Michael Arnheim is listed in the credits to his books as "Jan Hofmeyer Professor of Classical Civilization" and author of books on the Greek and Roman aristocracy. But you wouldn't know it from this book written by him, which is little more than a plethora of the same old arguments rehashed and mixed together with some vague generalizations and amateurish sociology. There are a few major laughers in this text (for example, John the Baptist is identified as a "Messianic contender," with the assertion that "by no means can we be sure that he did disclaim any such role" [!]), and one instance of rank dishonesty as we are told in one place that the Slaughter of the Innocents is not mentioned in the works of a contemporary historian, Nicholas of Damascus...only we are not told until the bibliography that we do not have his works extant except in fragments related by Josephus.

And speaking of that bibliography, it is mildly impressive, only it is chock full of dated sources, and at any rate, internal footnotes number less than half a dozen. Very odd for a professor of classical civilization. And very odd that anyone could think to determine the truth of Christianity in a scant 150 pages coupled with about 50 more pages of complaining about Christian "intolerance".

I was very disappointed with this book. Where I was hoping to find new challenges, I only discovered the same old stuff from the skeptics.