In search of the historical Jesus

The views of leading contemporary authorities--Jews and Christians, Catholic and Protestants, radicals and conservatives--are set out in substantial extracts from their works so that the student can assess them for himself. The extracts comprise examination of the four Gospels as source material as well as what may be gleaned from non-canonical writings; examples of the new approach to history as a highly personal encounter; the attempts of various modern authors at the reconstruction of a "life" of Jesus; and the conflicting views of the Bultmann school and its critics on the bearing of historical research on theological affirmations. In a long introduction the editor reviews the current state of scholarly opinion.