Overview

'We distinguish by the name evangelical mythus a narrative relating directly or indirectly to Jesus, which may be considered not as the expression of a fact, but as the product of an idea of his earliest followers: such a narrative being mythical in proportion as it exhibits this character...The mythus presents two phases: in the first place it is not history; in the second it is fiction, the product of the particular mental tendency of a certain community - Strauss' Life of Jesus, volume one, trans. George Eliot David Friedrich Strauss's Das Leben Jesu Kritisch Bearbeitet (1835) brought about a new dawn in Biblical criticism by applying the 'myth theory' to the life of Jesus. Strauss treated the Gospel narrative like any other historical work, and denied all supernatural elements in the Gospels. Das Leben Jesu created an overnight sensation and Strauss became embroiled in fierce controversy. This earliest English version of 1846 was translated by the novelist George Eliot, and was her first published book. Strauss's interpretation of biblical events was a result of and a response to the attacks on orthodox Christianity brought by the Enlightenment. In the face of scepticism about such biblical events as miracles, his aim was to explain how Christians came to believe when there was no objective historical basis for their faith. Taking the resurrection as the key article of faith, his verdict was that religion was an expression of the human mind's ability to generate myths and interpret them as truths revealed by God. Influenced by Hegel and Schleiermacher, Strauss characterized Christianity as a stage in the evolution of pantheism that had reached its culmination in Hegelian philosophy. He thus created an entirely new atmosphere of scholarship on Christ's life and historical criticism of the Bible. The furore turned the Life of Jesus into a cause celebre and to German liberals Strauss became a symbol for the freedom of thought.

Full Product Details

Author:   David Friedrich Strauss
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Edition:   new ed of fascimile ed
Dimensions:   Width: 13.80cm , Height: 7.70cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   1.678kg
ISBN:  

9780826488121

ISBN 10:   0826488129
Pages:   1360
Publication Date:   01 January 2006
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

Introduction; FIRST PART. History of the Birth and Childhood of Jesus.; Chapter I. Annunciation and Birth of John the Baptist.; Chapter II. Davidical Descent of Jesus, according to the Genealogical Tables of Matthew and Luke.; Chapter III. Announcement of the Conception of Jesus. Its supernatural Character. Visit of Mary to Elizabeth.; Chapter IV. Birth and earliest Events of the Life of Jesus.; Chapter V. The first Visit to the Temple, and the Education of Jesus.; SECOND PART. History of the Public Life of Jesus.; Chapter I. Relations between Jesus and John the Baptist.; Chapter II. Baptism and Temptation of Jesus.; Chapter III. Locality and Chronology of the public Life of Jesus.; Chapter IV. Jesus as the Messiah.; Chapter V. The Disciples of Jesus.; Chapter VI. The Discourses of Jesus in the three first Gospels.; Chapter VII. Discourses of Jesus in the fourth Gospel.; Chapter VIII. Events in the public Life of Jesus, exclusive of the Miracles.; Chapter IX. Miracles of Jesus.; Chapter X. The Transfiguration of Jesus, and his last Journey to Jerusalem.; THIRD PART. History of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.; Chapter I. Relation of Jesus to the Idea of a suffering and dying Messiah; his Discourses on his Death, Resurrection, and second Advent.; Chapter II. Machinations of the Enemies of Jesus: Treachery of Judas; last Supper with the Disciples; Chapter III. Retirement to the Mount of Olives. Arrest, Trial, Condemnation, and Crucifixion of Jesus.; Chapter IV. Death and Resurrection of Jesus.; Chapter V. The Ascension.; Concluding Dissertation. The Dogmatic Import of the Life of Jesus.

Reviews

'We distinguish by the name evangelical mythus a narrative relating directly or indirectly to Jesus, which may be considered not as the expression of a fact, but as the product of an idea of his earliest followers: such a narrative being mythical in proportion as it exhibits this character . . . . The mythus presents two phases: in the first place it is not history; in the second it is fiction, the product of the particular mental tendency of a certain community' - Strauss' Life of Jesus, volume one, trans. George Eliot

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