a page about anthony's books
historical jesus study
Jesus, Criteria, and the Demise of Authenticity
This book was my idea but Chris Keith's thesis. The impact of this book is due to Dr. Keith's dogged commitment to destroy poor logic and outmoded methods. I write the introduction and a decent chapter on the idea of coherence in historiography but Dr. Keith's conclusion was a punch in the face to the entire discipline. And the field is still reeling from it. It was an honor to play Paulie Pennino to his Rocky.
“This isn’t a volume for beginners, but it will find a wide audience amongst scholars and upper-level students. More importantly, it should be essential reading for anyone even contemplating any kind of reconstruction of the historical Jesus.”
—Los Angeles Review of Books
The Wife of Jesus
This might be my favorite project. The first half of it critiques the fictions, forgeries, films, and fragments of pop culture. The second half of the book discusses the sociology of marriage in Second-Temple Jewish life. I am told that this book is assigned reading for the class "Jesus in Film and History" at UCLA.
"The Wife of Jesus is an eminently sensible, thoughtful and balanced look at an important question. Its significance has to do, of course, with who Jesus was. But even more, it has to do with how Christians model themselves after him."
—Chicago Tribune
A história de Jesus para quem tem pressa
This book was translated from my book "Jesus." The first and fourth chapters relate to the historical Jesus. The other chapters play with Jesus in pop culture.
"Fresh, punchy and perfectly crafted for those with little or no background in this field of study."
—Joan Taylor, PhD (King's College London)
Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism
The Historiographical Jesus
This is my first book, a revised version of my PhD dissertation at Durham University (England). When I was writing this in 2005, there were no other books playing with "social memory" and Jesus at the same time. Baylor University Press published it in 2009. That said, I've changed my tune on a few topics I covered back then. I'm told it will available in paperback soon.
“Le Donne has made a significant contribution that should be carefully considered by students and scholars alike.”
—Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Soundings in the Religion of Jesus
This book was my earliest attempt to put my interest in Jewish-Christian dialogue into print. I co-edited this book with Bruce Chilton and Jacob Neusner.
