Jesus and Brian : exploring the historical Jesus and his times via Monty Python's Life of Brian / edited by Joan E. Taylor.

London ; New York : Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015.

xxvii, 268 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

" ... a conference held by the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King's College London, in June 2014, with sponsorship from the School of Arts and Humanities, and support too from T&T Clark Bloomsbury. This conference was titled, Jesus and Brian or: What have the Pythons done for us?"--Introduction.

"Monty Python's Life of Brian film is known for its brilliant satirical humour. Less well known is that the film contains references to what was, at the time of its release, cutting edge biblical scholarship and Life of Jesus research. This research, founded on the acceptance of the Historical Jesus as a Jew who needs to be understood within the context of his time, is implicitly referenced through the setting of the Brian character within a tumultuous social and political background.This collection is a compilation of essays from foremost scholars of the historical Jesus and the first century Judaea, and includes contributions from George Brooke, Richard Burridge, Paula Fredriksen, Steve Mason, Adele Reinhartz, Bart Ehrman, Amy-Jill Levine, James Crossley, Philip Davies, Joan Taylor, Bill Telford, Helen Bond, Guy Steibel, David Tollerton, David Shepherd and Katie Turner. The collection opens up the Life of Brian to renewed investigation and, in so doing, uses the film to reflect on the historical Jesus and his times, revitalising the discussion of history and Life of Jesus research. The volume also features a Preface from Terry Jones, who not only directed the film, but also played Brian's mum"-- Provided by publisher.

English

January 14, 2016

Includes bibliographical references and index.