Scholarly, popular, and religious interest in the his torical Jesus has never been greater. Not a year goes by without at least one new major book and at least one new documentary, almost always claiming to have discovered something novel. Indeed, in recent years the public has been told that Jesus was married and had children, that he wrote letters to Jewish leaders denying his divinity, that he faked his death and fled Israel, or that he really did die but was not resurrected and that his tomb and DNA have been found. Genuine scholars do not take any of this seriously, but this has not discouraged the production of a seemingly unending stream of outlandish books and television documentaries.

Notwithstanding the nonsense, most scholars and most clergy agree that the historical Jesus is important and that careful, rigorous study is necessary. Competent scholarly books, as well as popular books, that engage this significant subject are welcome and on the whole advance the discussion in useful ways. But the task is not easy.

THE GOALS AND METHODS THAT GUIDE HISTORICAL JESUS STUDIES

The goals and methods, or operating principles, that guide scholars engaged in research into the historical Jesus vary. Most agree that the primary goal of this research is to reconstruct a portrait of Jesus that has good claim to historicity (in contrast, e.g., to pious imagination or centuries of untested tradition). Disagreements arise with respect to methods, or operating principles, and the various sources that we have at our disposal. That there are such disagreements is not surprising, given the difficulty and complexity of the task.