Here is the first comprehensive, balanced account of historical Jesus studies. Beginning with brief discussions of the early days of historical research into the person of Jesus and the methods developed by researchers at the time, Powell offers insightful overviews of some of the most important participants in the contemporary Jesus quests: Robert Funk and the Jesus Seminar, John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, E.P. Sanders, John Meier, N.T. Wright, and others. Powell concludes by outlining issues and directions for research that likely will guide these quests into the next century. This book is essential reading
for anyone interested in understanding the origins and methods of Jesus scholarship and the issues at stake in the debate over Jesus as a figure in history.
