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Life of Jesus Examined

© Robert Powers

Just who was Jesus? There are precious few accounts of the individual who would become the leader of Christian faith. Besides the paucity of information about him, the accounts that survived were all written decades following his death.

Despite the fact that there are no eyewitness accounts of the son of the Virgin Mary, the Bible contains accounts that in many ways fail to agree with each other. Tradition and the fact that those who shouted loudest sometimes won large followings despite the inaccuracy of their claims demonstrates that this modest carpenter born in near poverty in a manager remains the leading figure in a story that has been repeated across 2,000 years.

Applause and appreciation should be awarded to scholar Paula Fredriksen, whose new book departs radically from many of her fellow students of the Bible. Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: A Jewish Life and the Emergence of Christianity (Knopf, $26) looks at the accounts of Jesus' life with a measured amount of skepticism and with a passion for finding the truth. While the latter shows no signs of being ready for agreement, Fredriksen has produced one of the most readable and intriguing books ever written about the King of the Jews.

By writing in a style that's easily understood by even the most unprepared of students, Fredriksen provides answers that seem reasonable, if not exactly destined to become the basis for a fresh version of the New Testament. She does a detailed study of the four canonical Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--pointing out the many discrepancies among the quartet of storytellers.

The book's No. 1 question is simple, "Why did Jesus die the way he did?" In her attempt to provide an answer, Fredriksen takes the reader on a fascinating, sometimes numbing, journey that explains the value of Q and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

FAST FOOD

You wouldn't necessarily think that a massive book of more than 400 pages and enough poundage to make it through a January windstorm would be "must" reading. However, when you get rolling with this book, you should be hooked securely enough to bite all the way through it.

Fast Food: Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age (Johns Hopkins, $34.95) takes the reader on a witty, madcap and fascinating of the fast food industry from its inauspicious beginnings early in the 20th century to its dominant role today in satisfying ravenous American appetites.

Authors John Jakle and Keith Sculle have had a long love affair with the growth of the highways in America and that influence on citizens. Their previous books include The Gas Station in America and The Motel in America. These fellows are good at it.

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