Craig A. Evans

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| name = Craig A. Evans

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age |1952|01|21|mf=y}}

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| nationality = American

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| workplaces = McMaster University
Trinity Western University
Acadia Divinity College
Houston Christian University

| occupation = Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville
Houston Christian University

| known_for = Biblical scholar

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| discipline = New Testament studies

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| education = Claremont McKenna College, Western Baptist Seminary

| alma_mater = Claremont Graduate University

| thesis_title = Isaiah 6:9–10 in Early Jewish and Christian Interpretation

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| thesis_year = 1983

| doctoral_advisor = William H. Brownlee

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| awards = D.Habil. by the Karoli Gaspard Reformed University in Budapest

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Craig Alan Evans (born January 21, 1952) is an American biblical scholar. He is a prolific writer with 70 books and over 600 journal articles and reviews to his name.{{cite web | title=Dr. Craig Evans | publisher=Houston Baptist University | url=https://www.hbu.edu/contact/craig-evans/ | access-date=May 28, 2017 }}

Career

He earned his B.A in history and philosophy from Claremont McKenna College, a Master of Divinity from Western Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Biblical studies from Claremont Graduate University in southern California.

He is John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Christian University.{{Cite web |url=http://www.craigaevans.com/cv.htm |title=Professor Craig A. Evans |access-date=August 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831053844/http://www.craigaevans.com/cv.htm |archive-date=August 31, 2017 |url-status=dead }} Prior to Houston Christian (formerly Houston Baptist University), he was Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament and director of the graduate program at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia,{{cite web |url=http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=25123 |title=Baptist Press - Workshop on Christianity & Dead Sea Scrolls draws crowd - News with a Christian Perspective |access-date=February 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518191553/http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=25123 |archive-date=May 18, 2011 }} a visiting assistant professor of religious studies at McMaster University and a professor of biblical studies at Trinity Western University.[https://web.archive.org/web/20060411193544/http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/Craig_Evans.html Profile of Craig A. Evans], The Lost Gospel of Judas Project, National Geographic Society website. Retrieved March 10, 2008

Evans served as editor of the Bulletin for Biblical Research from 1994 to 2005.{{cite web|title=A Brief History of IBR|url=https://www.ibr-bbr.org/brief-history-ibr|publisher=Institute for Biblical Research|access-date=December 7, 2015|archive-date=November 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121081233/http://www.ibr-bbr.org/brief-history-ibr|url-status=dead}}

= ''Fabricating Jesus'' =

Evans published the book Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels in 2008. In it, he criticizes current scholarship on the historical Jesus, accusing it of distorting the historical figure of Jesus, creating completely unhistorical images of Jesus of Nazareth. The book is critical of scholars such as Bart D. Ehrman, the Jesus Seminar, Robert Eisenman, Morton Smith, James Tabor, Michael Baigent and Elaine Pagels, while also arguing against the use of New Testament apocrypha, which Evans considers late works with no historical value (Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Peter, Egerton Gospel, Gospel of Judas and Gospel of Mary) or even modern forgeries (Secret Gospel of Mark). Another chapter of the book dismisses The Da Vinci Code by the American novelist Dan Brown, which Evans sees as nothing more than a sensationalist stunt.{{Cite web|title=Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels |publisher= Denver Seminary|url=https://denverseminary.edu/article/fabricating-jesus-how-modern-scholars-distort-the-gospels/|access-date=2021-06-20|date=December 2006 }}
- {{Cite book|last=Evans|first=Craig A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iLYWWiXbrooC|title=Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels|date=2008-09-26|publisher=InterVarsity Press|isbn=978-0-8308-3355-9|via=Google Books}}

The book's "Advance Praise" section includes endorsements from several prominent scholars of the New Testament, such as James H. Charlesworth, Gerd Theissen, John P. Meier, Darrel L. Bock, Ben Witherington III and James D.G. Dunn.{{Cite book|last=Evans|first=Craig A.|title=Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels|date=2008-09-26|publisher=InterVarsity Press |isbn=978-0830833559}}

Works

=Books=

Evans is the author or editor of over 50 books, some of which are listed below:

{{cite book | last = Evans | first = Craig A. | title = Noncanonical Writings and New Testament Interpretation | publisher = Hendrickson Publishers | year = 1992 | location = Peabody, MA | pages = 304 | url = https://archive.org/details/noncanonicalwrit0000evan | url-access = limited | isbn = 978-0-943575-95-7 }}
{{cite book |editor-last=Evans |editor-first=Craig A. |editor-mask=3 | editor2-last=Hagner |editor2-first= Donald A. |editor2-link= Donald Hagner | title = Anti-Semitism and Early Christianity: issues of polemic and faith | publisher = Fortress Press | year = 1993 | pages = 304 | isbn = 978-0-8006-2748-5 }}
{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | last2=Flint |first2=Peter |author2-link=Peter Flint (religious scholar) | title = Eschatology, Messianism, and the Dead Sea | publisher = Eerdmans Books for Young | year = 1997 | location =Grand Rapids, MI | pages = 167 | isbn = 0-8028-4230-5 }}
{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | last2=Sanders |first2=James A. |author2-link=James A. Sanders | title = The Function of Scripture in Early Jewish and Christian Tradition | publisher = Continuum International | year = 1998 | pages = 504 | isbn = 1-85075-830-1 }}
{{cite book |editor-last=Evans |editor-first=Craig A. |editor-mask=3 | editor2-last=Porter |editor2-first=Stanley E. |editor2-link=Stanley E. Porter | title = Dictionary of New Testament Background | publisher = InterVarsity Press | year = 2000 | location = Downers Grove, IL | pages = [https://archive.org/details/dictionarynewtes00evan/page/n1358 1328] | url =https://archive.org/details/dictionarynewtes00evan|url-access=limited | isbn = 978-0-8308-1780-1 }}
{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = The Interpretation of Scripture in Early Judaism | publisher = Continuum International | year = 2000 | isbn = 1-84127-076-8 }}
{{cite book |editor-last=Evans |editor-first=Craig A. |editor-mask=3 | editor2-last=Copan |editor2-first=Paul |editor2-link=Paul Copan | title = Who Was Jesus?: A Jewish-Christian Dialogue | publisher = Westminster, John Knox Press | year = 2001 | location = Louisville, KT | pages = 272 | isbn = 0-664-22462-8 }}
{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = Jesus and the Ossuaries | publisher = Baylor University Press | year = 2003 | location = Waco, TX | pages = [https://archive.org/details/jesusossuaries00evan/page/n178 168] | url =https://archive.org/details/jesusossuaries00evan|url-access=limited | isbn = 0-918954-88-6 }}
{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = Ancient Texts For New Testament Studies: A Guide To The Background Literature | publisher = Hendrickson Publishers | year = 2005 | location =Peabody, MA | pages = [https://archive.org/details/ancienttextsforn00evan_568/page/n575 539] | url =https://archive.org/details/ancienttextsforn00evan_568|url-access=limited | isbn = 978-1-56563-409-1 }}
{{cite book |editor-last=Evans |editor-first=Craig A. |editor-mask=3 |editor2-last=Collins |editor2-first=John J. |editor2-link=John J. Collins |title=Christian Beginnings and the Dead Sea Scrolls |publisher=Baker Academic |year=2006 |location=Grand Rapids, MI |pages=[https://archive.org/details/christianbeginni00john/page/144 144] |url=https://archive.org/details/christianbeginni00john/page/144 |isbn=978-0-8010-2837-3 |url-access=registration }}
{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels | publisher = InterVarsity Press | year = 2006 | location = Downers Grove, IL | pages = 290 | isbn = 0-8308-3318-8 }}
{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | last2=Wright |first2=N. T. |author2-link=N. T. Wright | title = Jesus, the Final Days: What Really Happened | publisher = Westminster, John Knox Press | year = 2009 | location =Louisville, KT | pages = [https://archive.org/details/jesusfinaldayswh00evan_589/page/n63 116] | url =https://archive.org/details/jesusfinaldayswh00evan_589|url-access=limited | isbn = 978-0664233594 }}
{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = Jesus and His World: The Archaeological Evidence | publisher = Westminster, John Knox Press | year = 2012 | location = Louisville, KT | pages = 192 | isbn = 978-0664234133 }}
{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = From Jesus to the Church: The First Christian Generation | publisher = Westminster, John Knox Press | year = 2014 | location = Louisville, KT | pages = 188 | isbn = 978-0664239053 }}
{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | last2=Beverley |first2=James A. |author2-link=James A. Beverley | title = Getting Jesus Right: How Muslims get Jesus and Islam Wrong | publisher = Castle Quay Books | year = 2015 | location = Pickering, ON, Canada | pages = 352 | isbn = 978-1927355459 }}
{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = God Speaks: What He Says, What He Means | publisher = Worthy Publishing | year = 2015 | location = Franklin, TN | pages = 272 | isbn = 978-1617954818 }}
{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | last2=Johnston |first2=Jeremiah |author2-link=Jeremiah Johnston | title = Jesus and the Jihadis: Confronting the Rage of Isis: the Theology Driving the Ideology | publisher = Hendrickson Publishers | year = 2015 | location =Peabody, MA | pages = 160| isbn = 978-0768408997 }}
{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = Jesus and the Remains of His Day: Studies in Jesus and the Evidence of Material Culture | publisher =Destiny Image Publishers | year = 2015 | location = Shippensburg, PA | pages = 400 | isbn = 978-1619707054 }}
——— (2020). Jesus and the Manuscripts: What We Can Learn from the Oldest Texts. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. p. 575. ISBN 978-1-68307-360-4

=Articles=

{{cite journal|last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = On the Unity and Parallel Structure of Isaiah |journal=Vetus Testamentum |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=129–147 |year=1988 |doi=10.1163/156853388X00346 }}
{{cite journal|last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = Assessing Progress in the Third Quest of the Historical Jesus |journal=Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=35–54 |year=2006 |doi=10.1177/1476869006061777 }}
{{cite journal|last=Evans |first=Craig A. |author-mask=3 | title = How Long Were Late Antique Books in Use? Possible Implications for New Testament Textual Criticism |journal=Bulletin for Biblical Research |volume=25 |issue=1 |year=2015 |pages=23–37 |doi=10.2307/26371610 |jstor=26371610 |s2cid=248465366 }}