I enjoyed watching this DVD very much; I thought it was helpful as a Christian, but also to give away to seekers. The content is well presented and the presenter is engaging. The documentaries tackle the historical Jesus, but is not overtly "Christian", so would be good for people with intellectual questions who are put off a church setting.

This is a great resource. It’s a lively look at the reliability of the historical evidence for Jesus. As presenter Dr John Dickson reminds us, unlike any other world religion, Christianity is founded on historical events. It stands or falls by the reliability of those claims.

Dickson examines the historical sources we have for Jesus. He starts with those furthest from the events (which allows him to debunk Dan Brown-style theories based on the Gnostic Gospels) and moves to the closer and more reliable sources, ultimately to the canonical Gospels (with a great discussion of the reliability of eyewitness evidence). The series ends cleverly with Tom Wright talking about the OT background to the Gospel and especially the OT background to the last supper which allows some pointers to the soteriological significance of the cross.

Along the way we are treated to interviews with a veritable bevy of top NT scholars – James Dunn, Richard Bauckham, Tom Wright, Marcus Bockmuehl, James Charlesworth, Martin Hengel and Geza Vermes among others.

The style of that the Discovery channel (without all that irritating repetition and without the build up to an ultimately disappointing reveal that seems to characterize documentaries on the Discovery Channel!). Dickson is an animated presenter (for British readers, he’s somewhat in the style of Adam Hart-Davis). The jump from serious interview with a NT scholar to a presentational gimmick can be slightly jarring in places. But the programmes hold your attention.

One of the great things about this product is its adaptability. The core product is 4 half-hour programmes. But there is also a one hour version (as shown on Australian TV) plus thematic chunks plus both shorter and extended interviews. If you’re teaching on the Gospels you can invite Richard Bauckham or Tom Wright or Vermes to contribute!

I could see myself using the DVD to supplement an evangelistic course like Christianity Explored. If someone asks about the reliability of the Gospel opr the historical evidence for Jesus then this would be a great resource to give to them. The slight difficulty with this is that, while Dickson himself is careful to be accessible, the interviewed scholars use jargon from the start.

I can also seeing myself using it to teach students. It would be a introduction to year one students or people training for leadership who need some background to the Gospels or who need to know how to counter arguments against their historical reliability without needing a whole course on the quest for the historical Jesus.

What’s in the box?

This edition has two DVDs; the first contains four 26 minute programmes and a shortened, 45 minute compilation which was shown on Australia’s Channel 7 TV. The second disc contains fuller versions of the fourteen interviews with scholars which are part of the main programmes.

Who’s it for?

The Christ Files set out the case for the four gospels of the New Testament to be taken as the sources of reliable evidence for the life of Jesus. They are aimed at young Christians whose faith may be shaken by claims of “startling new discoveries” in the other “gospels” and at unbelievers who may find such claims an obstacle to faith or who question the reliability of the New Testament.

Fit for purpose?

Absolutely! The Christ Files should be on the shelves of every minister and of all those who work with younger people who are most likely to be encountering these challenges to faith for the first time. (Most of the allegedly new discoveries were around when I was at theological college, which wasn’t yesterday.) John Dickson’s presentation is excellent, he allows the experts to speak for themselves and the camera work is first class. There really is no substitute for hearing that there is only one copy of The Gospel of Philip and seeing the damaged state of the single page which refers to Jesus and Mary Magdalene to demonstrate the amount of speculation required to fill in the blanks.

How to use?

The four programmes are perfect to watch with a small group or one-to-one allowing time to discuss the contents and supplement the information with the longer interviews where appropriate.

The TV version could be viewed at a single session so could also be used by someone on their own.

Little grumbles?

I think the producers missed a trick by not drawing attention to the range of theological backgrounds represented in the panel of expert witnesses. Sometimes it’s useful to be able to show that it’s not just evangelicals who find the Bible reliable.

I would have liked to have had the TV version on a separate disc which could have been given to someone to view on their own.

Well presented, engaging material. Examines in some detail the manuscript evidence for the events of Jesus' life -looking at early Christian, Roman and Jewish sources. It makes what could be quite a dry exercise into a persuasive compelling journey of discovery. Would be excellent to give to non-christians who are investigating Jesus and his claims.