History of the Origins of Christianity Bk4

History  by 
Ernest Renan

History of the Origins of Christianity is a seven-volume series written by Ernest Renan, a French philosopher, historian, and scholar of religious studies. Life of Jesus rose to prominence throughout Renan’s lifetime. It investigated Christ’s life solely historically, following the traditions of nineteenth-century German higher criticism.

Renan was dubious of accepting the historical actuality of the elements of the supernatural found in the New Testament, and his skeptical discernment of the gospels led him to deny the divinity of Christ. Scandalous in its nature, Life of Jesus has had a significant impact on the fields of contemporary biblical criticism and Christology. Many additions and contradictions have followed since its publication, notably Albert Schweitzer’s Quest for the Historical.

While the series proved to cause turmoil in the religious and philosophical communities, it is, without a doubt, a thought-provoking material to read for any Christians hoping to challenge their knowledge in theology.