‎STRAUSS, DAVID FRIEDRICH‎
‎Das Leben Jesu, kritisch bearbeitet. 2 vols. - [PIONEERING WORK ON THE HISTORICAL JESUS - PMM 300]‎

‎Tubingen: Osiander, 1835 & 1836. 8vo. Uniformly bound in two contemporay half calf bindings with red leather title-label with gilt lettering. Wear to extremities, boards with scratches and leather on spine cracked. Ex-libris (Danish philosopher Carl Henrik Koch) pasted on to pasted down front end-paper. Previous owner's name to pasted down front end-paper and front free end-paper heavily annotated in contemporary hand. Internally with occassional light marginal browning and occassional brownspotting. XVI, 731, (1) pp." XII, 750, (2) pp. ‎

Reference : 61817

‎First edition of Strauss’ landmark and sensational work in which he argued that the miracles in the New Testament were mythical additions with little basis in facts - a seminal text in the history of biblical studies and of religious scholarship generally. Because of the present work Strauss is today regarded a pioneer in the historical investigation of Jesus. ""The publication of 'The Life of Jesus Critically Considered' aroused a storm of controversy"" its revolutionary thesis and content were violently attacked, and wrenched out of context... Strauss's principal objective was to explode not only the traditional orthodox view of the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus, but also earlier rationalistic views..."" (PMM). PMM 300. ‎