Status
Call number
Collection
Publication
Description
There is probably no other figure in modern Jewish historical research who is more controversial or famous than Hugh J. Schonfield, who once said: "The scholars deplore that I have spilled the beans to the public. Several of them have said to me, 'You ought to have kept this just among ourselves, you know.?" What he did to "spill the beans" was present historical evidence suggesting that Jesus was a mortal man, a young genius who believed himself to be the Messiah and deliberately and brilliantly planned his entire ministry according to the Old Testament prophecies - even to the extent of plotting his own arrest, crucifixion and resurrection. Since Schonfield?s death in 1988, his popularity and the interest in his prodigious work, which included over 40 books, has drawn increasing attention, particularly outside Judaism. In fact, it is probably fair to say that his contribution to the Gentile understanding of Jewish aspirations among those within the Christian cultural framework has been without parallel. In true Christian tradition, he has also been the cause of much contention.… (more)
User reviews
It is, however, an interesting and thoughtful picture of the historical Jesus. Jesus is portrayed as a keen
The “plot,” however, is a bit bizarre. The way Schonfield puts the pieces together, Jesus never intended to die. Instead, he carefully timed his execution so that he would not be left long on the cross, and with the help of a bit of drugged wine vinegar lifted to him on the cross from a friend, he hoped to fake his death. He expected to revive in the tomb. Whether he actually did revive or not seems immaterial to the success of the plot, because this accomplice was asked to spread the word of his impending return, and the accomplice was then mistaken by others to be the risen Jesus himself! That alone left enough miracle resurrection stories hanging around that Christianity would emerge even if Jesus didn’t manage to reappear.
Part II of the book presents six essays describing the origin and growth of Christianity. I found the essay about Messianism to be particularly interesting, because of my interest in the apocalyptic Son of Man title, but the other five essays were also thought-provoking.
Though the scholarship is now a little dated (this was published in 1965), this is a five-star book. But I just couldn’t bring myself to award all five stars, because the Passover Plot theory itself (supposedly the focus of the book) is just too far-fetched for me to take seriously.