Excellent preparation for the NBME shelf subject test; the questions are of a similar level of difficulty. Few picky questions as compared to other pretest books. Lacks the high yield facts section of other books of the series.

Thomas, who was brought up Christian, is now being confronted by different views from with in and with out the church. He is given an opportunity to witness to some Buddhists and at that moment realizes he does not know what to believe. How will he resolve this dilemma?

I am not sure who this book is trying to address. John Cobb gets to play both sides of the fence in asking genuinely interesting questions and giving fairly decent answers. However in the process he leads both sides to his conclusion. There is much to make you think and there is even a section (Discussion Questions) that clearly state the questions that arise in the book.

In an easy read, John Cobb presents several approaches to the historical Jesus, never evaluating, never revealing his own opinion. This book is an invitation to think about Jesus' role in history, both for oneself and for others. I do not nearly agree with all the views presented, but some of the questions Cobb poses still are with me and continue to challenge me, as often the answer in the Bible is (relatively) clear, but the people one might discuss those questions with probably won't accept the Bible's authority. My roommate and I had a lengthy discussion on whether this thinking is for everyone or limited to the intellectually and theologically interested - a first outcome of having read this book. You, too, might find yourself thinking at the end of this book - or you will most likely have laid it aside in indignation.

I red the French Translation, the title of which is "Thomas pris de doutes". (Van Dieren Ed.) Two hours are enough to read the novel, but maybe two years are required to think about it.

First, it seems to be a novel, with a yong asistant to the pastor who discovers that the lady-pastor he had to support... doesn't believe in Jesus'divinity nor, maybe in divine trinity...

I let you guess the following events but, to solve the problem he meets Thomas goes around to a lot of studying friends, to his wife, and to a Roman Catholic teacher and also to feminist theology groups and to Korean christologies.....

I has few typically French details : Protestant people are only 2 or 3 % of the population and the most part of them in ERF (Eglise Reformée de France), The Liberal trend of which should be only 1%. Pastors in ERF are among 490 persons among which around 50 ladies.

So you can get an idea of the way it may impact the main part of French readers.