Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of The Death of Jesus
In his most controversial book, John Dominic Crossan examines the death of Jesus and shows that the traditional understanding of the Gospels as historical fact is not only wrong but dangerous because it has fuelled centuries of anti-Semitism. Based on the best of biblical, anthropological, sociological, and historical research, he demonstrates definitively that it was the Roman government that tried and executed Jesus as a social agitator. Ultimately, Crossan's radical reexamination shows that the belief that the Jews killed Jesus is an early Christian myth (directed against rival Jewish groups) that must be eradicated from authentic Christian faith.