Jesus is one of the most famous and influential people who ever lived, but what can we really know about him? Can we trust the Bible, or is it unreliable because it was written by his followers?
It is tempting to simply allow ourselves to be convinced by writers who share the same christian or anti-christian view that we ourselves hold. But no-one who respects the evidence and truth can really do that. We must base our conclusions on research by the best unbiased scholars, who approach the New Testament neutrally, not as a holy book but as another historical document. That is what I have done here.
Based on the conclusions of expert historians, here is reliable information that will help you find your way through the maze of different ideas, and find the truth about whether we can know if Jesus was a real person and not a legend, what we can know about him, and how we should understand him.
Be prepared for some surprises - what the historians tell us isn't always what either christian apologists or sceptics will tell you!
Jesus - who he was and how we know
Was Jesus a real person? . Whatever their personal beliefs about Jesus, historians are generally agreed that he was a real person and not a legend. Check out why.
Jesus in history. Treating the New Testament as they would any other historical document (and not as a holy book), historians have concluded we can know quite a lot about Jesus.
Are the gospels historical?. Check out how historians evaluate the New Testament as history.
The reliability of the New Testament text - how much has the New Testament been changed since it was first written?
Who was Jesus? (Summary). A summary of what the gospels, understood in their historical and cultural context, tell us about Jesus.
Who was Jesus? - a more detailed look at what the gospels tell us about Jesus.
Jesus - son of God? - did Jesus claim to be divine, or was that something made up by his followers?
Was Jesus raised from the dead? - the historical facts, and the arguments for and against.
Which historians should we trust? - finding our way through the different opinions.
Archaeology and John's gospel. Archaeological discoveries tell us that John knew his way around the Jerusalem of Jesus' day.
Historical Jesus references - references to good sources of information, plus a list of scholars used in preparing material on Jesus.