Gary Greenberg is the author of several books on biblical and Near Eastern history, including the biblical classics 101 Myths of the Bible and The Moses Mystery. His other works include The Judas Brief, which defends Judas and the Jewish priests against false Gospel accusations that they were in any way responsible for the death of Jesus, and The Case for a Proto-Gospel, a landmark study in gospel origins that argues for the existence of an earlier lost gospel that served as the source material for the stories of the adult Jesus. A number of his works have been translated into several languages. The latter two books were peer-reviewed and several of his books have been praised by biblical scholars.
He served as president of the Biblical Archaeology Society of New York for several years and was selected as a Fellow of the Jesus Project. He has presented papers at several international academic conferences, including the International Society of Biblical Literature, regional meetings of the Society for Biblical Literature, the American Schools of Oriental Research, the International Congress of Egyptologists, and the American Research Center in Egypt. He has also had articles published in academic journals including The Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities and KMT. He has published several essays on the academic web-site Bible and Interpretation. He served as a consultant to the National Geographic Television series, The Science of the Bible.
Book reviewers in the nation’s press have described his works as “fascinating and thought provoking” (Today’s Librarian), “guaranteed to raise hackles and lively debate” (Denver Post), “ingenious” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), “intriguing and controversial” (Multi-cultural Review), “a riveting read” (Florence SC News), “a must read” (The Tennessee Tribune), “will make for lively dinner table discussions” (Spokesman-Review), and “will make you think” (Green Bay Press-Gazette). The New York Times said that Greenberg “seems to delight in a game of scholarly ‘gotcha.’”
Catholic Biblical Quarterly, one of the most respected scholarly journals, in reviewing The Judas Brief, wrote that Greenberg has “a keen eye for the ways religious and political motives have shaped the story of Jesus’ arrest and execution, and acceptance of certain historical elements of canonical accounts . . . Greenberg presses important historical questions and rightly insists on fresh consideration of the evidence.”
David Noel Freeman, one of the world’s most respected biblical scholars and editor of the Anchor Bible Dictionary and The Anchor Bible Project, described Greenberg’s biography of King David as “a worthy addition to the library of first-rate and challenging books on King David.”
Library Journal said about his 101 Myths of the Bible, “Placing these texts into their historical, political, and geographical setting, Greenberg is able to separate much historical fact from biblical fiction.”
Greenberg received a New York State Regents Scholarship and attended Brooklyn College, where he majored in Mathematics. He received a Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. He worked for many years in the Criminal Defense Practice of the Legal Aid Society of New York. He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows to discuss his works and is a lively speaker and engaging debater. He maintains a blog at www.biblemythhistory.com.
Interviews
AeonByte Gnostic Radio: On Genesis Chronology and Egyptian King-Lists
AeanByte Gnostic Radio: On The Case for a Proto-Gospel
His Book List
- The Case for a Proto-Gospel: Recovering the Common Written Source Behind Mark and John (New York: Peter Lang, 2020)
- Genesis Chronology and Egyptian King-Lists, The Egyptian Origins of Genesis History, Vol. I: Egypt’s Dynastic Period, (New York: Pereset Press, 2019)
- Proving Jesus’ Authority In Mark and John: Overlooked Evidence of a Synoptic Relationship, (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018)
- The Judas Brief: Who Really Killed Jesus?, (New York: Continuum, 2007); subsequently republished as The Judas Brief: A Critical Investigation Into the Arrest and Trials of Jesus and the Role of the Jews, (New York: Pereset Press, 2014)
- Who Wrote the Gospels? Why New Testament Scholars Challenge Church Traditions, (Pereset Press: New York, 2011)
- Manetho: A Study In Egyptian Chronology; How Ancient Scribes Garbled an Accurate Chronology of Dynastic Egypt, (Warren Center: Shangri-La Publications, 2003—2004)
- The Sins of King David: A New History, (Naperville, Sourcebooks: 2002); republished as King David Versus Israel: How a Hebrew Tyrant Hated by the Israelites Became a Biblical Hero, (New York, Pereset Press: 2008)
- 101 Myths of the Bible: How Ancient Scribes Invented Biblical History, (Naperville, Sourcebooks: 2000)
- The Moses Mystery: The African Origins of the Jewish People, (Secaucus, Birch Lane Pres: 1996); subsequently republished as The Bible Myth: The African Origin of the Jewish People, (Secaucus, Citadel: 1996); subsequently republished as The Moses Mystery: The Egyptian Origins of the Jewish People, (New York, Pereset Press: 2008)