These writers presented Jesus as a real historical person. Denying the reliability of these sources in connection to Jesus would cast serious suspicion on the rest of ancient history. Now these ...

As a poor Jewish man, the real Jesus would have not had a fancypants title, but would’ve instead been referred to by his place of origin. “In the ancient world, most people didn’t have a ...

those who believe the wonder-working Jesus of the Gospels is the real Jesus, and those who think the real Jesus—the man who inspired the myth—hides below the surface of the Gospels and must be ...

Both groups claimthat they can get to the real Jesus. And that if you read the sources right, you make the right selection of the sayings and the materials, you will find the real Jesus.

This story appears in the December 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine. This month’s cover story, “What Archaeology Is Telling Us About the Real Jesus,” does what people have been ...