What was it like in the time of Jesus? What was Jesus really like? Did he really perform those miracles? In this book the author seeks to answer these questions and many others about the Jesus of history. The author centers on two main concerns: how much Jesus was a part of his Jewish culture, and how much he moved beyond this culture to new and unique insights.

The book illustrates the very human face of Jesus. This book will be a useful tool to undergraduates seeking an overview of the Jesus of history and his claims. To those in adult education the book presents a useful summary of the foundational Christian story and its teaching. To those outside of Christianity or to the non-committed the work will satisfy curiosity over why Jesus has attracted such a following. To all its readers the book tries to answer the basic questions: Who was Jesus of Nazareth? What would it have been like to meet him in history? What makes him so special?