The existence of the historical Jesus cannot be doubted. But who was Jesus of Nazareth? And who is he for us today? In this controversial work Schillebeeckx offers his 'experiment': an informative and sustained hermeneutical reflection on the story of Jesus. It became a bestseller, and would become the first volume of Schillebeeckx' trilogy on Jesus Christ. He presents a Christology 'from below', rooted in the synoptic gospels, but especially in Mark and in the Q tradition. At the same time he is clearly interested in portraying 'the historical Jesus' as both Proclaimer and Proclaimed.
In this major work Schillebeeckx tries to answer questions such as: Is the promise of salvation only to be found in Jesus Christ because he was a gift from God, as the Gospels tell us? What can we say about the inspiration of so many who do not attend church or adhere to any believe they find in Jesus Christ? Schillebeeckx takes us into his promising quest that leads to the ultimate question of what religious truth actually is.