- Publisher : Jonathan Dean (July 10, 2022)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 240 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1778250408
- ISBN-13 : 978-1778250408
- Item Weight : 1.25 pounds
- Dimensions : 8.5 x 0.51 x 11 inches
Here is the back cover text: and my review is below it.
What did Jesus do?
What did Jesus say?
Who was Jesus?
Salt & Light is the definitive statement concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
history's most compelling figure. The single most important book about
the Historical Jesus in the last 30 years,
more comprehensive than Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands a Verdict
and more powerful than C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.
However, even today, there is still general confusion surrounding him:
Was (Is) Jesus God?
Did Jesus even exist?
Did he rise from the dead?
What are we to make of the miracles?
Is he Peter's Jesus or Paul's Christ? Or both?
Is there evidence for Jesus outside the Bible?
Should we still believe? If so, believe what?
What does ALL the evidence point to?
Salt & Light does not shy away from addressing these and other tough
questions. For the first time ever, after years of research using the
complete body of early Christian literature and recent modern
scholarship, including new and exciting discoveries in many areas such
as early manuscripts, science, New Testament studies, archaeology, and
history, the real Jesus emerges. Dean offers an eminently readable yet
powerful portrait of the authentic Jesus full of astonishing facts for
both believers and skeptics alike. So come along for an utterly
fascinating journey and meet the historical Jesus, learn about his
mission, and discover his teaching!
What did Jesus do?
What did Jesus say?
Who was Jesus?
Salt & Light is the definitive statement concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
history's most compelling figure. The single most important book about
the Historical Jesus in the last 30 years,
more comprehensive than Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands a Verdict
and more powerful than C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity.
However, even today, there is still general confusion surrounding him:
Was (Is) Jesus God?
Did Jesus even exist?
Did he rise from the dead?
What are we to make of the miracles?
Is he Peter's Jesus or Paul's Christ? Or both?
Is there evidence for Jesus outside the Bible?
Should we still believe? If so, believe what?
What does ALL the evidence point to?
Salt & Light does not shy away from addressing these and other tough
questions. For the first time ever, after years of research using the
complete body of early Christian literature and recent modern
scholarship, including new and exciting discoveries in many areas such
as early manuscripts, science, New Testament studies, archaeology, and
history, the real Jesus emerges. Dean offers an eminently readable yet
powerful portrait of the authentic Jesus full of astonishing facts for
both believers and skeptics alike. So come along for an utterly
fascinating journey and meet the historical Jesus, learn about his
mission, and discover his teaching!
Review: Salt & Light the complete Jesus by Jonathan Geoffrey Dean
Back in March, Jonathan Dean emailed me to make me aware of his book Salt & Light the complete Jesus. Interestingly, this book is comprised of 32 chapters. Thirty-two is said to be the number of Covenant which serves as a foundation for the story of God's people.
This book is deemed to be created for all readers who wish to find the real Jesus’ complete story. There are preliminaries and references for further reading and appendices with side discussions.
I was pleased the book began with the analogy of a picture, taken from the house church in Dura-Europos, Syria; paired with Jesus obscured. I started reading this ebook on Sept 11th and on page eight, in my reader, I saw a reference to this date.
The first chapter begins with noting the questioning, confusion, and considerations of different faiths /opinions of Jesus. Applying four rules to filter many hundreds of potential sources appeared to be a logical and necessary step though one might question persuasive interpretation in that the four rule filter selected would promote pure intellectuality and perhaps suppress the pure emotion and sensation that many of us use to react to certain stimuli.
This book does speak of skepticism of the “almost indisputable facts” about Jesus. We are informed Jesus' followers spread the story of Jesus through preaching and teaching. And more than factual history followers were glancing at the opinions of their authors. Accordingly, I relied on the appendices to gain a more comprehensive understanding of occurrences.
Moving on, the uncertainty in how to go about identifying “authentic” information is understood. We are aware of the destruction of historical records throughout history- be it by fire or an act of war where one must recognize cause and effect happens in our daily lives as it did in history. Destruction leaves holes in the collective historical records and a myriad of methods are used to recover it. Thankfully, collaborative programs have been created to help store historical records through libraries and historical connections.
Overall, this book does read like an academic reference book filled with analysis, and discernment. Scholars' date deductions were challenged citing the author's own research and analysis. I appreciate that he wrote about the complications he ran into while striving to find sources. He recognized and made us aware of the number- play distorts and the importance of looking at the context of a fragment. There were many intriguing images included that were new to me. Furthermore, he reminds us there were manuscripts found that were bundled and unrecorded for 1,500 years.
In closing, I admire the passion and dedication Jonathan Geoffrey Dean had in creating this book and recognize that Christian belief in God and His Son Jesus is often a reliance based on faith's spiritual beauty rather than proof.
Readers' Favorite Book Award Honorable Mention (Christian-Non Fiction, 2022)
Update
Salt & Light; The Complete Jesus has been recognized with over 30 awards including 12 Gold Medal/First Place winners in the categories of biography, history, and non-fiction Christian, along with rave reviews.
About the Author
Jonathan Geoffrey Dean is a New Testament scholar, researcher, author,
political leader, and thought leader. Salt & Light; The Complete Jesus is
his reaction to Jesus. He is a partner in an investment advisory firm
and lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with his wife Lynn and new puppy
Sprout.
political leader, and thought leader. Salt & Light; The Complete Jesus is
his reaction to Jesus. He is a partner in an investment advisory firm
and lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with his wife Lynn and new puppy
Sprout.