The name of Geza Vermes has become synonymous with the study of the historical Jesus, as his work became launched a significant change within mainstream Jesus research, typically labelled 'the third quest'. Since 1973, when Vermes' influential book was first published, many notable Jesus scholars have interacted with the ideas and suggestions, yet their assessments have so far remained brief and ambiguous. Hilde Brekke Moller explores the true impact of Vermes' Jesus research on the the perceived change within Jesus research in the 1980s, and also within third quest Jesus research by looking into the reception of Vermes' book by Jesus scholars and reviewers. Brekke Moller looks in particular depth at the Jewishness of Jesus, his work on the Son-of-Man problem, and his description of Jesus as a hasid, which are also those parts of Vermes' work which have attracted the most scholarly attention. The research-historical approach used by Brekke Moller sheds light on underplayed aspects of previous research, and on the state of affairs for recent research by challenging the rhetoric of current historical Jesus scholarship.