Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography by John Dominic Crossan

Merits: John Dominic Crossan is professor emeritus of biblical studies at DePaul University in Chicago. He is a New Testament scholar and historian of early Christianity and has authored many bestselling books, including The Birth of Christianity, The Historical Jesus, and Who Killed Jesus.

Material: Want to learn more about the man behind the myth? Jesus is one of the most prominent historical figures of all time, and as such, has become a figure of widely diverse interpretation. This book weeds through the cacophony and focuses on what we can actually know about the man himself through historical scholarship.

Grade: Doubting Thomas. This book weighs scriptural text against anthropological and historical standards and attempts to unravel fact from fiction. As long as you can handle the conflicts that occur between Jesus mythology and historical Jesus, you can escape unscathed. You might even come to appreciate just how misrepresented Jesus is by modern day societies (i.e. American Jesus).