Overview

Though many scholars, when writing about the historical Jesus, leave the resurrection out of account, in this book I argue that the resurrection must be part of the story of the historical Jesus. For not only is it an "event" that happened within history, but it is the catalyst for the significance that the first Christians attached to the historical person, Jesus. Furthermore, the data found in the gospels must be regarded as a "form of history", shaped by theological considerations, but pointing to the historical significance and meaning of Jesus's life. My "manifesto" is, in part, a protest against a tendency to maintain a divide between "history" and "theology". I offer a "sketch" of the historical Jesus, which particularly focuses upon the way in which Jesus stood in continuity with the Old Testament prophets. I especially highlight the data that connects the historical person with the historically significant figure that the first Christians proclaimed. These are such things as the institution of the Lord's Supper (the Holy Communion), the use by Jesus of the descriptor, "The Son of Man", and his choice of disciples who were known as "the Twelve".