ABSTRACT
However much Christianity may have developed its beliefs and practices over the centuries, there can be little doubt that it owes its origins to Jesus of Nazareth. Of all the characters in human history, Jesus is undoubtedly the most discussed, and the one who has given rise to the greatest number of theories and speculations. It would be impossible to do justice to the ‘Jesus debate’ within a single chapter: the best we can hope to do is to offer a brief overview of the background against which Jesus lived and taught, what most Christians believe about him, and finally the current debates about who Jesus really was.
