The Life of Jesus, Critically Examined

The Life of Jesus, Critically Examined was one of the most controversial and hotly contested books of its time. One reviewer stated that it was "the most pestilential book ever vomited out of the jaws of hell." Strauss rejected the idea of miracles in the Bible, instead crediting them as mythical stories used to demonstrate a point. He also discredits Jesus's divinity, dissecting the New Testament and pointing out that Jesus was simply a manifestation of who the Jews wished their Messiah to be. The book was translated from its fourth German edition in 1843 by George Eliot. David Friedrich Strauss (1808-1874)was a German theologian and author who focused his work on the critical study and examination of Jesus. Strauss' most famous and acclaimed work was The Life of Jesus, Critically Examined, but he wrote many other books defending his position on the divinity of Jesus, which he denied. While his position was hotly debated and highly unpopular at the time, his work has had a great impact on the study of Christianity, the New Testament, and early religions today.