Great primer for the Christ-Myth theory

A a novice on the CM theory, I found this book very accessible. He gets right to the point in layperson language. Definitely a good starting point. I have previously enjoyed books by Richard Carrier and Robert Price on the same topic but found much of the material sailing over my head without slow and careful reading and rereading.

Looking forward to his upcoming book "Jesus: Mything in Action" as well!

7 people found this helpful

great insight!

read several times. Each time I gained more insight. very logical, very informative takes a honest critical look into the historicity of biblical stories.

5 people found this helpful

A solid primer on New Testament scholarship

3.5 stars

The title doesn't quite deliver on its promise. A more accurate title would have been: Reasons the Jesus of the Gospels Never Existed.

David Fitzgerald shows quite compellingly the events of the gospels couldn't have happened as written. First, many reliable historians wrote about events in Judea during the early 1st century, including some with a special interest in religious movements. They documented the existence of other faith healers and so-called Jewish messiahs, but none makes any mention of Jesus, who was supposedly famous and had throngs of people listening to his teachings and witnessing his miracles.

Second, the gospels as written have historical problems. The trial of Jesus could not have taken place as described, for it contradicts known Jewish legal practice. The Sea of Galilee does not exist. Mark alone made many mistakes about Judean geography and custom, which Matthew corrected in his gospel.

Fitzgerald also documents the surprising lack of biographical details about Jesus in the epistles of Paul, the earliest written sections of the New Testament. It's as if Paul were writing about a purely spiritual figure, not an historical one. Fitzgerald also notes the allegorical style of the Gospel of Mark, the earliest account of Jesus on which all the others are based. He shows the gospel writers weren't composing biographies or writing down eyewitness testimony. They each wrote for different audiences with different portrayals of Jesus.

The author presents enough material to make listeners at least consider the possibility that Jesus the man never existed. However, I don't think he constructs an open-and-shut case, as the title promises. The book actually works best as a primer on New Testament scholarship. It would serve as eye-opening reading for any Christian who still believes the gospels were written by eyewitnesses, or that historical research confirms them.

17 people found this helpful

Very compelling and evidence based.

David answered many of my dilemmas with Christianity and did it with referenced facts and organized into a coherent narrative.

4 people found this helpful

Do Everything you write in audible also!

Would you listen to Nailed again? Why?

I have several times already, YES.

Who was your favorite character and why?

David himself.

What about David Fitzgerald’s performance did you like?

His voice! His attitude, his humor, his knowledge

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The World is Screwed Because it's been Nailed

Any additional comments?

I hope he writes 100 more books, AND makes them ALL audible, I WANT MORE LIKE THIS!

4 people found this helpful

Good content, bad narration.

The author needs to understand his own limitations.
His speech is often muddled and garbled and he occasionally mispronounces and even MISREADS his own words!
Also, the editing and sound quality is terrible.

4 people found this helpful

Every Christian Should Read

You can't make a well informed decision on the existence of Jesus without reading this book.

3 people found this helpful

Definitely changed my thoughts on Christianity!

What made the experience of listening to Nailed the most enjoyable?

The book really made me think. Although I am an atheist, I never gave much consideration that there may have never even been a historical Jesus. Mind = blown!

What did you like best about this story?

The numerous historical resources consulted

What about David Fitzgerald’s performance did you like?

He has a very calm, rational-sounding voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No! I wanted to listen to a few sections, then turn it off so I could think and digest.

3 people found this helpful

I Lost my faith in Jesus

Even though I have been an atheist for as long as I can remember, I always assumed that a guy named Jesus existed around 0-30 AD in Judea. Of course I never believed that he was resurrected three days after his crucifixion or that he could perform miracles that contradicted the laws of nature. These are clearly just stories made up by those who wished to glorify Jesus. Still, I assumed that there was an actual person to begin with.

David Fitzgerald, through this this relatively short book, changed my mind. It covers an awful lot of material showing the reader that none of the arguments that Christians use to convince others that Jesus was a real person holds up to scrutiny. For example, not a single alleged eyewitness testimony of Jesus was written by an actual confirmed eyewitness. The, gospels were written long after Jesus died, perhaps by as much as a 100 years. Moreover, the writings about Jesus contradict each other, not just on minor details such as what day Jesus died or whether there was or was not a rock in front of his tomb after his resurrection, but also what type of character he was. Was he a humble drawn back son of a carpenter who tried to stay out of the limelight or did he walk around proclaiming to all that he was the son of God?

In addition, Fitzgerald gives many examples of things in the new testament that directly contradicts other more reliable and unbiased sources from the same time. For instance there were several trusted historians writing about events in Judea at the time of Jesus but none of them even mentions him even though according to the new testament he caused quite an uproar. Indeed, of the four gospels only Luke actually claims to be writing history. Astronomers also strangely failed to notice the three days of darkness that texts in the new testament claim happened.

For being such a short book, it is very forceful. I doubt that any readers who believe in Jesus will walk away from this book unaffected.

22 people found this helpful

Very informative and interesting.

Well worth the time spent with this book. I would and have recommended it to people who just want to hear the facts.

2 people found this helpful