Reinventing Jesus: What the Da Vinci Code & Other Novel Speculations Don't Tell You by J. Ed Komoszewski, M. James Sawyer, & Daniel B. Wallace (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2006).

Reviewed by Gretchen Passantino (© Copyright 2006 by Gretchen Passantino).

I hope the subtitle to this extremely valuable defense of biblical truth is changed soon -- otherwise its own popularity might wane with that of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. While Brown's popularity is huge, it is not likely to last long in terms of classical publishing, not least because it's poorly crafted fiction with sloppy, inaccurate background research. This book, on the other hand, can stand the test of time for its careful argumentation, precise focus, extremely up-to-date research, & comprehensive scope regarding biblical integrity. If I could recommend only one book on biblical reliability, it would be this book from 3 of Dallas Theological Seminary's finest. As a matter of fact, it wouldn't be bad to change the title while generalizing the subtitle. Although one would think the book was primarily about the person & work of Christ, instead it is a treasure trove of information about the origin, authenticity, accuracy, transmission, & preservation of the biblical text, specifically the New Testament. Divided into 5 main parts, the book deals with (1) Oral History, (2) Textual Criticism, (3) Canonicity, (4) the Authenticity of the Text's Assertion of the Deity of Christ, & (5) the Uniqueness of the New Testament Message.

The first section contains 3 chapters dealing with ancient classical oral history. I prefer the term "oral history" to "oral tradition," because, as the authors point out, with a post-Reformation dislike of "tradition," & a 21st century dependence on the written word, when we hear "oral tradition," we are more apt to think of garbled gossip than of precise, carefully preserved history. The authors carefully define the "gospel" -- it is "good news," not merely "warm & fuzzy ideas," or "weird beliefs." They then explain & document the methods of ancient classical teaching, memorization, & oral history & show how its evidence is everywhere behind the written text we now call our New Testaments. Finally, they examine the message & person of Christ as displayed in the New Testament & how unlikely it would be to have such an extraordinary, unpredicted character composed after the fact by public relations conscious religion builders. I especially appreciate the authors' acknowledgement that there is good evidence to suppose that the entire New Testament was completed before AD 70, a view that is gaining ever greater respectability among those who work the most closely with the text either scientifically (such as the papyrologists) or critically (those who analyze the text).

The second section contains 5 chapters explaining how & when the New Tesatment books were written & then copied & preserved through the centuries. As with each chapter in the book, the chapters in this section begin by repeating the myriad of skeptical questions lay people have been told undermine the Bible's authority. In Chapter 4, those questions include, "what if the copies were corrupted?," "what if they were copied so poorly we can't ascertain the original?," & "hasn't the text been copied & recopied, translated & retranslated so many times that we can't know what was original?" By carefully explaining & demonstrating by example, the authors make an overwhelmingly convincing case that the text of the New Testament that we have today, represented in any standard reputable translation, is virtually exactly what was originally written. An important feature of this section is the authors' careful attention to the few places in the text where we do have some doubt. Those places are well known, carefully examined, all reasonable alternatives are considered, & none of them overturn any central biblical teaching or fact. This book is also a handy source for a current listing of the numbers of manuscripts, portions of manuscripts, & versions (translations) of the New Testament documents. We have more than 5,700 Greek texts, 10,000 Latin, & more than a million citations from others writers of passages from the New Testament. Chapter 6 is appropriately titled "An Embarrassment of Riches."

The third section contains 3 chapters focusing on how the contents of the New Testament were determined. In other words, why do we have the 27 books we do, & not any others? How did these 27 get included, & any or all others excluded? One of the most helpful points in this section is the authors' call to abandon "generational snobbery," or the idea that anyone before my time was stupid, gullible, dishonest, & unscientific. The authors cite from a wide range of ancient Christian writers & even some non-Christian observers to show that ancient people were at least as intelligent, skeptical, honest, & critical in their approaches to the important issues of life as are we today. (In my opinion, they were much more so then than now. Dan Brown would never have gained an audience in any of the early centuries of Christianity -- not because they were narrow-minded, but because they were far better at & dedicated to finding & exposing charlatans than are we.) In this section as well as the others, I especially appreciate that they cite the most popularly known & vocal critics. If you have watched any pseudo-documentary on "lost" gospels or read any popular recreation of the Jesus story, you will find the arguments & names familiar.

The fourth section consists of 4 chapters focusing on the authentic person & work of Christ. The favorite re-identifications of the Jesus Seminary, skeptics such as Earl Doherty or Robert Price are truly laughable once one reads the careful investigation, documentation, & analysis of the evidence provided in this book. Chapter 14 on the evidence for Jesus outside the New Testament is worth the price of the book.

The fifth & final section of the book is comprised of 3 chapters dismantling claims that the stories of the New Testament, specifically of the life of Christ in the gospels, are derivative of contemporary mystery religion beliefs & stories & are no more unique than any other silly fables & myths of the ancient world. One chapter is on pagan religions in general, & one chapter each is devoted to the supposed parallels between Jesus & Alexander the Great & Jesus & Osiris (with Frankenstein thrown in for good measure). This is the most comprehensive treatment of this subject I have seen in print, & is a great expansion of the basic evidence presented by scholar Edwin Yamauchi in his Jesus, Zoraster, Buddha, Socrates & Muhammad and Easter: Myth, Hallucination, or History?.

The authors are fully capable of delivering the quality of scholarship & ease of understanding that pervades this book. Ed Komoszewski is founder & director of Christian Nexus & served as director of research for Josh McDowell Ministries. He is also the director at large for Reclaiming the Mind Ministries. James Sawyer is professor of theology & church history at Western Seminary (Northern California Campus) & serves as an instructor & advisor for Reclaiming the Mind. Dan Wallace is one of the world's leading Greek scholars, the mind behind the NET Bible. He is professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Seminary, director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts, & advisor & instructor for Reclaiming the Mind.

If you care at all about the authenticity of the New Testament, this book must be part of your library. If you dialog with anyone who doubts the authenticity, integrity, & truthfulness of the New Testament, you need multiple copies to give to them. If a skeptic considers the evidence & arguments of this book seriously, he will be compelled to abandon his doubts about the New Testament.