Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the Historical Jesus. Scholarly portraits of Jesus appear regularly. Television documentaries and national magazines cover the latest manuscript and archaeological discoveries pertaining to Jesus, often making sensational pronouncements. How is the student of the Bible to assess these various claims about Jesus? And what difference does understanding his time and place make for theological thinking and historical research? James Charlesworth presents the solid results of modern study into the life and times of Jesus. Concisely yet comprehensively, Professor Charlesworth addresses the major questions of what can be known about Jesus' life and thought. No one today is better equipped to lead students through the thickets of controversy that surround contemporary Historical Jesus research.