Some recent writing discredits the picture of Jesus presented in the New Testament, either by claiming that newly discovered documents reveal a different figure or by reinterpreting the gospels themselves. This book analyzes the evidence about Jesus in a broad range of sources, from ancient pagan and Jewish texts to the earliest Christian sources, including the New Testament apart from the gospel, the canonical gospels, and later Christian texts not included in the Christian canon. Special attention is given to the source document, known to scholars as the Q, that informs the gospels and to the book of Mark, the oldest gospel. Each source is examined in light of the social and cultural context in which it was written, and the conclusion is drawn that in spite of differences in the portrayals of Jesus there is a convergence of evidence about his activities and his message.
