The Gospels Explained - Paperback

by Albertus Pretorius (Author)

How credible are the Gospel narratives in the Bible? What did really happen during the life of Jesus of Nazareth? This ground-breaking book is destined to revolutionize the discipline of New Testament studies. Its aim is to provide a novel, original, and credible explanation of the origins and contents of the Gospel narratives in the New Testament of the Bible, as well as some extra-biblical writings, using critical, scientific, and rational methods and techniques, from the perspective of a non-partisan historian. This book examines the value of the narratives as historical sources for the life, teachings, and execution of Jesus of Nazareth and to reconstruct his life as far as possible after the mythological, metaphysical, dogmatic, legendary, and obviously skewed descriptions of his life have been exposed and cleared away. New insights regarding the background of the Gospels are presented and the previously ignored and hidden role of astronomical and astrological phenomena in the life of Jesus is highlighted. No serious student of the Bible can ignore this book.

Author Biography

Albertus Pretorius is a retired minister of religion of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa who served in three congregations and held two academic positions. He studied ancient languages, theology, philosophy, history, and psychology in South Africa and Europe and received two doctorates. He is interested in all things scientific and his favorite pastime is to read non-fiction.