Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium

This is the fourth book by Dr. Ehrman that I have read, and it is certainly my favorite. Jesus appears to be one of Ehrman's first “popular” works, and his prior experience writing exclusively academic works has a pleasant impact on his style here. Of all Ehrman books I have read, this one is the most information-dense. His case is thorough and highly persuasive. Rather than leaping straight to his thesis, the author takes his time to establish his historical methodology and to examine a range of potential sources. Ehrman's meticulous analysis of the Gospels of course forms the heart of this work; I don't think that anyone with an open mind could come away from having read Jesus thinking about the Nazarene, or the religion founded in his name, in the same way as they did before. Jesus is the best book on the subject of religion I have read thus far.