The Jesus Discoveries by Jeremiah J. Johnston

The Jesus Discoveries
by Jeremiah J. Johnston

ISBN-13: 9780764243660
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Released: March 10, 2026

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In this eye-opening, faith-fortifying book from acclaimed New Testament scholar and minister Jeremiah Johnston, you'll encounter ten of the most compelling historic finds that corroborate the truth claims found in the Bible regarding who Jesus said he was, when and where He lived, His claims and aims, how His life ended, and how that wasn't the end of His story.


My Review:
The Jesus Discoveries is an apologetics book about Jesus. While the author feels that these are "ten of the most compelling" finds that align with the descriptions of Jesus given in the gospels, several of the finds seemed a bit indirect to be very mind-changing to a skeptic. I've read other apologetic books on the historical existence of Jesus that were more convincing, so I'm unlikely to choose this book to give to a skeptic, but I did find it an interesting read.

The ten historic finds are: the shroud of Turin, magic phrases on pottery that might mention Christ, the James ossuary (with the "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" inscription), early mentions by skeptics about Jesus, a stone inscription mentioning Pontius Pilate, the "King of the Jews" crucifixion inscription being consistent with Roman practice, ancient fragments of the New Testament, the Palatine Graffito (a donkey-headed man being crucified while a young man worships him), Josephus' mention of Christians in his writings, and the Dead Sea scrolls.

The shroud was cited first, but much of that chapter talked about why the reader should look at the latest evidence on the shroud. A later, "Dig Deeper" section about the shroud contained most of the evidence that convinced the author that the shroud really was used on Jesus. In the next chapter, he gave details about ancient magical amulets and cups which may reference Christ (or might be using a different name). This supposedly shows that people widely knew Jesus' ability to do miracles, but it's not even certain they refer to the Jesus of our gospels. The Palatine Graffito appears to be a reference to Christians worshiping a crucified god, but this shows more what pagans thought about Christians than anything else. As in, most of the chapters are really only significant if you already believe the Bible account.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.