The NT is the best contemporary resource available for the life and death of Jesus. There are to be sure other secular sources such as Josephus, but they do not have nearly the depth of description and detail that are available here. The problem, of course, is that the NT documents were written by "true believers" and thus are expected to be biased. The question is, can we use them anyway? I believe we can, as I'll explain in the next few pages. The NT is not some mystical "God book," but is comprised of straightforward prose describing people and events. If you've never looked at it, it might be a good idea simply so that you become familiar with it rather than being dependent on the thoughts and opinions of others. For what it's worth, I'd suggest you start by reading the book of John, the fourth book of the NT, which gives a description of the life of Jesus and a good introduction to what the NT is like. The NT is made up of three sections: the history of the life of Jesus and the early church the epistles or letters from Paul and others John's apocalyptic vision of the Revelation |
