"One of those rare volumes that . . . makes one wonder how we could possibly have lived without it. . . . [A] must-read for any student of the New Testament." — Publishers Weekly In this groundbreaking and controversial book, Burton Mack brilliantly exposes how the Gospels are fictional mythologies created by different communities for various purposes and are only distantly related to the actual historical Jesus. Mack's innovative scholarship which boldly challenges traditional Christian understanding will change the way you approach the New Testament and think about how Christianity arose. "A powerful, compact, yet detailed introduction to the New Testament and the origins of Christianity. Mack has sketched the panorama of early Christian literature and social development in a lucid, convincing, and magisterial performance."— Robert W. Funk, founder of the Jesus Seminar and author of The Five Gospels "Certainly Mack's book should take a place in the front ranks [of New Testament introductions]." — Booklist "Finally! Someone has penetrated the theological agenda that has informed a century of New Testament scholarship to provide a thoroughgoing historical overview of Christian origins." Luther H. Martin, author of Hellenistic Religions
