. This covering up of relevant facts is just a form of Christian dishonesty which has kept literalism alive. Get the facts and think for yourself. Jesus IS a ripoff of the ancient Mystery Cults; Osiris was born of a virgin and resurrected just as Jesus was...in mythological terms only. Even if you don't agree with my conclusion, NO ONE can refute the similarities between Jesus and NUMEROUS ancient Sun Gods. Jesus is only a copy of them.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: I was very shy about touching another "Christianity is lying" book. This book shines light on the truth. If you are a Christian who is unsure about church history, or want to know why some things in the Bible don't make sense...read this book. The current model of Jesus was created between Gnostic fictional tales, and Constantine's need for one God, one religion. Regardless if Jesus lived or not, after reading this book you will understand that what is presented in the Bible, and in church is a pile of lies built on Rome's need for one religion. God might not be dead, but modern Christianity is a lie. Jesus was a philosopher, not God. Each page will present you with endless scriptural refernces, and "doctrinal" concepts for you to analyze. Get out your Hebrew and Greek dictionary, and be prepared for the truth to set you free.
Rating: 
Summary: You call this scholarship?
Review: You call this scholarship? Almost all their sources were completely outdated, and I cannot find a good amount of their references in American libraries. If you're going to try to say that Christianity was a spinoff of paganism, would you kindly try harder than this? And their list of Bible "contradictions" was amusing to say the least; any amateur Greek student can refute these "scholars." So throw me something that I can sink my teeth into! Until then, this book will continue to serve as a paperweight.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and detailed
Review: I found this book fascinating and full of very interesting and surprising details that were carefully crafted into a very cogent and readable presentation of the thesis put forward by the authors; simply, that the Jesus myth derived from the Pagan Mystery myths. Even if you are not inclined to accept such a conclusion, the book is very worthwhile due to the concepts, mythology and history it explores. The authors present a wealth of information about the Pagan Mysteries, early Christianity, Gnosticism and the evolution of Christianity, as we know it. They included an extensive bibliography for further reading and 63 pages of endnotes.
My knowledge of that time period was limited to my reading of the Roman historians, Western Civilization classes and the 4 canonical gospels. Reading this book shed light and revealed new textures of the first two centuries CE. Discussion of the meaning of Logos, and the notion of Jehovah as a "mediator demiurge" (rather than the real God) were very thought provoking.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting to say the least. I feel my eyes are opened as
Review: As I was saying, I feel as if my eyes are open now. You see
they don't teach these facts of history in bible school, private
tutoring or in public school history classes. I suppose these
facts of no literature found until the 4th or 5th century CE(common era) regarding anything about Jesus would have cause
some problems with all the kids asking questions and then
providing dates and all. I wish more scholars could actually get there works up to the status of TOP TEN or #1 NEW YORK BEST SELLERS list. People have
read thousands of those, but I seriously doubt any have read
anything like this book. I will now be looking for more
on this Jesus subject, besides the 3 versions that I've read
of that Bible. Cordially, Sin etc. Me, myself and I always, bye-bye-now
Rating: 
Summary: Mysterious research
Review: I have stated in other reviews proudly my faith and Christian beliefs. I read this title determined if I chose to review it on Amazon(which I have), I would put all my effort into not letting my bias reflect into my review.
I started this book months ago before throwing it away in disgust... I got as far as 20 pages or so and justified putting it aside as saying their premise didn't offend my faith, I just had trouble stomaching that much sophistry. The authors boldly put forth their thesis and withing 20 pages I saw at least 3 errors in their reasoning, and further compounding this was the sloppy way they contradicted statements, perhaps hoping to confuse the reader enough to convince them of their rightness with smoke and mirrors.
Then this week I needed something "interesting and non-fictional" to read, and gave this book another shot.
I can not say I am glad I read this book, I can not say I regret the time spent reading it. The fact is the authors have some interesting theories, and are presumably knowledgeable where they speak of pagan beliefs and rituals. I learnt much reading this so I can not say it is a bad book or a poorly written book (though there are parts where one almost could say it was poorly written). My main "beef" if you will is uneveness throughout. There are times when it seems the authors are researching deep into the subject seeking answers to pertinant question and scholarly giving in-depth helpful foot notes. Then there are parts when I thought they had jumped to their conclusions long before writing and searched desperately with any source to call upon to back up their claims. "Get off the fence!" You yell, is this review a recomendation of the book or a pan? I can only suggest that if anyone is interested in specualation of Jesus and wonders about other pagan rites and philosophies they read this with a grain of salt. And while reading this please believe the maxin You can't believe everything you read.
Rating:
Summary: The Organic Jesus
Review: This book helps validate in my mind the notion I've had for years that Christianity and the Jesus myths were "organically" evolved from earlier stories, interpreted in this case against the context of the emergent Jewish culture. I'm no scholar, just an interested party, but the ideas explored in this book were for me a significant introduction to a whole paradigm well worth exploring. The gist of the book is simply that the story of Jesus is the same as the myths told by the ancients for thousands of years prior to the alleged appearance of Jesus. Numerous cultures, including the Egyptians, the Persians, the Syrians, the Babyilonians, the Greeks, the Romans, and eventually the Jews all had fundamentally the same story, but made manifest in the unique cultural context of their own time and their own paradigms. What was unique about the Jesus story was the claim that THIS God-man was an historical figure, transcending myth. They do an intriguing job of discussing the evolution of two camps of Christianity--the Literalists and the Gnostics--and demonstrating how the Literalists won the day when their philosophy and stories of Jesus were adopted by Constantine as the official religion of the Roman Empire. And in winning, they got to write the official history and eradicate all competition! What was one of the most important realizations for me was the recognition of how the obscure little region known as Palestine, little more than a footnote in the geographical and historical landscape of its day, could produce one of the most important and influential religions of all time. If the thesis of this book is correct, it suddenly makes perfect sense! The "mysteries" of the Jesus cult were very recognizable to the pagans of the entire Roman Empire, so when Constantine adopted it as his own (for expressly political versus spiritual reasons), the mysteries were easily incorporated into the fabric of Roman life...and therefore took an obscure little religion from an insignificant corner of the world, and launched it on the world stage as the official religion of the most powerful empire on the planet. I don't doubt for a minute that there are numerous other ways of interpreting the data that the authors claim validates their theory. I don't doubt that their conclusions are more or less a rehash of the debates that have raged for millenia, and fueled most especially by the discoveries made at Nag Hamadi and the Dead Sea. What they HAVE done is provide this particular perspective in a very readible and accessible form, one that can be read by the layperson, and which no doubt sets them up for considerable criticism by those who are gonna HATE what they propose. They propose nothing less than the idea that there was no historical Jesus...but they go on to describe how that could be a boon for civilization, not its end. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I really liked this book, it challeneged me to rethink what I used to call Jesus.
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