Part II: On the Man Called Christ, Chapter II: The Riddles of the Gospel Summary and Analysis

It is difficult for one, especially someone born in the modern age in a Christianized culture, to try to see the New Testament from the perspective of someone who had never seen it. Not only is it difficult for the obvious reason that they are not familiar with it, but also because there is the temptation always to read the New Testament in a more human—that is, a more diluted—form. Many scholars have set about this task, and thus they commonly claim, for example, that the merciful and loving Christ of the Gospels has been obscured by the harsh, judgmental Christ of the Church. In fact, the opposite is true. The...