The starting point is a random discovery: Isaiah 43:3f - not primarily Isaiah 53 - is the Old Testament prophetic word to which the earliest interpretation of Jesus' death refers. Therefore, the question of the relationship between Jesus' message and the Deutero-Isaianic prophecy must be reexamined, especially with the help of linguistic comparison. Some obscure words of Jesus can now be clarified, and the Christian proclamation of God's love is specified and revealed in its original intensity. The second, revised and expanded edition takes into account questions and research findings since 1976.