The four Gospels of the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—provide the biblical picture of the time of Jesus. However, they are narrative texts rather than historical monographs. This necessitates complex analyses for reconstructing the historical image of the era, particularly the image of the historical Jesus himself, as the history of research from the 18th century to the present day demonstrates. The focus of the book is on the most modern international historical Jesus research, known as the "third quest," and its findings. This also means that recent studies on ancient Judaism are taken into account, as they have led to entirely new assessments regarding the interpretation of Jesus' position and the Jesus movement within Judaism. Additionally, the book addresses the problematization of the cultural shaping of history.