Jesus: The Final Days [Paperback]

This small book contains a wealth of information about the resurrection. Evans and Wright, both famous biblical scholars, have aimed it at the general reader, not the scholar, so it's accessible and entertaining.

First, did Jesus exist? "No serious historian of any religious or nonreligious stripe doubts that Jesus...really lived...and was executed" (p 3). Pilate focused on the claim that Jesus was king of the Jews, which would be considered a threat to the Romans, even if Jesus only had a handful of followers. No wonder, then, that the soldiers mocked and saluted Jesus as a king, and even, on the cross, offered him spiced vinegar, a drink "which mimics spiced wine, often served to kings" (p 26). And the titulus again mentions the claim to kingship.

Most readers will find the information on crucifixion and Jewish burial practices quite interesting. Recent archaeological finds have increased our knowledge here considerably, especially since a Jew who had been crucified was recently discovered. "The Jewish people thought that the soul of the deceased lingered near the corpse for three days" (p 45).

The last essay, by Wright, is compelling. Wright has published an important book on the subject of resurrection, and this is a short version of some of his main arguments.

Resurrection "was not a fancy way of talking about a beautiful, glorious life after death" (p 78) nor was it about a vision of a ghost. Within Christianity, "there is virtually no spectrum of belief about resurrection" (85). The early Christians believed passionately, not only in the reality of Jesus' resurrection, but that they, also, would one day be resurrected.

Wright points out that the crucifixion of Jesus should have ended his movement. Surely the inglorious deaths of other would-be saviors of the Jews had ended their movements. Yet the followers of Jesus were not discouraged, but encouraged. Christianity not only survived, it thrived, and it did so in spite of the ignominy of the death of Jesus.

These short, snappy arguments should be of immense use to many readers.

"Jesus: the Final Days" is essentially composed of three essays based on lectures from the noted scholars Dr. Craig Evans and Dr. N.T. Wright. Having read some previous writings from both authors and enjoyed them, I had high hopes for this slim volume. I was not disappointed. In fact, I only really wish they had written more on some of the subjects.

The book is divided into three main segements:

I. An essay by Dr. Evans examining immediate reasons why Jesus was crucified (authorities saw him as a potential political threat), who the immediate responsible parties were (Roman with some influencial Jewish religious leaders cooperating), and what happened to Jesus. In particular, Evans points out the mockery and how close it follows typical Roman practice.

II. Essay II concerns Jewish Burial practices and Roman law. It may be the best chapter in the book though all were enjoyable. Included are discussions involving the skeleton of Yehohanan, reasons why Jesus would have been allowed burial in the circumstances, and a number of other interesting facts (in one part, Evans even argues a point utilizing fifteenth century skeletons from Towton [the use was actually quite justified in this particular segment]). Evans also takes some good shots at the old "Swoon Theory" and Talpiot Tomb along the way.

III. Essay III deals with resurrection and covers topics ranging from eyewitness sources to comparisons of Second Temple Jewish, ancient pagan, and modern feelings on the subject of Resurrection. As usual, N.T. Wright writes in a very readable style and makes on the whole good arguementation.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable read and indeed a relatively quick read. It is loaded with interesting information though I wish it could have been longer. I should point out that both authors (and myself for that matter) generally hold conservative theological beliefs on the question at hand (neither author is close to fundamentalist though). Overall, a fine work that I recommend.

The other reviews summarize well this little gem of a book. Let me just add that it is simply the best 100 page book I have ever read. I have had it for over a month and decided to read it the weekend of passion Week. It was not only spiritually appropriate, it was intellectually satisfying. It embodies the compressed work of two of our best scholars and apologists for the Christian faith. These two have written much larger works on these themes. Evans has a remarkable work titled "Jesus and the Ossuaries." Here in two chapters you can have a precis of his research into death and burial practices of the first century and what they tell us about Jesus' death and burial. Wright has authored the magnum opus of all books on the resurrection - an 800 page tome titled "The Resurrection of the Son of God." You should read it, but if you can't, here are his conclusions in a remarkably compact and succinct nutshell. Wright has a gift of expressing old truths in fresh ways and showing their relevance for life. One last observation. How anyone can read his work(s) on the resurrection and still question his orthodoxy is simply beyond my comprehension. Such attacks say more about the attackers than they do about Wright's orthodoxy!