N. T. Wright offers a penetrating assessment of the major scholarly contributions to the current 'quest' for the historical Jesus.

He then sets out in fascinating detail his own compelling account of how Jesus himself understood his mission: how he believed himself called to remake Israel, the people of God, around himself; how he announced God's judgement on the Israel of his day, especially its Temple and hierarchy; and how he saw his own movement as the divinely ordained fulfilment of Israel's destiny.