"It is widely recognized by New Testament scholars that many of the sayings and actions attributed to Jesus in the gospels cannot be factually traced to him. The gospels, written many decades after the death of Jesus, are composites of hearsay, legends, and theological interpretations, reflecting the hopes and beliefs of the early Christian community more than the actual teachings of the Galilean prophet." "Despite these difficulties, Gerd Ludemann shows in this fascinating analysis of early Christian documents that the tools of historical research can succeed in reaching at least a close approximation of some of the original words and deeds of Jesus. Ludemann first establishes the criteria by which the alleged words and actions of Jesus can be judged authentic or inauthentic. He then examines every text about Jesus from the first two centuries. By this careful methodology, he is able to separate what the historical Jesus actually said and did from inaccurate legends later attached to his name."--Jacket.