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A review by deinnos
How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman
3.5
3.5 out of 5
A lot of fascinating information delivered in just a few chapters but man was it dense. Each chapter could basically be its own with how much every individual one packs a punch. As someone that grew up practicing Catholicism, it definitely made me question a lot of things but also felt much more informed about Christianity as a whole than whatever Sunday school ever taught me.
I remember being a little girl and asking my mother why is it that at Sunday school we never got to learn about the history of our faith and how the Church came to be. I always used the analogy of it's like asking the citizens of a country to believe in its laws but not having any idea why those laws are in effect or how the country came to be. I was always voracious in wanting to know more and more yet none of my curiosity or questions seemed to get answered. Until now.
The historical lens in which Ehrman showcases Jesus and the disciples, primarily Paul, was fascinating. This is the type of information I think so many Christian, regardless of denomination, is missing to truly understand something as complex as the Bible. So many try to fit their narratives in scripture written thousands of years old without any consideration of all the religious, social, and political turmoil. Another aspect that really stood out to me is that it never shies away from making it explicitly clear that Jesus was Jewish, with Jewish customs and beliefs adequate of his time. And probably the biggest thesis of the book is that Jesus never claimed to be God, but rather that was a conception later developed by Christians in order to reconcile the event of the Resurrection alongside others.
As mentioned previously, it was a very dense reads. The manner in which some of the arguments were constructed felt so winded, but at the same time like we had just barely scratched the surface. In part I think it's Ehrman's style but also myself lacking some of the background to fully understand where he was coming from. And due to that reason, it could also be why I sometimes felt a bit lost when he went into the more niche topics. While this is to be an introduction it also felt like it required of you to have some previous knowledge. Lastly, reading this as an audiobook, while it helped to stay engaged, the narrator choice was awful. They sounded like they were AI generated.
Even though I had been a non-practicing Catholic for over a decade, many argument truly shocked me to my core. It made rethink everything I have been taught. It was amazing. While there was some uncomfortable cognitive dissonance I felt during some moments, I was truly engrossed and elated at being to understand Christianity from this perspective. And there were other moments were I felt some peace in my heart at last, as if some of the questions I've had since I was a little girl were finally answered. I personally think that to those that can read these type of books and confront the inconsistencies found in your holy book and religious beliefs have to have the strongest faith in their God.
A lot of fascinating information delivered in just a few chapters but man was it dense. Each chapter could basically be its own with how much every individual one packs a punch. As someone that grew up practicing Catholicism, it definitely made me question a lot of things but also felt much more informed about Christianity as a whole than whatever Sunday school ever taught me.
I remember being a little girl and asking my mother why is it that at Sunday school we never got to learn about the history of our faith and how the Church came to be. I always used the analogy of it's like asking the citizens of a country to believe in its laws but not having any idea why those laws are in effect or how the country came to be. I was always voracious in wanting to know more and more yet none of my curiosity or questions seemed to get answered. Until now.
The historical lens in which Ehrman showcases Jesus and the disciples, primarily Paul, was fascinating. This is the type of information I think so many Christian, regardless of denomination, is missing to truly understand something as complex as the Bible. So many try to fit their narratives in scripture written thousands of years old without any consideration of all the religious, social, and political turmoil. Another aspect that really stood out to me is that it never shies away from making it explicitly clear that Jesus was Jewish, with Jewish customs and beliefs adequate of his time. And probably the biggest thesis of the book is that Jesus never claimed to be God, but rather that was a conception later developed by Christians in order to reconcile the event of the Resurrection alongside others.
As mentioned previously, it was a very dense reads. The manner in which some of the arguments were constructed felt so winded, but at the same time like we had just barely scratched the surface. In part I think it's Ehrman's style but also myself lacking some of the background to fully understand where he was coming from. And due to that reason, it could also be why I sometimes felt a bit lost when he went into the more niche topics. While this is to be an introduction it also felt like it required of you to have some previous knowledge. Lastly, reading this as an audiobook, while it helped to stay engaged, the narrator choice was awful. They sounded like they were AI generated.
Even though I had been a non-practicing Catholic for over a decade, many argument truly shocked me to my core. It made rethink everything I have been taught. It was amazing. While there was some uncomfortable cognitive dissonance I felt during some moments, I was truly engrossed and elated at being to understand Christianity from this perspective. And there were other moments were I felt some peace in my heart at last, as if some of the questions I've had since I was a little girl were finally answered. I personally think that to those that can read these type of books and confront the inconsistencies found in your holy book and religious beliefs have to have the strongest faith in their God.