The Jesus Puzzle

By Earl Doherty

Why are the events of the Gospel story, and its central character Jesus of Nazareth, not found in the new Testament epistles?

Why does Paul's divine Christ seem to have no connection to the Gospel Jesus, but closely resembles the many pagan savior gods of the time who lived only in myth?

Why, given the spread of Christianity across the Roman Empire in the first century, did only one Christian community compose a story of Jesus' life and death -- the Gospel of Mark -- while every other Gospel simply copied and reworked the first one?

Why is every detail of the Gospel story of Jesus' trial and crucifixion drawn from the passages of the Old Testament?

The answer to these and other questions surrounding the New Testament will come as a shock to those who imagine that the origins of Christianity and the figure of Jesus are securely represented by Christian tradition and the Gospels. With the arrival of the third millennium, the time has come to face the stunning realization that for the last 1900 years, Christianity has revered a founder and icon of the faith who probably never existed.

Paperback. 380 pp.