Scripting Jesus: The Gospels in Rewrite

For centuries, people have wrestled with contradictory stories in the Gospels. For instance, when presenting Jesus’s birth narrative, the books of Matthew and Luke do not mention a stable, the book of Luke emits the Wise Men, and there are no shepherds in Matthew. Where did these inconsistencies come from, and how, when taken together, can they present a valid account of the historical Jesus?

In Scripting Jesus, New Testament expert L. Michael White argues that what we now know as the written Gospels were never meant to be straightforward historical accounts, but rather were scripted and honed for different audiences with different theological agendas. Scripting Jesus explains how the gospel writers learned to communicate the teachings of Christianity in the most effective way.

L. Michael White is Ronald Nelson Smith Chair in Classics and Christian Origins and is the director of the Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins at the University of Texas at Austin. He was featured in two award-winning PBS Frontline documentaries, “From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians” and “Apocalypse!” for which he also served as principal historical consultant and co-writer. He also directs ongoing archeological excavations of one of the oldest Greco-Roman synagogues at Ostia, Italy.

“White has produced a valuable resource for teachers, rabbis, ministers, and students who want clear exposition informed by a fresh appraisal of primary sources and spirited engagement of recent scholarly debate.” — Carl R. Holladay, Charles Howard Candler Professor of New Testament, Emory University