Our Mission

Equipping you for life's journey with Jesus:

Now a team of 60 – we've been serving the Church since 2004
Together we've raised over £1,000,000 for UK Christian charities
25,000 churches are using the Eden Plus account

An Eden team member standing among warehouse book shelves

How the Gospels Became History: Jesus and Mediterranean Myths

Name: How the Gospels Became History: Jesus and Mediterranean Myths
Price: 34.32 GBP
Availability: InStock
Author: M. David Litwa
ISBN: 9780300242638

by M. David Litwa

Hardback
312 pages
Publisher: Yale University Press
15.6 x 24.2 x 2.8 cm

Today‘s price£34.32

Save 38% | Free UK Delivery

Available - Usually dispatched within 5 days

Buying for a Church or School? Get 10% off every order and Buy Now Pay Later

An Eden warehouse team member picking orders in Chester

Every order is picked and packed with care by our warehouse team in Chester

Bookmark this item

For those curious about Jesus and history.

"How the Gospels Became History" clears confusion.

You’ll see the gospels as real history, not myths.

Discover how the gospels were crafted to appear as historical accounts in this insightful comparison with Greco-Roman myths by M. David Litwa.

Our Mission

Equipping you for life's journey with Jesus:

Now a team of 60 – we've been serving the Church since 2004
Together we've raised over £1,000,000 for UK Christian charities
25,000 churches are using the Eden Plus account

Free delivery on orders over £10

A compelling comparison of the gospels and Greco-Roman mythology which shows that the gospels were not perceived as myths, but as historical records Did the early Christians believe their myths? Like most ancient--and modern--people, early Christians made efforts to present their myths in the most believable ways. In this eye-opening work, M. David Litwa explores how and why what later became the four canonical gospels take on a historical cast that remains vitally important for many Christians today. Offering an in-depth comparison with other Greco-Roman stories that have been shaped to seem like history, Litwa shows how the evangelists responded to the pressures of Greco-Roman literary culture by using well-known historiographical tropes such as the mention of famous rulers and kings, geographical notices, the introduction of eyewitnesses, vivid presentation, alternative reports, and so on. In this way, the evangelists deliberately shaped myths about Jesus into historical discourse to maximize their believability for ancient audiences.