The Authentic Gospel of Jesus (2003 Vermes), book
The Authentic Gospel of Jesus (2003) is a book by Géza Vermès.
Abstract
"There can be no doubt that Jesus, 'a religious genius', as Geza Vermes describes him, lived and taught in Palestine some 2,000 years ago. The influence he has had is incalculable. How, though, can we distinguish between the doctrines that have been shaped to the needs of the burgeoning Christian church and the original views laid out by the Master himself? How can we dig back through the additions, misinterpretations and confusions of later writers and two millennia of church tradition to return to the authentic gospel of Jesus?" "In his new book, Geza Vermes subjects all the sayings of Jesus to informed scrutiny. Profoundly aware of the limits of our knowledge but immersed in what we do have - both the 'official' gospels and associated Jewish and early Christian texts - Vermes sieves through every quote ascribed to Jesus to let the reader get as close as possible to the charismatic Jewish healer and moralist who changed the world. The result is a book that creates a revolutionary and unexpected picture of Jesus - scraping aside the accretions of centuries to come as close as we can hope to be to his true teaching."--Publisher description.
Editions
Published in London [England]: Allen Lane, 2003.
Contents
Narratives and commands -- Controversy stories -- Words on wisdom -- Teaching in parables -- Quoting or interpreting Scripture -- Prayers and related instructions -- 'Son of man' sayings -- Sayings about the kingdom of God -- Eschatological rules of behaviour -- Toward the authentic gospel.