Becoming Jesus: The Making of a Prophet

Berens, a freelance writer, discusses the historical background and personal development of Jesus Christ in this enjoyable speculative biography. Beginning with the premise that Jesus would have had similar experiences to those of his contemporaries, Berens marshals archaeological evidence as well as historical and biblical scholarship to explore what Jesus’s everyday life was like as well as which events and influences may have led him to make his choices. Taking a strictly historical approach, Berens situates Jesus as a Galilean man among other Galilean men, experiencing the events of his lifetime—the hardships of life under Roman rule, the recent history of religious violence—just as his contemporaries (particularly John the Baptist) did. Berens’s approach is matter-of-fact and sticks close to the arc of Jesus’s life as known through the Bible, continually bringing the reader back to the everyday realities of first-century Palestine and the notion that the rationales for some decisions (particularly spiritual ones) are only known to the individual making them. Reaching no real conclusions, Berens’s rehashing of scholarship will appeal to those looking for a primer on Jesus’s life.[em] (BookLife) [/em]