John Dickson, through his four-session small group Bible study, The Christ Files, provides an accessible explanation of - and answers to - the hot issues regarding the historical reliability of Jesus.

John Dickson, through his four-session small group Bible study, The Christ Files, provides an accessible explanation of -- and answers to -- the hot issues regarding the historical reliability of Jesus. Includes one softcover Participant Guide and one DVD.

An exploration of the historicity of Jesus and whether he is relevant today What can we really know for sure about the past? Can anything be trusted as reliable historical fact? What can we really know for sure about the past? Can anything from ancient history be regarded as €˜fact’? In particular, how seriously can we take the historical sources for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? Did he really even live in first-century Galilee and Judaea, or is he a figure of legend? In this timely book, historian Dr John Dickson unpacks how the field of history works, giving readers the tools to evaluate for themselves what we can confidently say about figures like the Emperor Tiberius, Alexander the Great, Pontius Pilate, and, of course, Jesus of Nazareth. He presents the evidence, methods, and conclusions of mainstream scholars-both Christian and not-and asks some pertinent contemporary questions, without offering any pushy answers: If Jesus really did exist, what are we to make of his own claims and those of his followers, and what would any of it mean for us today?

Filmed on location in the Holy Land, Jesus: the Way, the Truth, and the Life is a new and fresh look at Jesus -- who he is, what he is really like, what he taught, and what he did for our salvation. This encounter with Christ will inspire and empower you to center your entire life around him as you come to know and love him in an ever-deeper and more intimate way.

A MYSTERY-THRILLER following a scholar named Josh Koseman in his search for understanding about the life of the historical Jesus... AFTER THE DISAPPEARANCE of his mentor, Myriam de Tourelle, a business man approaches Josh with a proposition: to help him find an ancient lost gospel describing an odd early Christian ritual... AS THE STORY proceeds through the streets of Jerusalem then of Rome, it turns out that several groups are vying to attain the gospel, the contents of which will scandalize the world. Within this maelstrom of turmoil, the scroll becomes a catalyst for change - Josh must face his own past and the demons it contains... --- Dr. Chad Stauber (alumnus of Massey College; PhD, University of Toronto; MA, Hebrew University of Jerusalem) is a specialist in the Second Temple period, early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

What really happened back in the first century, in Jerusalem and around the Sea of Galilee, that changed the shape of world history? Who is this figure that emerges from history to have a profound impact on culture, ethics, politics, and philosophy? Join historian John Dickson on this journey through the life of Jesus. This book, which features a self-contained discussion guide for use with Life of Jesus DVD, will help you and your friends dig deeper into what is known about Jesus’ life and why it matters. “John Dickson has done a marvelous job of presenting the story of Jesus, and the full meaning of that story, in a way that is both deeply faithful to the biblical sources and refreshingly relevant to tomorrow's world and church. I strongly recommend this study to anyone who wants to re-examine the deep historical roots of Christian faith and to find them as life-giving as they ever were.”—Tom Wright

In this New York Times–bestselling study, the co-author of Holy Blood, Holy Grail explores further mysteries surrounding Jesus Christ. What if everything we have been told about the origins of Christianity is a lie? What if a small group had always known the truth and had kept it hidden . . . until now? What if there is evidence that Jesus Christ survived the crucifixion? In Holy Blood, Holy Grail Michael Baigent and his co-authors Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh stunned the world with a controversial theory that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene married and founded a holy bloodline. The book became an international publishing phenomenon and was one of the sources for Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code. Now, with two additional decades of research behind him, Baigent’s The Jesus Papers presents explosive new evidence that challenges everything we know about the life and death of Jesus. Praise for The Jesus Papers “An explosive book.” —The Today Show “Fascinating.” —CNN’s American Morning

This incisive critique thoroughly and convincingly debunks the claims that recently discovered texts such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and even the Dead Sea Scrolls undermine the historical validity of the New Testament. Jenkins places the recent controversies surrounding the hidden gospels in a broad historical context and argues that, far from being revolutionary, such attempts to find an alternative Christianity date back at least to the Enlightenment. By employing the appropriate scholarly and historical methodologies, he demonstrates that the texts purported to represent pristine Christianity were in fact composed long after the canonical gospels found in the Bible. Produced by obscure heretical movements, these texts have attracted much media attention chiefly because they seem to support radical, feminist, and post-modern positions in the modern church. Indeed, Jenkins shows how best-selling books on the "hidden gospels" have been taken up by an uncritical, drama-hungry media as the basis for a social movement that could have powerful effects on the faith and practice of contemporary Christianity.