Jesus

Very little is known about the historical figure of Jesus, Mack writes. He is traditionally believed to have come from Galilee, and indeed this region was a place of cultural transition in the first century C.E. that produced several new ideas including the early Jesus movement.

The facts of Jesus' death are unknown, Mack explains. He does not take the versions presented in the gospels of the New Testament as literal history, as they were written well after the time of the supposed crucifixion of Jesus and with the purpose of substantiating Jesus' position as the divine Christ.

That so little is known of the historical Jesus is not important to Mack's argument, he explains. What is important is how the figure of Jesus was transformed by later generations of Christians. From a wise teacher, Jesus was made a divine being, the savior, or Christ, who was...