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The Life of Christ

Frederic Farrar

A popular 19th-century biography of Jesus by Frederic Farrar, here heard as a modern volunteer audio reading, not the author's own voice.

A devotional 19th-century biography of Jesus, illustrating how believers told his life story for popular readers.

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Frederic Farrar, The Life of Christ. LibriVox volunteer reading (modern recording), not the author's voice.

About this source

What it is

Written by Frederic W. Farrar, a clergyman and scholar, this book narrates the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and was widely read in schools in its time. This recording is a modern LibriVox volunteer reading of the text, performed recently and dedicated to the public domain — it is not Farrar's own voice.

Why it matters

Farrar wrote as a believer for believers, making this book a useful example of a devotional rather than strictly critical biography of Jesus. Comparing it with more skeptical works, such as those by Strauss or Renan, helps students see how an author's faith and purpose shape the way history is told.

Look closer

  • How might a biography written 'by a believer to believers' differ from a more skeptical history?
  • Why is it important to know this audio is a modern reading, not Farrar's own voice?
  • What assumptions does the author bring to his account of Jesus's life?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Jesus Christ on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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