In Search of the Public Jesus: A Secularized Examination of the Gospels

After more than two thousand years, and having divided itself into multiple denominations, Christianity is still at odds regarding an understanding of the public Jesus. The Gospels themselves pose overwhelming obstacles that preclude their proper understanding. This book presents an unvarnished look at the man who millions call the Son of God. Its purpose is to demythologize the Gospels and expose the hidden message behind the written letter. Rereading the texts from a different vantage point allows a more realistic image of the public Jesus to emerge than that provided by apologists or detractors of the Christian faith; an image of who he was at the time, beyond what people might think, feel, or believe he is today. This work relies on two intriguing approaches that allow viewing the public Jesus from different angles by reformatting the Gospels into multiple categories relevant to Christianity. Once the texts are quantified and qualitative inferences are drawn from these categories, a more coherent portrait of Jesus begins to appear. This approach allows the reader to focus on how others viewed Jesus at the time and how he viewed himself; which themes or concepts the Gospels emphasize the most and which the least; which are the most glaring omissions, its most significant incongruences, and contradictions, and whether these can be reconciled with divine revelation. More important, this rereading illustrates whether the wording and the tone in the texts enhance or diminish the Gospels' acceptance in a postmodern world.