Book Review of The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of Christ

     The essential belief of the Christian faith is the assertion that Jesus Christ was crucified, died, was buried, and then rose from the dead. In The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ, published by Thomas Nelson, author Charles Foster uses his experience and training as a barrister in the U.K and tutor of Medical Law and Ethics at Oxford University to examine the arguments and evidence for and against this crucial tenet of Christianity.

     Foster has designed his argument in a format that pits two formidable opponents, represented by "X" (arguing that the Resurrection did not happen as presented in the Gospels) and "Y" (presenting the evidence that supports the Gospel narrative). Foster draws upon his training as a barrister to take a seemingly unbiased stance for both personas. This being said, he definitely writes from a Christian worldview. Starting with the Biblical narrative as the foundation for both sides of the argument, Foster then uncovers, presents, and responds to a skeptic's view of the Resurrection story in a way that at times leads you to believe that two different authors are in fact contributing to this book.

The Jesus Inquest is a very informative read for both the believer and the skeptic...it will challenge your assumptions, but in a way that is encouraging and foundational to a deeper understanding of what truly happened. It is well researched and cited, and contains amazing insight and explanation of the cultural realities of Palestine during the life of Jesus. Although, the exploration of the arguments can, at times, wander into a redundant wasteland of half baked conspiracy; Foster ultimately ties it all together in the epilogue with a reminder that "There is only one hypothesis consistent with the truth of Christianity; there are very many hypotheses consistent with the falsehood" (281) and that this is ultimately "something about which you'll have to make up your own mind" (286).

If you want a primer on the basic arguments surrounding the Resurrection of Christ, especially as so many modern novelists pick up on some of the various hypotheses, please read your Bible; then pick up The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster.


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