In June 2000 five scholars, one theologian and 60 non-academic pilgrims travelled to Israel to share their insights on the Jesus of history and the meaning of the "historians' Jesus" for Christian faith. The results are provided in this work. The text provides a summary of what is known about Jesus and his times - Galilee, his relationship to the Qumran community, his sense of mission as an eschatological prophet and miracle worker, and finally the mechanics of how the memories of Jesus's words and deeds circulated amongst his followers and were passed on in oral performance to be enshrined in the written synoptic tradition. The book concludes with reflections by Elizabeth Johnson on the relavance of such scholarship for contemporary Christian faith; rather than a challenge, she sees it as a gift.

Author Biography

James D. G. Dunn (University of Durham) is the author, most notably, of Jesus and the Spirit; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J. (Weston School of Theology), of The Gospel of Matthew; John P. Meier (Notre Dame), of A Marginal Jew; E. P Sanders (Duke University), of Jesus and Judaism; Donald Senior, C.P. (Chicago Theological Union), of Jesus: A Gospel Portrait; and Elizabeth A. Johnson, C.S.J. (Fordham), of Consider Jesus. Doris Donnelly is director of the Cardinal Suenens Program in Theology and Church Life at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.