Contents
Prologue: From Christ to Jesus
1. John
The Odd Man Out Among the Evangelism
2. The Jesus of John
Messiah Figure of Stranger from Heaven
3. Paul
The Odd Man Out Among the Apostles
4. The Christ of Paul
Son of God and Universal Redeemer of Manking
5. The Jesus of the Acts of the Apostles
Prophet, Lord, and Christ
6. The Jesus of the Synoptic Gospels
Charismatic Healer and Teacher and Eschatological Enthusiast
7. Beneath the Gospels
The Real Jesus
8. The Real Jesus at the Dawn of the Third Millenium
Epilogue: A Dream
Chronological Table
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index

Who was the real Jesus? How was this Palestinian charismatic transformed by later generations into the heavenly savior who is the focus of the Christian Church? Did Jesus's own teachings lead to his divine characterization? Or did the church-centered needs of gentile Christianity hide his true face, obscuring the religion he preached and practiced? With unique authority, sensitivity, and insight, renowned scholar Geza Vermes explores these difficult questions by examining the New Testament writings, placing them in the context of the Jewish civilization of the first century. Starting with the elevated, divine figure of Christ presented in the most recent Gospel, the Gospel of John, Vermes travels back through earlier accounts of Jesus's life to reveal the true historical figure.