Hailed as "an event in the intellectual history of our time," Gunther Bornkamm's Jesus of Nazareth marked a turning point in modern understanding of the Gospels and the elusive figure who stands behind them. While Bornkamm admits, with Albert Schweitzer and others, that it remains impossible to write a "biography" of Jesus, he shows in this book that it is possible to arrive at a reliable understanding of Jesus' thought and teaching and to achieve a historically sound picture of the sort of person Jesus was, as well as what he was trying to accomplish.
Reissued here with an insightful foreword by Helmut Kioester, Bornkamm's study is one of those rare books that appeal to both the trained theologian and the inquiring layperson. Writing with clarity and care, he encourages the reader to explore further as he expands our understanding of Jesus and his message for humanity.