The second essay in Christ on Campus Initiative’s series was released this morning: Craig Blomberg‘s “Jesus of Nazareth: How Historians Can Know Him and Why It Matters.” The CCI essays are (1) by evangelical scholars, (2) geared for campus evangelism, and (3) edited by D. A. Carson. Readers and organizations may circulate these essays without charge.

The Christ on Campus Initiative (CCI) is a ministry created for the purpose of preparing and circulating literature for college and university students, addressing an array of important intellectual and practical issues from an evangelical Christian perspective. This initiative is made possible by generous support from the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL) and the MAC foundation (Fort Collins, CO). The editorial team, led by D.A. Carson, commissions top evangelical scholars to oversee the creation and distribution of a variety of resources for university students. The goal of these resources is that they be intellectually rigorous, culturally relevant, persuasive in argument, and faithful to historic, evangelical Christianity.

Here’s an outline of Blomberg’s 29-page article:

1. Non-Christian Evidence for Jesus

2. Historic Christian Evidence for Jesus

• The Apostle Paul
• The New Testament Gospels

• The Synoptics: Matthew, Mark, and Luke
• The Gospel of John

3. Syncretistic Evidence

• The Gnostic Gospels
  • The Gospel of Thomas
  • Other Gnostic Gospels
  • Other Apocryphal Gospels

4. Remaining Issues

• Considerations of Text and Canon
  • Text and Translation
  • The Formation of the New Testament Canon
• Miracles and the Resurrection

5. Why It Matters: The Enduring Significance of the Historical Jesus

6. Annotated Bibliography

Related: See the first CCI essay, Graham Cole’s “Do Christians Have a Worldview?”

Update: Justin Taylor interviews Craig Blomberg