The Gospels and Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth and the four New Testament gospels continue to fascinate people from many cultural and religious backgrounds. Who was Jesus? Are Christian claims about him supported by solid historical evidence? How reliable are the evangelists' portraits of Jesus which were written some 50 years after the crucifixion? These questions can be explored only on the basis of a sound grasp of the intentions and methods of the four evangelists. This study examines the distinctive emphases of all four evangelists, discusses briefly the apocryphal gospels, and deals with the methods of assessing evidence which describes Jesus' teaching, his intentions and the reasons for his downfall.