Although Jesus was born in the western part of Asia it was not until 1500 years later that Asia experienced the full impact of Jesus's person and teaching. Western missionaries, the primary transmitters of Christianity, left behind a Western understanding of Jesus. Today, Asians are seeking the face of the original Jesus, his Asian face. For them, all understandings of Jesus arise out of particular contextual needs. Enriching the Western understanding of Jesus they employ new interpretive resources and their own cultural symbols and thought patterns as they meet Jesus anew and make sense of his message for their own time and place. Contributors include: Ovey N. Mohammed, Seiichi Yagi, Aloysius Pieris, Stanley J. Samartha, Michael Amaladoss, C.S. Song, Kosuke Koyama, Michael Rodrigo, Chung Hyun Kyung, and Sebastian Kappen.

R.S. Sugirtharajah, a Sri Lankan theologian and lecturer, is Professor of Biblical Hermeneutics at the University of Birmingham, England. Prior to his current appointment, he was Senior Lecturer in Third World Theologies at Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham. His other books include The Post-Colonial Biblical Reader and Voices from the Margin: Interpreting the Bible in the Third World.